Duran, Whitaker, Lopez, Hagler, Norton, Arguello, Basilio, Carbajal, Buchanan, Douglas and Bramble among 50 boxing stars to attend
CANASTOTA, NY – JUNE 6, 2007 – The opening bell will soon ring for the 18th Annual Hall of Fame Induction Weekend, June 7-10th. A huge gathering of boxing legends of yesterday and today has been assembled to participate in festivities in Canastota..
Among the over 50 boxing stars slated to participate in the June 7-10th festivities include Hall of Famers Carmen Basilio, Carlos Ortiz, “Fighting” Harada, Jose Torres, Emile Griffith, Ruben Olivares, Gene Fullmer, Ken Norton, Alexis Arguello, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Lou Duva, Ken Buchanan, Michael Carbajal, Arthur Mercante, Stanley Christodoulou, Bert Sugar, Pipino Cuevas and Bob Arum.
Joining the Hall of Famers will be special guests Lupe Pintor, Raul “Raton” Macias, Christy Martin, Vito Antuofermo, George Chuvalo, James “Buster” Douglas, Vinny Paz, Alan Minter, Iran Barkley, Marlon Starling, Virgil Hill, John H. Stracey, Oscar Diaz and Billy Backus among others.
The four-day Hall of Fame Weekend features over twenty events including a banquet, golf tournament, 5K Race / Fun Run, the Parade of Champions with world famous ring announcer Michael Buffer serving as grand marshal, and the Official Induction Ceremony on Sunday, June 10th at 2:30 p.m.
New inductees to be honored are four-division world champions Roberto “Hands of Stone” Duran and Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker, two-division world champion Ricardo “Finito” Lopez, trainer Amilcar Brusa, administrator Jose Sulaiman, and artist LeRoy Neiman. Posthumous inductees will also be honored.
“The Hall of Fame Weekend is boxing’s highlight weekend of the year. In Canastota, boxing fans can mingle with an incredible roster of boxing legends and celebrate the great sport,” said Hall of Fame director Edward Brophy. “The Hall of Fame Weekend is for anyone who loves the sport of boxing.”
For more information on the 18th Annual Hall of Fame Induction Weekend, please call 315-697-7095 or visit www.ibhof.com.