Boxing Hall of Fame Class of 2012

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Dec 6, 2011

Boxing Hall of Fame Class of 2012

Thomas Hearns

"To me this is an amazing accomplishment. It makes me so happy to know that I made it after all these years and so many fights. I'm thrilled! Muhammad Ali is my idol. He's the man that got me into the boxing business. It's great that I will be on the Hall of Fame wall with him."

Freddie Roach

"I appreciate this very much. This the best day of my life! It's a great honor to join trainers like Ray Arcel, Eddie Futch and Angelo Dundee in the Hall of Fame."

Mark Johnson

"This is wonderful! This is an awesome moment for me. The Hall of Fame is the biggest award that an athlete can receive. I strived my whole career to be in the Hall. I can't say enough. This is a dream come true, just wonderful."

Michael Buffer

"Oh my God. I'm so overwhelmed. I can barely speak. I'm instantly overwhelmed. When I think of all the great inductees, from legends from 100 years ago to so many great fighters and non-participants that are now being inducted, to be thought of in such great company is the greatest compliment I can receive in my career in boxing."

Al Bernstein

"I appreciate this very much. I'm actually kind of dumbstruck. Wow! I'm overwhelmed, really. (Hall of Fame broadcaster) Don Dunphy was a great mentor to me and a great idol. Just the thought of being in the same place as him is special. I'm very active in the sport of boxing and I have lots of things I'm looking forward to in the future and this is great because it validates the past, it validates being involved in the sport. I couldn't be more excited. One of the unique qualities of the Boxing Hall of Fame is the fact that it places an importance on those of us who aren't boxers but hopefully have added something to the sport."

Other Honorees

Longtime boxing journalist Michael Katz was also voted in. In addition to the six living inductees, the Hall of Fame also released the names of six posthumous honorees: Cocoa Kid (pictured) in the Modern Category; Newsboy Brown, Leo Houck and Jake Kilrain in the Old-Timer Category; promoters Hugh D. McIntosh and Rip Valenti in the Non Participant Category; and James Wharton (Young Molineaux) in the Pioneer Category. Inductees were voted in by members of the Boxing Writers Association and a panel of international boxing historians.