Roy Jones Jr. was a force of nature. James Toney had rare skills. And Miguel Cotto’s all-around game made him one of the biggest stars in the sport.
All three have been rewarded for their success by being elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame, it was announced today.
The Class of 2022 will be inducted this coming June in Canastota, New York, with the 2020 and 2021 classes because the two previous induction ceremonies were canceled as a result of COVID-19.
That means Jones, Toney and Cotto will enter the Hall with a cavalcade of stars, including Floyd Mayweather, Bernard Hopkins, Wladimir Klitschko, Juan Manuel Marquez, Shane Mosley, Andre Ward, Laila Ali, Christy Martin and other big names.
Jones (66-9, 47 KOs) was a longtime pound-for-pound king who was untouchable in his prime. The 1988 Olympic silver medalist was too quick, too athletic and much too powerful for his opponents, most of whom he overwhelmed.
He defeated the likes of Thomas Tate, Toney, Hopkins, Mike McCallum, Montell Griffin and Virgil Hill en route to winning major titles in four weight classes.
That includes the heavyweight division, to which he moved up from light heavyweight and defeated reigning titleholder John Ruiz by a unanimous decision in 2003 to become the first former middleweight to win a heavyweight title in more than a century.
Jones was never the same after that, suffering eight of his nine losses, and he fought well into his 40s. However, those who saw him at his best will vouch for his greatness.
He was recently back in the news when he faced Mike Tyson in an exhibition.
“This is an absolutely marvelous feeling,” Jones said of his election. “I’m so honored that I get this opportunity and I can’t wait to go to Canastota to see it come to fruition.”
Toney (77-10-3, 47 KOs) had a more difficult time with his weight than opponents. Still, the master technician won titles in three divisions – middleweight, super middleweight and cruiserweight — and became a top heavyweight contender.
“Lights out” upset then-unbeaten Michael Nunn by an 11th-round knockout to win a middleweight title in 1991. He then took down Reggie Johnson, Mike McCallum (after an earlier draw), Iran Barkley and many other top fighters between middleweight and light heavyweight.
He lost back-to-back fights to Jones and Griffin in 1994 and 1995 but rebounded to become an outstanding cruiserweight and good heavyweight. He became only the second to stop Evander Holyfield in 2003 and then beat Ruiz to win a title only to lose it after testing positive for a banned substance.
Toney continued to fight until he was almost 50.
“Yeah baby! I made it,” Toney said. “This is so great. I’ve been waiting for this call and I’m so happy. I can’t believe it. I’m almost tearing up. It’s a blessing and I’m looking forward to coming to Canastota as an inductee!”
Cotto (41-6, 33 KOs) ranks with the best Puerto Rican fighters of all time. He won major titles in four divisions and fought all the top contenders near his weight, beating Paulie Malignaggi, Zab Judah, Shane Mosley, Ricardo Mayorga and Antonio Margarito after an earlier loss.
He also lost to Manny Pacquiao, Mayweather, Austin Trout, Canelo Alvarez and Sadam Ali in his final fight but always gave a good account of himself.
“After many years in boxing, I’m so proud of what we have done in the sport,” Cotto said. “Above all I was the head of my family and what made me proud as a father was to provide for my family and thanks to boxing I did it in the best way possible.
“It is amazing, but you have to be humble and carry yourself in the best way possible and work hard every day to reach your goals in life. I look forward to being in Canastota next June.”
Among those who failed to receive enough votes for election were Rafael Marquez, Michael Moorer, Timothy Bradley, Acelino Freitas, Pongsaklek Wonjongkam, Carl Froch, Ivan Calderon and Ricky Hatton.
Jones, Toney and Cotto were elected in the Modern category. Regina Halmich (54-1-1, 16 KOs) and Holly Holm (33-2-3, 9 KOs) in the women’s Modern category.
Halmich, who fought almost exclusively in her native Germany, was almost untouchable during her long career. Holm, perhaps best known for knocking out Ronda Rousey in an MMA bout, was a huge boxing attraction in her native Albuquerque, New Mexico.
“Wow! What an honor,” Halmich said. “I’m very, very happy. My biggest wish was to one day be in the International Boxing Hall of Fame and this is really the biggest honor for me.”
Said Holm: “I feel very humbled and honored to be acknowledged amongst the greatest. I’m kind of speechless actually. I’m really excited.”
Also being inducted are: publicist Bill Caplan in the Non-Participant category; and writer Ron Borges and historian Bob Yalen in the Observer category.