Hall of Fame Categories:
The Minnesota Boxing Hall of Fame places a great importance on the inclusion of participants from all eras, with no particular era more important than the other. To help do this, our Executive Board along with our voting electorate, employ the use of four major categories; and though we may opt to induct varying amounts of Inductees per category each year, these four categories remain the rubric that guides our voting.
Pioneers - Last bout in or prior to 1910
Most of the fighters and boxing characters from this era are long-forgotten. Even the list of boxing historians who can speak on the lives, careers, and contributions of this group of people is a short one. But does that make the blood they spilled any less painful or their knockouts any less real? Of course not. It should be noted that most fought with just 2 ounce gloves and often engaged in fights to the finish; many of which lasted for hours until one man wilted. Their fights were real fights, and so were their accomplishments, and that is why we honor them.
Click here to see all the inducted PIONEERS
Old Timers - Last bout no earlier than 1911, no later than 1945
These are the fighters that set the groundwork and laid the foundation of Minnesota Boxing History. This is the era where boxing rivaled only baseball in sporting circles, and where the finer points of "scientific" boxing .became the new standard, much as we see today. Numerous superstars of the sport became world-famous for their skills, and Minnesota was home to many of the best of them. It should be noted that during this era of boxing history, many states would not allow "official decisions" to be rendered in matches. This was due to a plethora of reasons (mostly political), such as to discourage gambling and corruption. It would be difficult for a spectator to wager on a fight if there was no official winner (other than by knockout or disqualification). On the same note, it would be more difficult for a boxer to "throw" or "fix" a fight, (unless he was willing to be knocked out) if there was no official winner to be announced. The general consensus in determining winners of bouts, was left up to the fight writers assigned to cover the fights from the designated newspapers; hence the term "Newspaper win". Some historians do not count these fights on a boxer's record, but most do, as the bouts were real, and the consensus is that one cannot fault a boxer for fighting under the rhetoric and laws that governed his era.
Click here to see all the inducted OLD-TIMERS
Modern Category - Last bout no earlier than 1946
The Post-WWII era of boxing all the way up to the present. The era of Robinson, Marciano, Leonard, and Ali; and all the way up to the present day, this era represents the largest sector of boxing history, and it's one we continue to see unfold in our everyday lives, as history's pen continues to write for our future generations of fight fans.
Click here to see all the inducted MODERN
Expanded Category
This category is a special one. It is one that honors and recognizes those whose contributions to the sport have been made not only from inside the ring, but beside it. Managers/Trainers, Administrators/Doctors, Journalists/Historians/Photographers, Promoters/Matchmakers, Referees/Judges/Timekeepers, & Announcers/Broadcasters.
Click here to see all the inducted EXPANDED
Special Recognition
These individuals will be honored in a yearly recognition of contributors to the sport that accompanies the Hall of Fame inductions.