Tag: Ed Brophy

Boxing Hall of Fame weekend canceled over coronavirus

The Boxing Hall of Fame induction weekend scheduled to begin June 14 in Canastota, New York is off because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Bernard Hopkins, Shane Mosley and Juan Manuel Marquez will have to wait to be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

A Hall of Fame official told ESPN Sunday that the induction weekend scheduled to begin June 14 in Canastota, New York is off because of the coronavirus pandemic. This year’s class will be inducted with the Class of 2021 a year from June.

Hopkins, Mosley and Marquez were scheduled to be inducted in the modern boxer category. Also, Christy Martin and Lucia Rijker were to be the first women inducted.

“By combining the celebrations of the induction classes of 2020 and 2021, the Hall of Fame can honor inductees with all the bells and whistles that the Hall of Fame weekend is known for and provide each inductee with the recognition they each so richly deserve,” Hall of Fame Executive Director Ed Brophy told ESPN.

“By honoring the two classes in a one-of-a-kind induction weekend, the Hall of Fame will be able to put all the winning combinations together for the inductees, fans and the entire sport of boxing.”

Others set to be inducted were: Frank Erne and Paddy Ryan in the old-timer category; Barbara Buttrick in the women’s trailblazer category; promoters Lou DiBella, Kathy Duva and the late Dan Goossen; and journalists Bernard Fernandez and Thomas Hauser in the observer category.

Those who purchased tickets for induction weekend can use them next year or receive refunds.

The pool of fighters who become eligible for election next year is deep. Among them: Floyd Mayweather, Wladimir Klitschko, Miguel Cotto and Andre Ward.

Hall of Fame officials hoping induction weekend won’t be postponed

International Boxing Hall of Fame officials are hoping that induction weekend takes place in mid-June as scheduled.

The coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc with boxing and all other sports. One more possible postponement if the threat doesn’t subside soon: The International Boxing Hall of Fame Weekend.

The annual event, in which inductees join the pantheon of great boxers and contributors, has become an institution in June in Canastota, New York.

However, the Hall will be closed through the end of the month and possibly beyond. Executive Direction Ed Brophy told the New York Post that he hopes the event will still take place June 11-14.

“Hall of Fame weekend is still on for mid-June,” Brophy told The Post. “But we’ll continue to follow the rules and regulations of the county and the state and monitor all the different guidelines and watch what happens day-by-day and week-by-week as we go through March.”

The Class of 2020 is a high-powered one, as Bernard Hopkins, Juan Manuel Marquez and Shane Mosley are the marquee names that will enter the Hall. And, for the first time, women will be inducted. The first three honorees are Christy Martin, Lucia Rijker and Barbara Buttrick.

“It’s an historic class with the first females to be enshrined and have their plaques in the museum,” Brophy said. “Ticket sales for the weekend had been good since the fall when we made the announcement of the inductees. We’re still right on target for have a special weekend. We’re going to continue to monitor the next week and a half and the beginning of April and determine what is happening.

“Everything is day-to-day. It’s hard to forecast out to June. But the best position we can be in is to maintain our plans that are well underway and keep moving forward.”