Articles of 2006
Boxing Hall of Fame: Big day for little men
It was a day to savor for boxing's smallest giants. Junior flyweight rivals Michael Carbajal and Humberto “Chiquita” Gonzalez will lead the Class of 2006 into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota.
Carbajal, a former U.S. Olympian, and Gonzalez, from Mexico, fought each other three times for a junior flyweight championship. Gonzalez won two of those bouts. (For the record, this author voted for both men.)
“We had some great fights together,” said Carbajal. “It seems right that both of us are going in at the same time like this. We have a history.”
The popular historian Hank Kaplan, a contributor to TheSweetScience.com was also inducted as an observer. The remainder of the Class of 2006 includes: former lightweight champion Edwin Rosario (deceased) in the modern category; welterweight and middleweight champion Lou Broulliard, light heavyweight champion Jimmy Slattery and middleweight champion Teddy Yarosz from the old-timers category; 19th-century English lightweight champion Jem Carney, in the pioneer category; and joining Kaplan as an observer was publisher Stanley Weston. Other inductees are English promoter/manager Jarvis Astaire, trainer Whitey Bimstein and Italian promoter Rodolfo Sabbatini.
The induction ceremony is June 11. Inductees are chosen by members of the Boxing Writers Association and a panel of international boxing historians. Boxers must be retired five years to be eligible.
Carbajal made history as the first million-dollar flyweight and engaged in a thrilling, three-fight series with Gonzalez. They afforded boxing's smaller weight classes attention that was long overdue. Carbajal won a silver medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Among his U.S. teammates were Roy Jones Jr., Ray Mercer, Riddick Bowe and Kennedy McKinney.
“He was a pioneer in a lot of ways,” said hall-of-fame trainer and HBO commentator, Emanuel Steward. “His punching power for his size was phenomenal.”
Carbajal rose from a pair of knockdowns to unifiy the IBF and WBC by defeating Gonzalez in 1993 with a seventh-round knockout. Gonzalez reclaimed the title with a 12-round split decision in a February 1994 rematch and won another split decision over Carbajal in November 1994.
Carbajal left the ring in 1999 with a 49-4 record and 33 knockouts. Gonzalez retired in 1995 with a 43-3- record with 31 knockouts.
-
Featured Articles4 weeks ago
Vito Mielnicki Jr Whitewashes Kamil Gardzielik Before the Home Folks in Newark
-
Featured Articles5 days ago
Results and Recaps from New York Where Taylor Edged Serrano Once Again
-
Featured Articles1 week ago
From a Sympathetic Figure to a Pariah: The Travails of Julio Cesar Chavez Jr
-
Featured Articles4 days ago
Results and Recaps from NYC where Hamzah Sheeraz was Spectacular
-
Featured Articles2 weeks ago
Catterall vs Eubank Ends Prematurely; Catterall Wins a Technical Decision
-
Featured Articles5 days ago
Philadelphia Welterweight Gil Turner, a Phenom, Now Rests in an Unmarked Grave
-
Featured Articles3 weeks ago
More Medals for Hawaii’s Patricio Family at the USA Boxing Summer Festival
-
Featured Articles4 weeks ago
Callum Walsh, Umar Dzambekov and Cain Sandoval Remain Unbeaten at Santa Ynez