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Boxing Hall of Fame Controversy
By David A. Avila (October 17, 2003)
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Storm flags are rising at this year’s World Boxing Hall of Fame ceremony with the induction of several fighters deemed by many to be unworthy. Several executive board members have resigned.
Azumah Nelson and Humberto “Chiquita” Gonzalez head a cast of six fighters and several non-fighters to be honored at the World Boxing Hall of Fame ceremony held at the Commerce Casino on Saturday, Oct. 18.
It’s the other fighters like Rodolfo “Gato” Gonzalez, Marty Servo, Del Flanagan and Joey Giambra that have caused some to sour.
Three members of the executive board quit over the selection process. One fighter Rodolfo Gonzalez allegedly missed induction by one vote but was pushed in. Board members Robert Morales a journalist for the San Gabriel Tribune and Bob Case a long-time Hall of Fame board member quit when told that Gonzalez had been voted in by an impromptu executive board vote. There are no provisions in the election rules for such a vote. Rich Marotta, a famed radio journalist also quit.
“It’s not so much that he doesn’t deserve to be elected,” said Morales who served as the chairman of the Hall of Fame’s Press Committee for several years. “There are others like Saad Muhammad and Jeff Chandler who haven’t been voted in because of the votes, so why should Gonzalez get in?”
Morales said a similar incident had taken place a few years back when a former fighter named Joey Barnum was voted in. The Southern California fighter of the 40s and 50s had a won-loss record of 23 wins, 21 losses and six draws. His one big win came against Johnny Bratton in 1945. He never held a world title.
“I almost quit when they voted in Barnum,” said Morales.
Bill O’Neill, a Hall of Fame board member who quit a few years back, said Barnum was “a colorful fighter” but undeserving and that voting in fighters of this quality “cheapens the honor of those who really are deserving.”
O’Neill, a retired boxing journalist living in Riverside, was a protégé of Everett L. Sanders, the founder of the World Boxing Hall of Fame. For years he bit his tongue on some of the selections but the final tug was two years ago.
“When they voted in Don King and Jose Sulaiman (WBC president) I resigned,” said O’Neill, who covered boxing from the early 60s to the 80s. “I don’t think Don King or Sulaiman meet the character clause requirements.”
When the executive board voted in Gonzalez this year, Morales and Case quit. Marotta had already resigned a few weeks earlier because of the alleged bad direction of the Hall of Fame Committee.
Norm Cote, president of the World Boxing Hall of Fame, said he took a vote among executive board members to include Gonzalez.
“We took a vote and it was decided to include Gonzalez,” said Cote.
Usually a list of fighters is sent out to more than 140 voting members worldwide. The six boxers with the most votes are then inducted to the Hall of Fame.
O’Nell said that aside from Azumah Nelson and Chiquita Gonzalez, heavy politicking may have been the reason that the other fighters are being inducted.
“For years we had the widow of Benny Goldberg writing in letters to include her husband,” O’Neill said, adding that Goldberg was eventually included.
Rodolfo Gonzalez (81-7-1, 70 KOs), a world champion in 1972 with a victory over Chango Carmona, successfully defended the lightweight title twice before losing twice to Ishimaku Suzuki in 1974.
Other than his win against Carmona, the only other fighters of note that he defeated were Jimmy Robertson and Ruben Navarro twice.
“Gonzalez is a very good friend of mine but not quite Hall of Fame stuff,” said O’Neill, a former president of the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 1984 “But a very good proficient fighter.”
Joey Giambra (65-10-2) was a middleweight who beat a great fighter Joey Giardello twice and Rocky Castellani twice but was never world champion.
“Giambra has been writing letters to get in for years,” said O’Neill.
Marty Servo (48-4-2, 15 KOs) lost a split-decision against the great Sugar Ray Robinson in 1942 and beat Lew Jenkins that same year. He beat Freddie Cochrane for the welterweight title in 1946 but relinquished the title without a bout. He retired in 1947. Robinson proceeded to fight and win the vacant welterweight title against Tommy Bell.
Del Flanagan (106-22-2) fought as a featherweight beating the great Sandy Saddler and eventually moved up to middleweight. Between the 40s and 60s he beat Carlos Chavez, Beau Jack, Willie Pastrano, Johnny Saxton, Johnny Bratton, Kid Gavilan, Gil Turner and Ralph Dupas. That’s an incredible array of boxing talent.
Though it’s arguable that some or all of these fighters should be included in the World Boxing Hall of Fame, it’s the violation of its own rules that perturb those members that have quit.
“It’s a joke,” said Morales. “If they want to be taken seriously than they have to abide by their own rules.”
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