CANASTOTA, New York — Canastota may be known as boxing’s hometown, but it really could be any hometown in America. This upstate New York village about four hours northwest of Manhattan has a population of just over 4,000 people, but the surrounding area tacks on a few thousand extra for a four-day period in the summer for the International Boxing Hall of Fame induction weekend.
Hundreds lined the sidewalks along Peterboro Street on Sunday afternoon to watch the Class of 2025 – as well as former world champions, beloved contenders and others associated with the sport outside the ropes – make their way through town for the parade of champions.
The sight of 2025 inductee Manny Pacquiao rolling down the street in a vintage Chevelle convertible, as local ice-cream vendors hand out popsicles to children and local drumline ensembles keep the beat, evokes memories of Independence Day parades that are burned in every American’s mind from childhood. It’s a slice of Americana with a liberal dash of international seasoning, as boxing personalities from the Philippines, France and Mexico, plus every corner of the United States, wave and smile at their adoring public.
Some complain that the International Boxing Hall of Fame is in the middle of nowhere, but truthfully, it works so well because of its seclusion. A bigger city may make for greater visibility and accessibility, but Canastota truly transforms into boxing’s hometown – a place where everyone you meet will be able to debate Eusebio Pedroza’s ranking among great featherweight champions, or rate the greatest southpaw jabs they’ve ever seen.
Induction weekend offers an opportunity for boxing’s superstars of the past to let their guard down without fear of an incoming left hook, and to reflect on their greatest achievements. For many non-boxers, induction weekend offers one of their first opportunities to tell their stories.
Kenny Bayless, the long-time Nevada referee who retired in January 2024 after three decades of officiating, recalled his early frustrations with not getting big assignments, and the struggles he had in moving past overseeing the 1997 fight in which a 28-year-old boxer named “Jumpin’” Johnny Montantes died in the ring. “That broke me to the point where I didn’t know if I wanted to referee anymore,” Bayless shared on stage at the induction ceremony later that afternoon at Turning Stone Casino. “And I thank [then Nevada Commission chief inspector] Marc Ratner for putting me back in the ring to see how I was going to be affected by that. I got back in the ring and I aced it.” Bayless went on to referee a number of high-profile fights afterwards, including Floyd Mayweather-Pacquiao, Bernard Hopkins-Oscar De la Hoya and the first Gennady Golovkin-Saul “Canelo” Alvarez fight.
Cathy Davis, who was inducted in the Women's Trailblazer category, remains as truculent at age 73 as she was in 1978, when she successfully sued the New York State Athletic Commission for gender discrimination and won the right to compete there. She shared her unique plans for her hall-of-fame ring. “I’m gonna tell you, I got this beautiful ring here and I asked them to make it big enough for my middle finger because if I ever see those old white stupid men who kept us out of [boxing], do you know what I’m gonna do?,” Davis, 14-0 (14 KOs), said, as she flipped the bird out into the void to a raucous applause.
Former middleweight and super-middleweight champion Michael Nunn expressed his gratitude for the call he received from the hall of fame, which brought him back to the public eye for the first time since being released from prison in 2019 after serving 16 years on drug-trafficking charges.
“I’ve been through a lot but I’m a survivor and I know how to get knocked down and get up,” said the Davenport, Iowa native Nunn, whose final record stands at 58-4 (38 KOs). “I’m not bragging about going to jail or nothing, but I went to jail for 16 years and six months for some activity I was involved in. I took my weight like a man, I came home like a man and continue to be a man. To be here today getting [inducted] into the International Boxing Hall of Fame is probably one of the biggest things to ever accomplish, and I’ve been thankful.”
Vinny Paz, the former WBA junior-middleweight and IBF lightweight champion who finally got in after several years on the ballot, distilled his career in one short phrase: “I fought my balls off for you guys.”
“The Commish” Randy Gordon, who has worn just about every hat one could wear in the sport, from editor of The Ring magazine to NYSAC Commissioner to ESPN commentator – and even a fight apiece as a pro boxer and a referee – shared his inspirational story of overcoming being wheelchair bound as a 10 year old following a gasoline explosion, inspired by his dream to dance like the boxers he watched on TV. “From that moment, I never wanted to hear that you can’t do it,” said the Brooklyn native who now hosts “At the Fights” on Sirius XM with former heavyweight contender Gerry Cooney.
The night – and extended weekend – were capped off by Pacquiao, by far the marquee inductee of the class, whose world championships in eight separate divisions is unlikely to ever be matched. Pacquiao, who rarely betrays emotion other than an enthusiastic smile, cracked his voice for one of the few times ever seen in public as he recounted his journey from an impoverished, malnourished boy on the streets of General Santos City, Philippines into boxing immortality.
“Boxing gave me a way out,” said Pacquiao. “It turned my struggles into strength, my failures into lessons and my pain into purpose.
“I never chased greatness; I just worked hard to be better than the Manny Pacquiao I was yesterday. I never picked the easy fights; I chose the hard ones. I moved up weight after weight, not to protect a record but to test my limits.”
Pacquiao and many of the other awardees then spent an extended period signing memorabilia for nearly everyone who rushed the stage.
As priceless as this ceremony is for the boxing personalities being inducted, it’s just as important for the fans and observers. No other major sport allows for such close proximity to inductees as does boxing. These interactions serve to preserve the culture of the sport, which is always under threat thanks to the passage of time.
Boxing is losing stories. The onus falls on all – from reporters to fans, to the boxers, managers and trainers who put the fights together – to pass on the stories of those whose blood was spilled between the ropes.
Go to the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Go to the Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame. Hell, buy a ticket to your local state’s Boxing Hall of Fame dinner, and take out an ad in their program. Support the institutions that keep the sport’s rich heritage alive and relevant. Ask the fighters and personalities questions about their experiences; buy them a drink or take a photo with them. Few sports do as little on a regular basis to honor and commemorate their greats as boxing does. These institutions preserve the link to the past which bestows prominence on the modern fights that sell out arenas and stadiums around the world. The heavyweight championship continues to be the most coveted prize in sports because Muhammad Ali, Jack Dempsey and Joe Louis once held it.
Just as hall-of-fame staples long for the days when Carmen Basilio, Alexis Arguello and Aaron Pryor were around to sing the night away at Graziano’s, so too will they miss when the surviving crop of Canastota staples cease to make the trips from around the globe to answer questions at the ringside talks or share a pint at the Turning Stone.
Make the drive. Take the flight. You won’t regret it.