CANASTOTA, NY – (December 7, 2023) – The International Boxing Hall of Fame and Museum, which will be celebrating its 35th Anniversary in 2024, is thrilled to announce the newest class of inductees to be honored during the Hall of Fame Induction Weekend June 6-9, 2024.

The Class of 2024 includes Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton, Michael “Double M” Moorer, Ivan “Iron Boy” Calderon and Diego “Chico” Corrales (posthumous) in the men’s Modern category; Jane “The Fleetwood Assassin” Couch and “La Guerrera” Ana Maria Torres in the Women’s modern category; trainer Kenny Adams, manager Jackie Kallen and publicist Fred Sternburg in the Non-Participant category; journalist Wallace Matthews and broadcaster Nick Charles (posthumous) in the Observer category; Luis Angel Firpo (posthumous) in the Old Timer category and Theresa Kibby (posthumous) in the women’s Trailblazer category.

Inductees were voted in by members of the Boxing Writers Association of America and a panel of international boxing historians. Biographies on the Class of 2024 can be found on www.ibhof.com.

“As the Hall of Fame readies to celebrate its landmark 35th anniversary, we are beyond excited to reveal the Class of 2024 and are very much looking forward to honoring the newest class of inductees to earn boxing’s highest honor,” said Executive Director Edward Brophy.

The 2024 Hall of Fame Induction Weekend is scheduled for June 6-9th in “Boxing’s Hometown.” Many events will take place in Canastota and nearby Turning Stone Resort Casino throughout the four-day celebration including ringside talks, fist casting, fight night, 5K race / fun run, boxing autograph card show, banquet, parade and induction ceremony.

For more information on the 2024 Hall of Fame Induction Weekend, please call (315) 697-7095.

COMMENTS UPON RECEIVING INDUCTION NEWS
.

“This is something great, a dream come true. I dreamed to be a boxer. I dreamed to be a world champion. I especially dreamed to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. And now I’ve got everything!” – Ivan Calderon

“That’s incredible. You never think of when you lace the gloves on at 10 years old that you’ll end up in the Hall of Fame with some of the great fighters already there. I’m a bit speechless. There’s no greater honor. I’m delighted.” – Ricky Hatton

“I appreciate this very much. The Hall of Fame Wall is the wall of the elite, and I am so happy to be inducted alongside some of my favorite boxers like Salvador Sanchez, Alexis Arguello and Marvelous Marvin Hagler. I made it to the elite.” – Michael Moorer

“Oh my God, I’m in shock over this news. Wow! I can’t believe it. I’m so excited and cannot wait to get to Canastota and meet everyone during the Induction Weekend.” – Jane Couch

It is a great honor to be in the International Boxing Hall of Fame with great champions. I am very happy! Thanks to my mom, who has always been with me. My husband, my children and I have taken this great news as another championship.” – Ana Maria Torres

“This feels great to get this news. I can now say that I’ve reached the highest point in the sport of boxing.” – Kenny Adams

“I’m so happy I could cry! I’ve wanted this for so long. I am so elated I don’t know what to say. To be recognized for my 45 years in the sport is amazing and I’m so appreciative. I’m looking forward to a wonderful experience at Induction Weekend.” – Jackie Kallen

“I am stunned. Working in boxing has been such great fun. I have had the good fortune to work with some very remarkable people, including world champions and contenders, promoters, managers, and television executives, trainers and fellow public relations practitioners, all who were generous with their time and taught me so much. Inside the International Boxing Hall of Fame, there are plaques dedicated to boxing legends of all generations. It is a privilege to join them.” – Fred Sternburg

“I never went into this for awards or money. I went into it to help the fighters because I love boxing and to know that I’m going to be honored among the athletes that I respected and loved as a kid is a great honor and humbling.” – Wallace Matthews

“I’m over the moon happy to hear that Diego will be enshrined with his boxing peers and family that he loves so much at the International Boxing Hall of Fame in the Class of 2024. Our entire family thanks the voting committee for recognizing the hard work and dedication that Diego gave the sport of boxing with the highest level of recognition a Champion can ever ask for. I’m sure Diego is smiling from ear to ear as I accept this news on his behalf. Thank you.” – Michelle Corrales-Lewis

