Robinson at the Garden in New York.

Sugar Ray Robinson headlines star-studded list of inductees to inaugural New York State Hall of Fame

Posted: October 25, 2011 by On The Beak in Orthodox American

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Alan Dawson – London

The original pound-for-pound star, Sugar Ray Robinson – an undefeated amateur and a professional welterweight and middleweight world champion – leads a star cast of inductees into the inaugural New York State Boxing Hall of Fame. Joining Sugar Ray for induction in March, 2012, is a who’s who of boxing as Mike Tyson, Jake LaMotta, Carmen Basilio, Emile Griffith, Vito Antuofermo, Riddick Bowe, Carlos Ortiz, Mike McCallum, Gene Tunney, Benny Leonard, Tony Canzoneri, Harold Lederman, Steve Acunto, Jimmy Glenn, Gil Clancy, Ray Arcel, Nat Fleischer, Bill Gallo and Arthur Mercante Sr will all be immortalised.

Bob Duffy, the president of Ring 8 – the Hall’s sponsors – explained the concept at a media event in Gallagher’s Steakhouse in Manhattan: “The idea was around for a while and a group of us got together about 14 months and got this going.

“We plan to do this every year,” said Duffy. “Our first introduction dinner will be at Russo’s On The Bay in March of 2012. We have a wall at Waterfront Crabhouse which will list our Class of 2012 and another at the New York State Athletic Commission.

“We started this to honour New York fight people,” he concluded.

Boxing historian and analayst Steve Farhood, who was a part of the nominating committee, said: “When we think of New York State, in terms of boxing, we think of a little place up the street, Madison Square Garden because it’s played such a huge part of boxing.

“Gleason’s Gym is another shrine. And New York is the media capital of the world. Now, New York has a Boxing Hall of Fame and I’m happy to be part of it.”

Broadcast legend and former ringside judge Harold Lederman, a 2012 inductee, was delighted to be mentioned alongside all-time greats such as Sugar Ray Robinson, Tony Canzoneri and Benny Leonard.

Lederman said: “This is such an honour for me to be here, an unbelievable honour. What a fabulous idea to form the New York State Boxing Hall of Fame. New York has more fighters, better fighters, and is still the Mecca of boxing.

“It’s such an honour to be in the same class as Sugar Ray Robinson, Tony Canzoneri and Benny Leonard. It’ll get better and better each coming year, bringing people to the forefront for what they did in New York and Madison Square Garden.

“I’m so honoured to be in this first class,” he finished. “I’ve asked myself how did I get in the same class as Sugar Ray Robinson.”

Jack Hirsch

Tony Mazzarella

Henry Hascup

Stay tuned for On The Beak‘s profiles on the 2012 inductees…

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