5th annual New York State Boxing Hall of Fame Class of 2016 inducted in festive ceremony

NYSBHOF Class of 2016 (L-R):  Seated – Vilomar Fernandez, Dennis Rappaport, Randy Gordon and Ed Brophy; Standing:  Aaron Davis and Joe DeGuardia

-All pictures by Peter Frutkoff-

NEW YORK (April 5, 2016) – More than 300 people packed Russo’s On The Bay in Howard Beach, NY this past Sunday for the fifth annual New York State Boxing Hall of Fame (NYSBHOF) induction dinner,

World welterweight champion (’90-91) Aaron “Superman” Davis                                                  Bronx

World junior welterweight champion (’93-94) Charles “The Natural” Murray                                 Buffalo

Two-time world lightweight title challenger Vilomar Fernandez                                                      Bronx

World lightweight title challenger Edwin Viruet.                                                               New York City

(Deceased)

4-time, 3-division world champion Hector “Macho” Camacho                                        Spanish Harlem

World middleweight champion (1952) Rocky Graziano                                                             Brooklyn

World lightweight (’25-26) titlist Rocky Kansas                                                                           Buffalo

2-time world bantamweight titleholder Joe Lynch                                                                      Brooklyn

“Uncrowned welterweight champion” Joe Miceli                                                                         Buffalo

Non-Participants

International Boxing Hall of Fame executive director Ed Brophy                                             Canastota

Promoter Joe DeGuardia                                                                                                            Bronx

Commissioner/media personality Randy Gordon                                                                       Melville

Promoter/manager Dennis Rappaport                                                                                      Queens

(Deceased)

Manager Howie Albert                                                                                                               Bronx

Trainer/cutman Freddie Brown                                                                                            Manhattan

New York City television commentator Howard Cosell                                                    New York City

Boxer/referee Ruby Goldstein                                                                                             Manhattan

Manager Jimmy Jacobs                                                                                                New York City

(L-R) – NYSBHOF/Ring 8 president Bob Duffy, Don Majeski, Ed Brophy and Jill Diamond (WBC)

Ed Brophy:  “I’d like to thank the committee of the New York State Boxing Hall of Fame and Ring 8, a wonderful group that sponsors the New York State Boxing Hall of Fame.  I’m so proud to have been born in New York, in the small town of Canastota, where boxing is in our blood.  I’m thrilled to be honored today.  My name is attached to the International Boxing Hall of Fame as director, but so many different people help out.  I only accept this honor on their behalf.  Boxing is the greatest sport.  Congratulations to all of the inductees.  This is the greatest day of my life.”

  (L-R) – Ron McNair, Aaron Davis and Bob Duffy

Aaron Davis:  Thanks, Ring 8.  Boxing is a hard sport.  It was much harder in the gym.  I saw Gerry Cooney, Iran Barkley and Roberto Duran and wanted to do what those guys did and it made me a fighter I was.  I’d like to thank my father and Billy Giles, who was my trainer. I’d also like to thank Joe DeGuardia, who managed me later in my career, and thanks to everybody who supported me.”

 

(L-R) — Bob Duffy, Dennis Rappaport and family

Dennis Rappaport:  “It seems like yesterday when a six or seven year old living in Brooklyn watched a fight between Jake LaMotta and Jim Hairston.  This young man was mesmerized.  The next month he watched Sugar Ray Robinson knockout Rocky Graziano and that was the start of a love affair that’s lasted 63 years.  Boxing, at its best, is poetry in motion.  It’s Shapespeare, Picasso, Rembrandt.  But it can also be crude.  I started in boxing managing three fighters:  Ronnie Harris, Gerry Cooney and Howard Davis. Jr.  Because of the creative marketing of our fighters, one reporter called me and my partner, Mike Jones, ‘The Gold Dust Twins’ but then the media starting calling us, ‘The Wacko Twins.’ I preferred ‘The Gold Dust Twins.”

