Canastota, NY – Boxing is one of the oldest, most prolific sports in the world and much of its history is on display in the Village of Canastota, New York. Since 1989, the International Boxing Hall of Fame has been located in Canastota.
For four days in June each year, the Village of Canastota becomes a major sports center of the world for the annual Induction Weekend of Champions. During this 4-day weekend, boxing legends interact with upwards of 20,000 boxing fans.
Muhammed Ali was a 1990 inductee into the Boxing Hall of Fame
Muhammed Ali was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1990
Why Canastota?
The village of Canastota has a very rich history in the sport of boxing and has witnessed three different World Championships be held by former community members. International Boxing Hall of Fame Executive Director Ed Brophy believes Canastota’s detailed past in the sport of boxing makes it a perfect spot for the Hall of Fame.
“Canastota has 100 years of boxing history dating back to the late 1800s to the early 1900s to bare knuckle boxing,” said Brophy. “It was in 1955 a professional boxer named Carmen Basilio won the World Welterweight Championship and put Canastota on the boxing map. Then another World Champion came from Canastota in 1970. Carmen’s nephew Billy Backus became a World Welterweight Champion. So it reminded the world that boxing is something special in Canastota and the hometown of two world champions.”
In addition to former World Champions Basilio and Backus, Canastota is also the home to promoter and trainer Tony Graziano and is well known for having one of the top High School Boxing programs in the 1920s through 1940s.
History of the Hall
“Nowhere in the world was there a boxing hall of fame,” said Brophy. “Every other sport had a hall of fame. You name it. They had a hall of fame. Boxing hadn’t had a hall of fame and boxing is the oldest sport there is.”
In 1984 a press conference was held to announce that Canastota would be the future home of the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Five years later, the hall debuted and the ceremonial ribbon was cut by former heavyweight champions Floyd Patterson and Joe Frazier. Over the years many boxing greats have been inducted into the hall including Muhammed Ali, Rocky Marciano, and George Foreman.
The boxing hall of fame also has a tremendous amount of memorabilia and historical objects. “Throughout the museum there’s so many different artifacts of boxing from gloves to trunks to championship tickets and programs and you can learn everything you want to know about boxing,” said Brophy.
Boxing ring for Ali vs Frazier at Madison Square Garden in 1971
While Brophy admitted that it was difficult to pick a specific momento as his favorite part of the hall due to all of the history he enjoyed, he did point to the actual boxing ring from Madison Square Garden as one of the top artifacts at the hall.
Brophy said, “It’s an 82-year old ring. That’s the battlefield. That is the field that all of the great fighters fought in in the greatest fights in history. So you have to admire that ring and just feel the awe of walking around it.”
Induction Weekend
Every June a new class is inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. The 4-day event brings over 20,000 people to Canastota and provides a major boost for the local economy.
“The boxing hall of fame being here in the village of Canastota has really done something special for both the sport and for the village,” Brophy said. “For the sport of boxing, its given the sport a place that they can call their second home town. For the village of Canastota it’s tremendous because each year the many volunteers, the many village residents play a part in making this celebration happen. That’s great for tourism. For the surrounding area. The hotels and the restaurants and all the different businesses. It’s great for business.”
Inductees for the Class of 2011 will be announced on Tuesday, December 7th at 1pm EST. For more information on the Hall of Fame’s Induction Ceremony, visit the Boxing Hall of Fame Induction Weekend website.
Lederer Boxing Hall of Fame from Newhouse BDJ on Vimeo.
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