Connect with the International Boxing Hall of Fame through social media:

Facebook: @InternationalBoxingHallofFame

Instagram: @InternationalBoxingHallofFame

Twitter: @BoxingHall

Website: www.IBHOF.com

About the International Boxing Hall of Fame
The International Boxing Hall of Fame opened to the public in 1989 and is dedicated to preserving the legacy of the great sport of boxing. Located in Canastota, New York, it serves as a tribute to the world’s finest boxers and contributors to the sport, allowing boxing enthusiasts to appreciate and celebrate the rich history and tradition of boxing. The International Boxing Hall of Fame is located at Exit 34 of the New York State Thruway. Hours of operation are Monday-Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

After his recent knockout loss to Moses Fuentes, former two division champion Ivan Calderon announced his retirement according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

“This was difficult because (boxing is) something I love, but I want to say that I’m doing this not because I’m old or tired. I’m doing this because I want to work with the kids and youth, bringing them my knowledge and tips,” Calderon said at a ceremony attended by his family, trainers Jose “Cheche” Sanchez and Felix Pagan Pintor, Guaynabo mayor Hector O’Neill, WBO president Francisco “Paco” Valcarcel and several top Puerto Rican fighters, including junior lightweight titlist Roman “Rocky” Martinez and former titleholders Juan Manuel Lopez and Wilfredo Vazquez Jr.

“I want to be an example for all my fellow boxers that when it is time (to retire) it is time, no matter if we are rich or poor. The health is what matters. I want to thank all (the fans).”

“For a few years he was the best boxer in boxing,” said Calderon’s co-promoter Bob Arum. “I think he’s a Hall of Famer. I think he certainly is. His accomplishments match another fighter I promoted who was a little guy, Michael Carbajal, who is a Hall of Famer, and rightly so. And I think Calderon should be also.”

“He was a delight because he took pride in his skills,” Arum said. “In other words, he was somebody who loved boxing for the sport. When you talk about the sweet science, he was a practitioner. He wasn’t a big puncher. His whole ability was to be this absolutely super incredible boxer and he gloried in that. He was a small guy, but there was an appreciation of him for his art of boxing.”

Courtesy of fightpicksexperts.com

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that a highly anticipated rematch between world Jr. Flyweight champion Giovanni Segura will take on former two division champion Ivan Calderon on April 2nd in Mexico.

Mexico’s Segura traveled to Calderon’s native Puerto Rico for the first fight on Aug. 28 and knocked Calderon out in the eighth round in one of the leading Fight of the Year candidates. He handed longtime champion Calderon his first defeat, unified alphabet belts and claimed the lineal championship of the 108-pound division.

“Now it will be different because I’m going to fight with better training and without injuries,” Calderon said Tuesday at a news conference in his hometown of Guaynabo to announce the bout, which will be televised on Integrated Sports pay-per-view in the United States. “We are working right now and no matter that the fight is in Mexico, I’m going to show my boxing, my movements to win this title again. I want to thank Segura for giving me this opportunity.”

Said Segura, “He gave me the opportunity and now we give him the same opportunity, but I’m going to the fight in the best condition to retain this title against a great boxer like Calderon.”

“I guess it’s the biggest fight for the most money for him,” said Richard Mota, Segura’s manager. “When you’re in the small weight classes there are not too many options. Giovani said, ‘He wants the rematch, I’ll give it to him.’ He knows he will struggle to make the weight, but he’ll give it to him. He said he could make the weight one more time. He really wanted to move up to 112, but this is the right fight. Everyone wants to see the rematch, and it’s the biggest money fight for him.

“I know we’re getting more money than Calderon and we got a good deal with the pay-per-view [upside] and all that. We couldn’t say no, so we’re going to do the rematch. We have nothing but respect for Calderon. He’s a great champion. He’s proven it. Giovani has nothing bad to say about Calderon. I know Giovani is very excited to come back to Mexico for a big fight like this. He’s training very hard. He’s already in shape. It’s just the weight. He’ll struggle a little bit.”

