For those that have the honor bestowed upon them, it’s again time to put pen to paper and vote for the fighters deserving of being enshrined in The Hall of Fame. The 2021 ballots are out, reports Dan Rafael, and all five first-year eligible fighters are very special indeed. In fact, there isn’t a non-Hall of Fame worthy fighter among them. The five newcomers – who each had their final fight in 2017 – are:
Floyd Mayweather
Wladimir Klitschko
Andre Ward
Miguel Cotto
James Toney.
Now that is some huge collection of talent. Clearly, all five greats are fully deserving of going into The Hall. Next June, two HOF ceremonies will take place; this year’s having been delayed due to the coronavirus. What a star-studded occasion it really will be in Canastota in the summer of 2021!
Mayweather is a no-brainer as far as going in. As is Klitschko. As is Ward. As is Cotto. As is Toney. All five fighters achieved so, so much during their time in the ring. Mayweather is of course, “T.B.E,” at least according to himself and a good number of his fans and supporters. Klitschko was a dominant world heavyweight king for over a decade. Ward, like Mayweather, never lost a single fight. Cotto won multiple world titles and is regarded as perhaps the finest fighter ever to have come out of Puerto Rico.
And Toney, AKA “Lights Out” is perhaps the best naturally gifted fighter of the five. Sure, Toney suffered more defeats than any of the other fighters on this short but illustrious list, but at his best – see his brilliant ring displays against Mike McCallum, Michael Nunn, Iran Barkley, Vasiliy Jirov, Evander Holyfield, Tim Littles, “Prince” Charles Williams – Toney was sheer majesty. And when we consider how, of Toney’s 10 losses, a number of them came at heavyweight (never Toney’s best weight despite what he said at the time of his move up), a few of them came at a time when he should no longer have been fighting, and more than a couple of them came via controversial/debatable decision, it’s clear they should not be held against him.
Like each and every member of this super-special five, Toney simply has to go into The Hall.
There sure will be some boxing royalty on hand at Canastota next summer. Who of the five newcomers is YOUR favorite fighter?
Voters have until October 31 to place their votes, the results to be announced in December.
