Evander Holyfield, Marco Antonio Barrera lead Boxing Hall of Fame's Class of 2017
The next men to enter the hallowed halls of Canastota were announced Tuesday, and this year, voting was easy.
When I cast my ballot for the International Boxing Hall of Fame's Class of 2017, I did so without hesitation. Three great fighters appeared on the ballot for the first time, and I checked the box next to each one's name: Evander Holyfield, Marco Antonio Barrera and the late Johnny Tapia.
All three men were indeed elected as first-ballot Hall of Famers in the modern era (last bout no earlier than 1989), and Tapia should gain entry, too. At least three boxers had to be elected.
Whom I didn't vote for: Julian Jackson, Donald Curry, Genard Hernandez, Chris Eubank, Nigel Benn, Michael Moorer, Paulie Ayala, Meldrick Taylor, Vinny Pazienza and Dariusz Michalczewski, among others.
Most of those fighters are lacking a signature victory over a Hall of Famer (Moorer a clear exception with a win over Holyfield) or don't boast long, dominant reigns as champions.
Also gaining election in the non-participant and observer category (where I don't hold a vote): Showtime boxing analysts Steve Farhood and Barry Tompkins, along with longtime judge Jerry Roth and Australian trainer Johnny Lewis.
Middleweight Eddie Booker, a victim of racism as an African-American fighter in the 1930s and '40s, and ring announcer Jimmy Lennon Sr., were inducted posthumously. ing historians.
The ceremony will take place June 11.
Here's why I voted for each boxer:
Evander Holyfield: Hall of Fame decisions don't come much easier than this. Sure, Holyfield was closely linked to performance-enhancing drugs, but he's simply one of the greatest fighters - and warriors - of all time. Perhaps the best of the stacked 1990s heavyweight division, Holyfield owns an upset win over Mike Tyson in a bout that was named Ring Magazine's 1996 fight of the year. "Real Deal," of course, also topped Tyson in the infamous "Bite Fight."
That wasn't the only time Holyfield (44-10-2, 29 KOs) was involved in a bizarre moment in the ring. His legendary trilogy with Riddick Bowe included "The Fan Man Fight" in the rematch when a parachutist jumped into the open-air Caesar's Palace, causing a 21-minute break in Round 7.
The relentless Holyfield wasn't just an all-time great heavyweight, though. He's also considered the great cruiserweight ever. His wars with Dwight Muhammad Qawi are revered and put the nascent weight class on the map.
Holyfield was in a number of truly terrific fights besides his brawls with Tyson and Bowe, namely, his victories over Bert Cooper, Michael Dokes and the second version of George Foreman.
As fighters are wont to do, Holyfield hung on too long and he attempted a quixotic quest to regain the heavyweight title well into his 40s. He suffered consecutive title defeats to Sultan Ibragimov and Nikolay Valuev (controversially) at age 46, and finally, after fighting three more times, the Atlanta native called it a career in 2011 months shy of his 49th birthday.
Marco Antonio Barrera: "The Baby-Faced Assassin" will forever be linked to Erik Morales for their legendary nights, but the Mexican was so much more.
He's simply one of the greatest featherweights of all time, and he enjoyed a dominant reign until Manny Pacquiao brought it to a streaking halt in an upset knockout victory.
Barrera (67-7-1, 44 KOs) always made for great fights, and his 2001 shellacking of Hall of Famer Prince Naseem Hamed is perhaps the best victory of his storied career. He also owns wins over Morales, Kevin Kelley and Paulie Ayala, but it was Barrera's sensational fight with Kennedy McKinney (in the debut of HBO's Boxing After Dark) that announced his arrival.
Barrera won titles in three weight classes overall (122, 126 and 130)
Johnny Tapia: Nicknamed "Mi Vida Loca" for his wild-style ways in and out of the ring, Tapia quickly became a fan favorite. He helped usher in the little guys on to TV with his charisma and great title reign at junior bantamweight (115 pounds).
His battle with Danny Romero was one for the ages, and the New Mexico native is probably best-remembered for his penchant for brawling.
Tapia (59-5-2, 30 KOs) battled addiction with drugs and alcohol, and at age 45, he died of heart failure. HBO released a documentary chronicling his life in 2014.