Who I Voted For In The 2023 HOF Class, Who I Didn’t And Why

For the past few years, each Boxing Hall of Fame ballot has featured at least one slam-dunk candidate, the kind of former boxer where there was no question on whether he would become a first-ballot inductee. Whether it was Roy Jones Jr. for 2022; Wladimir Klitschko, Floyd Mayweather and Andre Ward in 2021; or Bernard Hopkins and Shane Mosley in 2020, the last few classes have been littered with some of boxing’s all-time greats.

That’s not the case with 2023. There are no sure things in this year’s HOF class, and that provides opportunities for fighters who have HOF credentials but who have been left behind on the ballot because of the extraordinary star power of people like Jones, Mayweather and Ward.

Now, there’s a chance for some deserving fighters to finally get their day in the summer sun of Canastota, New York, and we’ll all get to see who were voted in next Wednesday at 11am ET.

As I write on an annual basis, HOF voters, who are members of the Boxing Writers Association of America, could select up to five fighters on their ballots. The three fighters who receive the most votes (and anybody else who is selected on more than 80% of ballots) will be inducted. The rest will have to wait for the 2024 ballot.

One voter’s criteria can be much different from another’s, so here’s what I value as a voter: Dominance in a division and inclusion on the mythical pound-for-pound list; a sustained reign as one of the top fighters in their weight division; and victories against the top-notch boxers of his era. Some voters don’t believe a fighter’s popularity or money-making abilities should factor into the equation. I disagree (I’ll always believe Arturo Gatti deserves his place in the HOF because of the sheer excitement he brought to the sport, and I’ve voted in the past for Ricky Hatton because of his impact on U.K. boxing).

I’ve been a voter for the past six years, and this year, I selected modern-day male boxers. Here’s who I picked for the Boxing HOF and why.

Timothy Bradley (33-2-1, 13 KOs): I’ve voted for Bradley on every ballot since he became eligible four years ago, and I’m pretty sure this will be the year he finally gets to enter the HOF’s hallowed halls. His biggest victories came against Manny Pacquiao (though Bradley probably didn’t deserve it), Ruslan Provodnikov in the 2013 fight of the year, Joel Casamayor, Junior Witter and Lamont Peterson. His run of victories from 2009-14 is fantastic. And not that it necessarily matters to me when it comes to the Boxing HOF (though it could for some voters), Bradley has become one of the best TV analysts in the sport —mixing humor, knowledge, and good predictions to provide an entertaining experience for the viewer. The top-notch junior welterweight and welterweight will almost certainly get in eventually, but this is his best opportunity so far.

Rafael Marquez (41-9, 37 KOs): This is Marquez’s fifth year on the ballot, and it’s the fourth time I’ve voted for him. He was a standout bantamweight titlist, beating Mark Johnson twice, a prime Mauricio Pastrana twice and Tim Austin. He also had one of the best four-fight series of all time vs. Israel Vazquez, and two of those bouts were fights of the year in 2007 and 2008. I’ve always thought Marquez’s best chance to get an induction was when the ballot isn’t so top-heavy. This year is that year.

Carl Froch (33-2, 24 KOs): If I had to wager, I’d also predict that 2023 is the year Froch finally hears his name called. I’ve gone back and forth on Froch over the past couple of years, and this year was the first time I voted for him. He was never really considered a pound-for-pound fighter, but otherwise, his career was quite impressive. He beat Jermain Taylor, Mikkel Kessler, Arthur Abraham, Glen Johnson and George Groves twice. Though he never could get a fight with Joe Calzaghe, the best super middleweight of the era, Froch’s final fight drew a crowd of 80,000 who watched him devastatingly KO Groves. What a way for him to end his career.

Ivan Calderon (35-3-1, 6 KOs): He’s been on the ballot since 2018, and this is the third time I’ve voted for Calderon. He could be considered one of the greatest technical strawweight boxers of all time, and he defended his strawweight and junior flyweight belts a total of 17 times. In his prime, Calderon’s skills were unrivaled, though he wasn’t always so much fun to watch. Simply put, Calderon struggled to find that career-defining victory that would make his HOF candidacy a much easier sell.

Ricky Hatton (45-3, 32 KOs): I feel like I’m an outlier on voting for Hatton. He won the unified junior welterweight title; he grabbed another belt at welterweight; and he beat Kostya Tzsyu, Jose Luis Castillo and Paulie Malignaggi. He resided in the pound-for-pound top 10 ratings for about four years, and he was the fighter of the year in 2005. He was an A-level fighter, but he wasn’t necessarily the A-plus-level fighter that is assured of an HOF induction. For me, his popularity and the love of his countrymen are what put him over the top. But I don’t have high hopes that the rest of the HOF voters agree with me. Still, listen to the loud chant of “There’s only one Ricky Hatton!” that he inspired.

Here’s a sampling of some of the best boxers who didn’t make my ballot and why.

Pongsaklek Wonjongkam (91-5-2, 47 KOs): I wouldn’t be shocked if Wonjongkam found his way into the HOF at some point. He was a dominant flyweight titlist for many years, but his resume has several big holes that will always leave question marks.

Dariusz Michalczewski (48-2, 38 KOs): I’ve voted twice for the German light heavyweight star. If only he had fought and beaten Roy Jones Jr., Michalczewski, who defended his belt a division-record 23 times, would almost surely be in the HOF by now. But he didn’t, and though he beat HOFer Virgil Hill and Montell Griffin, his resume still is a little lacking.

Michael Nunn (58-4, 38 KOs): The only ballot first-timer I remotely thought about voting for this year, Nunn (who made his ballot debut along with Arthur Abraham and Omar Narvaez) won titles at middleweight and super middleweight and beat the likes of Donald Curry and Marlon Starling. Though he was one of the best in the three weight divisions he spent time in during his career, he missed out on fighting any of the Four Kings.