Guaynabo, P.R.- After presenting former champions in attendance Wilfredo Gómez, Alfredo Escalera, Félix Trinidad and Wilfredo Vázquez along with current champion Juan Manuel López, the stars of the main event made their way to the ring.

As expected Segura started off aggressively seeking Calderón who managed to slip and block many of the oncoming shots while landing jabs and straight right hands. Still, Segura managed to land some hard hooks to Calderon’s rib cage in both the first and second rounds even if it cost him a warning from the referee for hitting low. The third round saw Calderón slip more punches and the chants of “Ole!” started emerging from the crowd. In the fourth, Calderón went into a corner and Segura started unloading everything only to miss most if not all of his punches. All the while, the Iron Boy was landing counter left hands to his opponent’s face who finished the round visibly out of air.

Segura had his best round so far in the fifth when he took Calderón to a corner and unloaded again but the Puerto Rican wouldn’t be as successful this time and was visibly exhausted and getting hit a lot. What appeared to be a knockdown was ruled as a slip. Segura started well enough the sixth but Iván managed to land some heavy looking punches on Segura who was now getting slower and clumsier with his punches.

The seventh round was the first round to actually resemble a previous Calderón fight as the little man from Guaynabo boxed in reverse making the Mexican miss and along the way making him pay for it. In the eighth round, when it appeared that Calderón was on his way to another successful defense, he got taken to a corner where he took a knee after taking some shots and stayed on it until he got counted out by Luis H. Rivera.

Time of stoppage was 1:34 of the eighth round for Giovanni Segura who now owns both WBO and WBA belts and improves his record to 25-1 with 21 stoppages. The Mexican said he was thinking about the opportunity he had in front of his hands when he was getting tired and that was what motivated him to keep on working. Segura showed he can not only bang but can do it smartly as he was able to cut off the ring and come back and reassert himself after having a slump where he admitted he was getting manipulated by the Puerto Rican.

Calderón, who admitted he made mistakes in trading and was hurt by a body shot more than the head shots. His record now sports a first loss and falls to 34-1-1 with 6KO’s.
Calderón said he planned on resting till next year when he hopes to get another shot.

Lightweights started off the action with Rey Diaz (0-1) and Jeffrey Fontanes (1-0, 1KO) making their respective professional debuts. Referee Roberto Ramírez Jr. stopped the action at just 0:43 of the first round after Fontanes took his opponent to the corner by a series of unanswered flurries. Díaz complained expecting a standing eight count instead of the quick, and to many ring side observers, unnecessary, stoppage.

Also fighting to four rounds were junior welterweights Christopher Vélez ( 1-0-1, 1KO) and José Carlos Lozada (1-1-1, 1KO) . After a slow first round, both fighters traded shots with Vélez appearing to have the better of rounds two and three. A bruised Lozada tried to use his jab to keep his aggressive tormentor at bay but still got tagged both upstairs and downstairs. Somehow two judges saw the fight even at 38-38 while the last one saw Lozada win all four of the rounds. The decision and Lozada were both loudly booed by the crowd.

Samuel Santana and Felix St.Kitts were up next in a lightweight match set for six rounds. Santana showed a slight edge in the first round but when they both started trading in the second St. Kitts appeared to be stronger. St. Kitts, a Guaynabo city policeman, started strong in the third round but appeared to tire towards the end of the round and fought the fourth round in spurts. Round five was a tad slower for both fighters and by round six, St. Kitts (12-8-2, 7KO’s) appeared spent. The policeman landed several low blows in the final round and tried some roughhouse tactics but still couldn’t take enough away from Santana (3-4-2, 0KO’s )to win the round. Scores were 59-55 and 60-54 twice for Santana.

