It is safe to say that the three men in the 2023 International Boxing Hall of Fame – Tim Bradley, Carl Froch and Rafael Marquez – deserve to be honored.
At the same time, it is not the strongest class in recent years. Bradley, Froch and Marquez were among the most successful boxers of their time but were not obvious picks – such as Floyd Mayweather or Bernard Hopkins – for the Hall of Fame.
They have impressive but imperfect resumes.
Here are the arguments for and against the newest members of the Hall, who will be officially inducted in June at the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, upstate New York.
Note: Performance hall notice about their election on Wednesday.
TIM BRADLEY (33-2-1, 13 KOs)
BECAUSE
Bradley is not a strong fighter but has elite abilities, works as hard as anyone in the sport and is persistent. And the only boxer ever to beat is one of the greatest boxers ever. He’s won five world titles in two divisions, as it’s worth it in an age of so many belts. He also defeated a long list of elite opponents. He had an impressive time between 2007 and 2013, when his victims included Miguel Vazquez, Junior Witter, Kendall Holt, Nate Campbell, Lamont Peterson, Devon Alexander, Joel Casamayor, a still Manny Pacquiao. still formidable, Ruslan Provodnikov and Juan Manuel Marquez. The win over Marquez could be the best win of his career. Few fighters of the generation can match that impressive feat.
AGAINST
The vast majority of observers assume that Bradley was given the split decision against Pacquiao in their first fight (in 2012), which cannot be ignored. The Philippine star won a well-deserved win. And Pacquiao won both their rematch – after Marquez’s win – and their third bout by broad decisions (2014 and 2016). The truth is that Bradley was not the same after the match against Marquez (2013), with a score of 2-2-1 to close his career when he was very young (30-32). He retired after losing his third fight to Pacquiao in 2016. A brutal, head-to-head fight with Provodnikov in 2013 may have shortened his career.
DO YOU DESERVE TO BE HONOR?
Right
CARL FROCH (33-2, 24 KOs)
BECAUSE
Froch is not particularly agile or athletic but he is a smart boxer with formidable punch power and an abundance of confidence, which has taken the Englishman a long way. He was a three-time super-middleweight belt holder from 2008 to 2015, making him one of the most consistent 168-pounders of his time. During that time, he defeated Jean Pascal (to win the first title), Jermain Taylor, Andre Dirrell, Arthur Abraham, Glen Johnson, Lucian Bute, Mikkel Kessler (rematch) and George Groves (twice). His only losses were against the capable Kessler in their first battle and in the future Hall of Famer Andre Ward. He made a classic mic drop in 2014, when he knocked Groves out with a punch in front of 80,000 people at Wembley Stadium and then retired.
AGAINST
Ward exposed Froch’s limitations, surpassing him to win the 2011 Super Six World Boxing Classic championship match. It seems that in that fight, Ward was great, Froch was just good. Of course, it might not be fair to compare Froch to Ward, who ended his career with a flawless record and is arguably one of the greatest boxers of all time. Losing to Kessler (2010) didn’t help his case but it’s nothing to be ashamed of. Kessler is an excellent all-around boxer. And Froch avenged the loss convincingly, meaning he defeated everyone he fought with except Ward.
DO YOU DESERVE TO BE HONOR?
Right
RAFAEL MARQUEZ (41-9, 37 KOs)
BECAUSE
Marquez isn’t as skillful as his more famous brother and Hall of Famer fellow Juan Manuel Marquez, but the Mexican boxer is an outstanding boxer with a never-ending warrior spirit and strength. knocked down with just one punch. He’s been competing for four years as a bantamweight champion and has also won a junior featherweight belt. He is best known for his historic four-match series against Israel Vazquez from 2007 to 2010 – they won twice – but he has had a number of other important wins. Among them: He beat fellow Hall of Famer Mark Johnson (twice), Mauricio Pastrana (twice) and the previously undefeated Tim Austin (to win the first title).
AGAINST
Marquez doesn’t have as many quality wins as some other Hall of Famers. Plus, he and Marquez weren’t the same warriors on their fourth encounter, partly as a result of the brutality of the first three. It has the feel of an old timer game. Vazquez has won two of the three meetings so that counts at most, once by knockout. He stopped Vazquez twice, in the first and fourth battle. He also only won 9-4 in world title fights. And finally, Marquez, who retired at the age of 34, struggled in the final stages of his career: He won 4-6 in his last 10 games. He shouldn’t be judged too harshly for that; Many great boxers have had to retire.
DO YOU DESERVE TO BE HONOR?
Right