Joe DeGuardia:  It’s a real pleasure, honor and privilege to be inducted into the New York State Boxing Hall of Fame.  Like many of you here, I live and bleed boxing, which has been a big part of my life.  Four months ago, I received the (Ring 8 at its Holiday awards dinner) Promoter of the Year award.  I said then that we are truly a family of boxing; it’s a real brotherhood.  I also talked about how boxing tied into lire.  In that room – not with us now – was my father who passed away three weeks ago.  Because of him, I developed this love of boxing that I’ve carried in life: work hard to do the best you can in life.  I’m truly honored to be inducted into the New York State Boxing Hall of Fame.  In honor of my father and everybody else who loves this sport.  I accept on behalf of my father who, I know, is watching us now.”

(L-R) – Charles Murray and Bob Duffy

Charles Murray:  “They called me, ‘The Natural.’  I appreciate this, being honored for my contributions to boxing.  Thank you very much.”

  (L-R) – Steve Farhood, Vilomar Fernandez and Bob Duffy

Vilomar Fernandez:  “It wasn’t easy fighting guys like Roberto Duran and Alexis Arguello.  They were the best in the world.  I’m thankful for the opportunities to fight them, I’m honored today.”

  (L-R) – Henry Hascup, Randy Gordon, Melvina Lathan, Bob Duffy and Gerry Cooney

Randy Gordon:  “Thank you, everyone.  This amazing event we have every year, I never expected this would happen.  My career was born out of the aches of one of boxing’s biggest scandals, the US Championships on ABC, promoted by Don King, and Ring Magazine produced the ratings for the tournament.  It turned out the ratings and some of the records were padded and it just about knocked Ring Magazine out of business.  Bert Randolph Sugar hired me to be its Editor In Chief.  Working together, we brought Ring Magazine back from the dead.  I burst into tears when Jack Hirsch called to tell me I was being inducted into the New York State Boxing Hall of Fame.  This is an absolute dream.  Anybody who has ever or will ever be inducted into any hall of fame, nobody can possibly enjoy this more than me.  I love boxing with every ounce of my body.  My wife and family drive me back into boxing.  This is the greatest honor.  I can’t get enough of boxing.  I’m truly the luckiest man ever placed on this planet.”

 (L-R) – Ed Brophy, Don Majeski, Jack Hirsch and Joe DeGuardia

NYSAC Executive Director Dave Berlin and Harold Lederman

 

(L-R) – Joe DeGuardia and NYSBHOF/Ring 8 president Bob Duffy

CLASS of 2012: Carmen Basilio, Mike McCallum, Mike Tyson, Jake LaMotta, Riddick Bowe, Carlos Ortiz, Vito Antuofermo, Emile Griffith, “Sugar” Ray Robinson, Gene Tunney, Benny Leonard, Tony Canzoneri, Harold Lederman, Steve Acunto, Jimmy Glenn, Gil Clancy, Ray Arcel, Nat Fleischer, Bill Gallo and Arthur Mercante, Sr.

CLASS of 2013: Jack Dempsey, Johnny Dundee, Sandy Saddler, Maxie Rosenbloom, Joey Archer, Iran Barkley, Mark Breland, Bobby Cassidy, Doug Jones, Junior Jones, James “Buddy” McGirt, Eddie Mustafa Muhammad, Bob Arum,  Shelly Finkel, Tony Graziano,  Larry Merchant, Teddy Brenner, Mike Jacobs, Tex Rickard and Don Dunphy.

CLASS OF 2014:  Floyd Patterson, Tracy Harris Patterson, Billy Backus, Kevin Kelley, Juan LaPorte, Gerry Cooney, Mustafa Hamsho, Howard Davis, Jr., Lou Ambers, Jack Britton, Terry McGovern, Teddy Atlas, Lou DiBella, Steve Farhood, Gene Moore, Angelo Prospero, Whitey Bimstein, Cus D’Amato, William Muldoon and Tom O’Rourke.

CLASS OF 2015: Saoul Mamby, Joey Giambra, Johnny Persol, Harold Weston, Lonnie Bradley, Paul Berlenbach, Billy Graham, Frankie Genaro, Bob Miller, Tommy Ryan, Jimmy Slattery, Bob Duffy, Mike Katz, Tommy Gallagher, Bruce Silverglade, Charley Goldman, Jimmy Johnston, Cedric Kushner, Harry Markson, Damon Runyon and Al Weill.