Up next was former Puerto Rican Olympian Alexander “El Pollo” de Jesús who was allowed to fight while he is serving a prison sentence. His opponent, who came in over seven and a half pounds heavier than De Jesús, was José Angel Román. Their bout was also set for six rounds at the junior welterweight limit. De Jesús quickly demonstrated his superiority landing clean, accurate punches and slipping and blocking anything Román threw at him. Rounds two and three saw Román try a little more but be just as unsuccessful. By round four and into the fifth, Román looked but kept on coming and De Jesús contented himself with winning the rounds but wasn’t going for the stoppage. De Jesús let his hands go a little more but still couldn’t stop his opponent from charging on. Scores were 60-54 on all three of the judge’s scorecards for El Pollo who moves to 20-1 with 13KO’s. Román drops to 11-24-5 with 5KO’s and should consider what his next move will be.

Former Puerto Rican Olympian McJoe Arroyo (5-0, 2KO’s) went up against Sigfredo Medina (3-2, 2KO’s) in a bantamweight bout set for six. Arroyo’s accurate jabs, straights and uppers had Medina swollen and reddened by the end of round two and Medina had barely landed any shots on his southpaw opponent halfway through the bout. Arroyo added some left hooks to his punch output in the third and by the fourth round was basically boxing circles around his opponent. Rounds five and six were comfortably dominated by the former amateur star who only occasionally got hit after landing multiple blows on his opponent. All three judges saw the bout 60-54 in favor of Arroyo.

Undefeated prospects Hector Marengo of Arecibo, Puerto Rico and José “La Sombra” González of Toa Baja were up next in a lightweight match set for six rounds. González appeared stronger from the very first round and in the second, bloodied and imposed his will on Marengo even if he had to catch some leather to do it. Marengo was able to dodge and counter a little bit more in the third and by the fourth round was fighting on more even terms with González. By now, both fighters had basically forgone their jabs much to the delight of the crowd.

Midway through the fifth, González dropped his opponent with a series of unanswered uppercuts and kept on pounding on him prompting the crowd to ask for a stoppage. Still referee Roberto Ramírez Jr. let it go into the sixth before finally halting the action at of 1:19 the final round. It must be noted that Marengo kept on throwing punches till the very end. González improves to 12-0 with 8KO’s while Marengo looses his O to go to 5-1-4, 3KO’s.

McWilliams Arroyo, brother of McJoe and the other half of the set of Puerto Rican amateur stars fought Jovanne Fuentes at the flyweight limit in a bout set for six rounds. The first two rounds were fairly close with Arroyo’s greater output giving him a slight edge. In the third and fourth, Arroyo made his opponent back up against the ropes for long stretches at a time but was still finding it hard to land anything clean. In the fifth Fuentes tried letting his hands go more often and found some success with some strong hooks to the body. The sixth and final round was a more even one with both fighters taking turns throwing and landing combinations. Scores were 60-54 on all three of the judge’s score cards. Arroyo ups to 4-1 with 3KO’s while Fuentes drops his first one and falls to 2-1 with 1 KO.

This Saturdays pay per view clash between Ivan Calderon 34 (KO 6) -0-1 and Giovanni Segura 24 (KO 20) -1-0 for the unification of the WBO and WBA 108lb belt is of special significance to WBA 105 lb champion Roman Chocolatito Gonzalez 25 (KO 21) -0.

In recent months Gonzalez has been very vocal in his desire to fight Calderon after a verbal altercation in Managua earlier this year.

“Although I would love to shut Calderons mouth; it really doesn’t matter who wins. They are fighting for a WBA title so there is no way the winner can avoid me now without vacating the title”.
Gonzalez is making a long overdue return to the ring in the 108lb division next Friday against Mexican Jesus Limones 16(9)-1-1 in Managua.

Gonzalez has not fought since the January 30th demolishing of Ivan Chicken Meneses in Mexico in four rounds.

The fight is a non title 10 round tune up for the 4th defense of his 105lb crown in Japan later this year.
“The issues that have kept me out of the ring are a thing of the past”. Gonzalez says “I am ready to take my career to the next level and Segura and Calderon are in my way”.

