Boxing Hall of Fame's class of 2022 includes Roy Jones Jr., James Toney and Miguel Cotto
Roy Jones Jr. and James Toney, who battled in a mega-super middleweight title bout in Las Vegas in 1994, headline an eight-person class elected Tuesday to the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Former UFC champion Holly Holm, who started in boxing, was one of two women elected, along with Regina Halmich. Also elected were former multi-division champion Miguel Cotto, publicist Bill Caplan, journalist Ron Borges and executive Bob Yalen.
Jones is the clear headliner of the class. He is one of the elite fighters in boxing history and was for several years the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Jones was robbed of a gold medal at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, but still received the Val Barker Trophy as the most outstanding boxer in that Olympiad.
He won world titles at middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight, becoming the first former middleweight champion in 100 years to win a heavyweight title.
“This is an absolutely marvelous feeling,” Jones said. “I’m so honored that I get this opportunity and I can’t wait to go to Canastota [New York] to see it come to fruition.”
Toney had PED issues that led some to question his qualifications, and he lost a heavyweight title he won because of it. But he was arguably the pound-for-pound best at one point and had titles at middleweight, super middleweight and cruiserweight.
Cotto, who represented Puerto Rico in the 2000 Olympics, won championships at super lightweight, welterweight, super welterweight and middleweight. He fought all the best of his era, including Floyd Mayweather, Canelo Alvarez and Manny Pacquiao. He stopped Sergio Martinez in the 10th round in 2014 to win the middleweight belt.
“After many years in boxing, I’m so proud of what we have done in the sport,” Cotto said. “Above all, I was the head of my family and what made me proud as a father was to provide for my family, and thanks to boxing I did it in the best way possible. It is amazing, but you have to be humble and carry yourself in the best way possible and work hard every day to reach your goals in life. I look forward to being in Canastota next June.”
Holm is most known now for her success as a mixed martial artist. She upset Ronda Rousey in 2015 to become the UFC’s bantamweight champion. But before she got into MMA, she was 33-2-3 as a boxer and held titles at super lightweight, welterweight and super welterweight.
Halmich, who fought primarily in Germany during a career that lasted from 1994-2007, was 54-1-1. Her only loss was to Yvonne Trevino in Las Vegas in 1995 in Halmich’s eighth pro fight.
“Wow! What an honor,” Halmich said. “I’m very, very happy. My biggest wish was to one day be in the International Boxing Hall of Fame and this is really the biggest honor for me.”
