Vitali Klitschko, Erik Morales win election to Boxing Hall of Fame

CANASTOTA, N.Y. — Three years after he threw his hat back into the political ring for good, former heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko achieved the ultimate honor for his time in that other ring — selection to the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

"It's a dream of many boxers to be a member of the Hall of Fame family," Klitschko, now the mayor of Kiev, Ukraine, said in a statement from the Hall of Fame. "I've thought about the Hall of Fame, but I never expected one day that I would be among the legends who were always examples for me. It's a big honor."

Klitschko was one of nine people selected for induction next June. Other boxers in the class of 2018 announced Tuesday (Wednesday Manila time) were four-division world champion Erik Morales and light middleweight champion Ronald "Winky" Wright, while Sid Terris was elected posthumously in the old-timer category.

Elected in the observer category were broadcasters Steve Albert and Jim Gray, and German promoter Klaus-Peter Kohl was selected in the non-participant category. Ring announcer Johnny Addie and promoter Lorraine Chargin were elected posthumously in the nonparticipant category.

Voting was conducted by members of the Boxing Writers Association and a panel of international boxing historians.

With a PhD in his portfolio, the 6-foot-7 Klitschko earned the nickname "Dr. Ironfist." A product of the Soviet athletic system, Klitschko and his younger brother, Wladimir, dominated the heavyweight class for a decade.

Vitali Klitschko boxed professionally from 1996-2013 but took three years off to pursue politics, finishing second in the race for mayor of Kiev in 2006. He used a fierce jab and aggressive punching to register an impressive 45-2 record with 41 knockouts, and his most memorable fight might have been his second loss. It came against WBC champion Lennox Lewis in Los Angeles in 2003. Klitschko was ahead on the scorecards when the fight was stopped after the sixth round because of a bad cut above Klitschko's left eye.

Morales won titles in four weight divisions. Nicknamed "El Terrible," the native of Mexico followed his father into the ring and won the NABF and WBC super bantamweight titles. He also defeated Guty Espadas Jr. for the WBC featherweight title in 2001, captured the WBC and IBF super featherweight titles in 2004, and in 2011 defeated Pablo Cano for the WBC light welterweight title. He retired a year later after back-to-back losses to Danny Garcia, finishing with a pro record of 52-9 (36 KOs).

Wright, a native of Washington, D.C., was a 5-foot10 southpaw who captured the NABF light middleweight title twice (1995-96, 2000) and four world 154-pound title belts. He also competed as a middleweight and scored wins over Sam Soliman and Felix Trinidad before retiring in 2012 with a pro record of 516-1 (25 KOs).

"Oh, man, it's an honor," Wright said. "I appreciate it. It feels so great."