Iván “Iron Boy” Calderón faces tomorrow one of the toughest challenges of his career when he faces hard punching Mexican, Giovanni “The Aztec Warrior” Segura. Calderón (34-0-1, 6KO’s) has faced the likes of Hugo Cázares, Roberto Leyva, Nelson Dieppa and Rodel Mayol, all fighters with heavy hands, but Segura (24-1, 20KO’s) may turn out to be a little more complicated than the above mentioned fighters. Not only is Segura a “thinking man’s” brawler but Calderón has showed signs of slipping more frequently as the years have gone by.

In his last outing, Calderón faced hard-hitting but limited Jesús Iribe and was knocked down before finding his groove and out-boxing his opponent to a convincing decision victory. Iribe is no Segura and carried five losses into his fight against Calderón. Some against marquee opponents such as Edgar Sosa and Brian Viloria but two other were against unknowns Erik Ramírez and Jesús Jiménez. Segura’s only loss came at the capable hands of César Canchilla and was quickly avenged by an emphatic fourth round TKO.

For the Puerto Rican southpaw, the fight represents his first opportunity to unify titles, something he could never do at minimum weight despite having defended his WBO belt eleven times (His eleventh round KO of Edgar Cárdenas was a non title fight when Cárdenas failed to make weight) and this being his sixth defense of his light flyweight title.

Segura on his behalf won the Interim WBA strap on his rematch with Canchilla and became champion after Michael Koncz a towel in the ring during his fight against Juanito Rubillar. Segura was declared the winner and went on to defend against Sonny Boy Jaro, Walter Tello and Ronald Ramos, all fights ending within the distance.

Calderón is as pure a boxer as can be. He has to be, for twelve rounds every fight, for he has no power to end fights. Segura is an unorthodox puncher. Segura will look to pressure Calderón using not only his power but his feet. All others who have tried to pressure Calderón into fighting their fight have failed to use their legs to make their pressure effective. Even though Segura has never faced a fighter of the Iron Boy’s class (none have until they face him) he has shown he can cut off the ring when he gets to his opponents and that may be the key to defeating Iván.

Still, Calderón’s experience should help him negate his opponent’s advantages in size, youth and power. The champion from Guaynabo has proven versatile and effective against taller opponents with longer reach. His toughest fights have come against very unorthodox fighters, which Segura is one, but he has still managed to pull off victories in every one of them except his first fight against Rodel Mayol which ended in a technical draw. In this Ring Magazine’s Champion against number one contender, I expect the Champion to remain so.

The card is presented by PR Best Boxing and will be available through pay-per-view

A couple of weeks back I was made a promise by Giovani Segura’s manager Ricky Mota he agreed to my request to an interview with Segura ahead of his WBA & WBO Unification fight with Ivan Calderon. Now it’s not unheard for your requests not to come to fruition in this game. However a man of his word Ricky Mota contacted me from Puerto Rico to fulfill his part of the bargain. Now Segura 28, aims to complete his part of the deal he wanted the biggest and best fight out there and his team dually delivered Calderon. The fight takes place in Calderon’s homeland of Puerto Rico this Saturday where he is a National Treasure and very difficult to beat. A fact not lost on Segura or his team who know that they are public enemy number one at the moment and will most likely have to KO there Hall of fame bound opponent. Going into the fight Segura sports an impressive 24-1-1(20) ledger with 77% KO ratio

Hello Giovani, welcome to 15rounds.com

Anson Wainwright – In the last few days it’s been announced that you will be facing Ivan Calderon in a Unification. What can you tell us about that fight ands how you see it?

Giovanni Segura – Im very happy to unify with best 108 in the world ivan calderon, I see the fans being the winner of the fight but without a doubt me beating him that night.

Anson Wainwright – What do you expect from Calderon? How good do you think he is?

Giovanni Segura – I think there is no secret he will run and box and i will try to be smart and knock him out.

Anson Wainwright – You’ve been busy so far this year having two fights already winning both. What can you tell us about them?

Giovanni Segura – Good exciting fights that gave me more experience just what i need under m belt.

Anson Wainwright – Tell us about your team who is your manager, trainer & promoter? Also what gym do you use?

