Official Induction Ceremony Set For Sunday, June 12, 2016
CANASTOTA, NY – For boxers Lupe Pintor and Hilario Zapata, judge Harold Lederman, commissioner Marc Ratner, journalist Jerry Izenberg and broadcaster Col. Bob Sheridan, their day in the sun is rapidly approaching. On Sunday, June 12th they will join boxing’s immortals when they are officially inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York.
“We are eagerly anticipating paying tribute to the incredible accomplishments of the members of the Class of 2016,” said Hall of Fame Executive Director Edward Brophy. “We look forward to welcoming them to Canastota to take their place in the Hall of Fame.”
“It is so exciting to think that the new inductees will be boarding airplanes less than two weeks from now to make the trek to Canastota to receive boxing’s highest honor.”
Mexico’s Pintor was bantamweight and super bantamweight world champion, Panama’s Zapata was light flyweight and flyweight champion, Lederman was a 30-year boxing judge and is HBO’s “unofficial” judge, Ratner was the highly respected executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, journalist Izenberg has covered the sport of boxing for over 50 years and broadcaster Sheridan has traveled the globe calling action from ringside for nearly 50 years. Each living inductee will receive a Hall of Fame Induction Certificate and gold Hall of Fame Ring.
The Class of 2016 also includes posthumous honorees multi-division world champion Hector “Macho” Camacho in the Modern category; featherweight champion Petey Sarron in the Old-Timer Category; and trainer Whitey Esneault in the Non Participant Category. Inductees were voted in by members of the Boxing Writers Association and a panel of international boxing historians.
A plaque with each inductee’s biography and photo will be on permanent display on the Hall of Fame Wall. The Official Enshrinement Ceremony will be held on the Hall of Fame Museum Grounds in Canastota, New York on Sunday, June 12th at 2:30 p.m.
An impressive list of over 40 boxing greats from the United States and abroad are scheduled to participate in weekend festivities June 9-12th including Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Sugar Ray Leonard, Pernell Whitaker, Pipino Cuevas, Michael Spinks, Leon Spinks, “Irish” Micky Ward, Andrew Golota, Christy Martin, Gerry Cooney and many more.
For more information on the 2016 Hall of Fame Induction Weekend, please call the Hall of Fame at (315) 697-7095, visit online at www.ibhof.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/InternationalBoxingHallofFame and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/BoxingHall.