The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
Boxing world has eye on Canastota, Class of 2018
CANASTOTA, N.Y. » A steady stream of fans filled the International Boxing Hall of Fame grounds on Thursday, eagerly awaiting the bell ringing to kick off the 29th annual IBHOF Induction Weekend.
Class of 2018 members Ronald “Winky” Wright and Erik “El Terrible” Morales joined IBHOF Executive Director Ed Bro- phy on stage for the ceremonial bell ringing to mark the start of the four-day celebration of boxing’s finest.
Bothmen spoke of soaking up everything Canastota, the IBHOF, and the masses of boxing fans who invade Central New York have to offer.
“I’m loving it. I’m loving every minute of it. I’m going to enjoy it,” said Wright.
AddedMorales, “This feels so good. A lot of people don’t think they can accomplish this.”
Emcee James “Smitty” Smith had no qualms about teasing the soon-to-be Hall of Famers during his introductions, asking Morales if he was looking forward to seeing longtime foe and International BoxingHall of Famer Marco Antonio Barrera, a pugilist Morales fought three times in his storied career.
“He was a great rival,” Morales said with an ear-to-ear grin, eliciting laughs from the gathered crowd. “Now, he is good friend.”
Among the scores of fans joining Wright andMorales was Antonio “The Magic Man” Tarver, former multiple light heavyweight champion and Olympic medalist. Tarver credited Wright for serving not only as a good friend but a mentor aswell.
“I love every time I come here,” said Tarver. “People don’t realize that when I started pro, it was WinkyWright that I learned my lessons from. I used to come all the way from Orlando just to
spar with him, and we did many, many hours in the ring. I learned some valuable lessons from my good friend, Winky Wright.”
Following the opening ceremony, scores of fans lined up for autographs, photos, and an opportunity to chat with Wright, Morales, Tarver, and John H. Stracey, a former world welterweight champion from England. Later in the afternoon, Stracey, a fan-favorite, regaled the crowd with stories from his fighting days and the boxing community. Stracey spoke of the joy of seeing fellow pugilists in Canastota each year for the event, while also reflecting on fighters who have passed away and the void felt by their loss, including Carmen Basilio. When asked what he thought his greatest fight was, Stracey explained while everyone may think title fights worthy candidates, he was impressed with the bouts needed to earn the title fight.
With the bell-ringing ceremony in the books, Brophy and the Hall turns their attention toward the ongoing ringside lectures, Friday’s fist casting ceremony and Fight Night at the Turning Stone, Saturday’s golf tournament and 5K race, the Banquet of Champions scheduled for Saturday evening, and of course, the Parade of Champions and induction ceremony that cap the weekend on Sunday.
“Canastota is shining bright around the world, and we are so proud to pull out the red carpet for the boxing community,” said Brophy. “The atmosphere is gleaming with excitement. The volunteers have done a wonderful job in the planning. The Village A group of runners start either the 5K or 12K at the Nate the Great Race in Canastota, Saturday, June 8. of Canastota has done a wonderful job. Fans are coming in throughout the United States and overseas. The world champions are coming in from across the globe. They have been arriving throughout the day and continue tomorrow. It’s going to be an exciting time for everyone who loves boxing, who loves sports, who loves a parade. There is just something for everybody.”
When asked what his favorite part of the weekend was, Brophy was quick with a reply.
“I always look forward to seeing the excitement of the boxers, the fans, and the celebrities as they mingle. The purpose of the IBHOF is to honor those who have excelled, put on an entertaining experience for everybody...It’s something to be very proud of. We’re excited about it. Fans are already smilingonthisThursdayand more andmore are arriving.”
His recommendation to fans who travel to Canastota this weekend?
“Feel the spirit of boxing, sit back and enjoy it.”
Following Thursday’s opening ceremony, Vitali Klitschko joined his fellow modern category inductees for the annual fist-casting ceremony on Friday. Droves of people packed the IBHOF Museum grounds on Friday to watch as the likes of Klitschko, Wright, Morales, Jim Gray, Steve Albert cast their fists. Joining the Class of 2018 inducteeswere some of boxing’s biggest names in Miguel Cotto, Marco Guerrero, Jarrett Hurd, and Kelly Pavlik. Following the Induction Weekend staple, the Turning Stone Resort and Casino teamed with the IBHOF to roll out the red carpet for boxing’s past and present with a Friday fight between Diego De La Hoya and Jose Salgado. De LaHoya defended his NABF and NABO Super Bantamweight titles to cap Friday’s festivities.
On Saturday, the party movedto the streets ofCanastota for a 5 and 12Kroad race.
Run in conjunction with the Boxing Hall of Fame Weekend, the Nate the Great Race was held Saturday morning as runners prepared to run either a 5 or 12K race. The inception of the Nate the Great Race came 23 years ago as a result of a Canastota native Nate Holdridge tragically losing his life in an automobile accident in 1996. Holdridge was planning on running track at St. Lawrence University after he graduated high school. Since then, the event has been used to build a new track facility as well as funding scholarships and supporting the community.
Brad Mish, of Dorchester, Mass., was the first to cross the finish line for 5K runnerswith a time of 15:14. “Well I’ve never been to a fight, figured this would be the place to go and see one during Hall of Fame weekend, and for me I’m always running races and stuff, so I kind of looking at it as a fight or flight weekend. I really like that the event was originally invested in something the one who this race is memorialized after was passionate about.
The first to cross the finish line for the woman in the 5KwasAmber Piersma, of Cassville, with a time of 19:35. At only 13 years old, Piersma was just excited to get out to race. “I just like to run. My mom brought up two different races and I decided that this was that I wanted to run.”
Today, the Class of 2018 and IBHOF close Induction Weekend 2018 with the Parade of Champions - one of CNY’s largest parades - at 1 p.m. before the culminating Induction Ceremony at scheduled for 2:30 p.m. sion II long jump, posting a 16-8.5; Fonda-Fultonville’s Brittany Castelluccio secured the long jump state title with an 1810.00. In the triple jump, Cavanagh, the defending 2017 state champion, finished sixth overall with a 37-8.00. Kaitlyn Bonczyck captured the D-II title on a 38-2.25 jump.
Fellow Oneida trackster Melina Ball also qualified for the state tournament a week ago in CNS, returning on Friday for the state championships. Ball finished 32nd in the pentathlon with an overall score of 2,082. Jamesville-Dewitt’s Alexandria Payne took home the title with a 3,513.
Ontheboys sideof things, OwenWalker closed out an impressive career inCNSon Friday. The VVS Red Devil senior posted a 10:21.35 in 3,200mfor28thplacefinish.
“I think it’s great that I was able to come out here and compete with the best athletes in the state...so being able to represent my highschool, whichisn’t able to put a lot of their runners here like some of the top schools is really great,” said Walker.
Hamilton senior Lowell Pierette closed his Emerald Knight career with a seventh place finish in the 110m hurdles, recording a 15.32. Pierette competed in the long jump, posting a 2103.25, good for eighth overall inthestateinDivisionII. Long jump winner Joshua McCleary, of Greece Olympia, tookhome the titlewith a 24-01.25.
The Cazenovia boys 4x100 team of Samuel DeLeon, JustinGagnon, James Pavelchak, and Slater DeLeon, fresh off a second place finish at the Section III qualifiers, had a tough go of things on Friday. The Lakers foursomewas one of four teams that did not finish the event.
“I mean we have a good programand good coaches, we were all a little bit nervous. We’ll be back next year,” said Pavelchak.
“Yeah, we’ll be back next yeardefinitely. We’llbeworking harder,” addedDeleon.