Giovanni Segura – Manager Richard Mota, Trainer Javier Capetillo & promoter Top Rank. I train at the Azteca Boxing Club in Bell Ca.

Anson Wainwright – Much has been made of Capetillo after what happened with the Margarito-Mosley fight. What is your take on it?

Giovanni Segura – No Comment

Anson Wainwright – What are your goals in Boxing?

Giovanni Segura – To fight the best and keep unifying my world titles

Anson Wainwright – Can you tell us how you first became interested in Boxing and went to the Aztec Club?

Giovanni Segura – Since I was kid I’ve been interested in boxing started when iwas 16 years old

Anson Wainwright – What can you tell us about yourself as a person, your hobbies, interests and facts about yourself? What fighters did you like when you were young and who do you like now?

Giovanni Segura – Im a clean honest man, that likes to play soccer and spend time with my family. julio cesar chavez, finito lopez, felix trinidad

Anson Wainwright – How do you find making 108? Do you struggle? What is your walk around weight when not training? Do you have a special diet when a fight is coming up?

Giovanni Segura – I struggle a little bit to make 108 but nothing crazy. my walk around weight is 122.

Anson Wainwright – What do you think of the Light Flyweight division and the strength of it? What do you think of your fellow champions?

Giovanni Segura – I dont think much of my fellow champions.but would love unify with them all.

Anson Wainwright – What is the fight you would most like and how do you envisage it turning out?

Giovanni Segura – Ivan Calderon by KO.

Anson Wainwright – Finally is there anything you’ll like to add?

Giovanni Segura – Thanks for having me here dont miss my fight with calderon there will be fireworks

Anson Wainwright – Thanks for your time Giovani,

Giovanni Segura – It’s been a pleasure.

Anson Wainwright
15rounds.com

15rounds.com Claudia Bocanegra was ringside this past Saturday night in Madison Square Garden where Ivan Calderon defended the world Jr. Flyweight championship with a twelve round unanimous decision over Jesus Iribe. Check out her retro-style ringside photos

World Jr. Flyweight champion, Ivan Calderon talks about his tough title defense over Jesus Iribe and talks about his future plans

Watch Ivan Calderon Post Fight Press Conference in Sports  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Should WBO light flyweight king Ivan Calderon (33-0-1 6 KOs) maneuver his way through Jesus Uribe (16-6-1 10 KOs) at Madison Square Garden Saturday night; he will have little trouble finding a marquee opponent for his next fight. WBA minimum weight champion Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez (25-0, 21 K0s) is biting at the bit to dethrone the Puerto Rican star and he’s angry.

Gonzalez is still fuming from the disrespect shown him by The Puerto Rican earlier this year at a fight card in Nicaragua. “He was talking a lot of smack when he was in my country. He said he had never even heard of me; I should have slapped him right then.” Gonzalez says.

The Nicaraguan is currently in training for his fourth defense in Mexico July 17th but the only thing on his mind seems to be inflicting a beating on the Puerto Rican. “I will fight him anywhere anytime at any weight.” He says. “Too consistently he tries to ignore me, I can only think he’s afraid of me.”

Gonzalez has always had to go into his opponent’s backyard for all of his major fights and taking on Calderon in Puerto Rico seems to bother him little. “I’m quite happy to go to Puerto Rico; it will be so much more satisfying to bust him up in front of his own people.”

With both fighters unbeaten and both the highest rated in the ring pound for pound rankings, it would seem the marquee matchup that Calderon has been looking for although his handlers seem to want no part of the Nicaraguan wrecking machine. “When I leave boxing I want to be known as a fighter who always fought the best.” Gonzalez says, “It seems Calderon doesn’t care about his legacy.”

By Darrell Williams – Prodesa Boxing

15rounds.com ace Photographer Claudia Bocanegra was on hand on Wednesday as world Jr. Flyweight champion Ivan “Iron Boy” Calderon and Jesus Iribe worked out for the media in advance of their championship showdown that will take place on Saturday Night at the Theater at Madison Square Garden.