The bubble bunch for Boxing's Hall of FameBy Dan Rafael
ESPN.com
Archive
Each June, boxing luminaries and fans from around the world gather at the International Boxing Hall of Fame in the quaint upstate New York village of Canastota for the annual induction weekend.
HOF HAPPENINGS
Boxing historian Bert Sugar and other luminaries will be attending the 17th Annual International Boxing Hall of Fame Induction Weekend, which begins Thursday. More
Also, SportsNation wants your vote on who should get in. Click here.
At Sunday's 17th annual induction ceremony, former junior flyweight champions Michael Carbajal and Humberto "Chiquita" Gonzalez, who faced each other three times in their signature bouts, headline a 12-man class that also includes historian/publisher Hank Kaplan, promoter/manager Jarvis Astaire, the late lightweight champion Edwin Rosario and the late welterweight and middleweight champion Lou Brouillard.
But which boxers will join them as Hall of Famers when they become eligible five years after their retirement?
As a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America, I have a Hall of Fame vote, which means I have a say. I voted for Carbajal and Gonzalez in this year's class, but for whom will I cast my ballot in the future?
On the bubble
Here are some fighters who are not yet eligible for the Hall of Fame who might receive my vote. Some are retired, and I will need to think long and hard about their candidacy when they appear on the ballot, and others are active fighters who still can accomplish more between now and their retirement:
Calzaghe
Joe Calzaghe (41-0, 31 KOs): The unified super middleweight champion from Wales has made 18 defenses of his version of the 168-pound title and he unified belts in March with a sensational performance against Jeff Lacy. You'd think at 41-0 with all those defenses, he'd be a Hall of Fame lock.
But he's not. I need to see more. While Calzaghe does own some nice wins against an aging Chris Eubank, Robin Reid (very close), Omar Sheika, Richie Woodhall, Charles Brewer and Byron Mitchell, the résumé still doesn't feel like HOF material yet. There is still time and the light heavyweight division to conquer.
What he needs to do to get my vote: Further unify super middleweight titles by beating Mikkel Kessler or Markus Beyer or win a legitimate light heavyweight title, perhaps against Antonio Tarver if he beats Bernard Hopkins.
Gatti
Arturo Gatti (40-7, 31 KOs): Gatti is a special case. At first glance, his record doesn't appear HOF-worthy. Although he won titles at junior lightweight and junior welterweight, he never has been considered "the man" in either division. Nor has be beaten any A-level opponents, although he does own a number of solid wins against B-opponents such as Tracy Harris Patterson (twice), Calvin Grove, Gabriel Ruelas, Terronn Millett, Micky Ward (2-1), Leonard Dorin and James Leija.
But Gatti is about more than the victories. He is about excitement, and not just your average excitement. Gatti has delivered action beyond comprehension with a series of battles that are so over the top with blood, guts and drama that he must be considered a serious HOF candidate.
The trilogy with Ward is the modern Zale-Graziano. And despite losing twice to Ivan Robinson and once to Angel Manfredy (on a cut), those three fights were special also.
Throw in an epic battle with Ruelas, the miracle comeback against Wilson Rodriguez and the underrated Grove fight, and Gatti has been in at least nine fights that merited fight-of-the-year consideration. Gatti was 5-4 in those wars of will.
What he needs to do to get my vote: I'm already pretty convinced I will vote for him when the day comes, but there are many others who don't feel the same way I do. So for Gatti to increase his support, he can start by winning the recognized welterweight title July 22 against Carlos Baldomir. That is an extremely important fight for Gatti's HOF legacy.
Hamed
Naseem Hamed (36-1, 31 KOs): "The Prince" had a huge personality and a huge punch. He also had an unorthodox style and the talent to win the featherweight title. Despite the distractions of his big mouth and flashy ring entrances, "Naz" rightly should have held simultaneously the four major sanctioning organization titles, but politics interfered and led to one stripping after another. Nonetheless, he beat all the title holders: Steve Robinson, Tom Johnson, Cesar Soto and Wilfredo Vazquez. He also beat numerous other former or future champions: Manuel Medina, Kevin Kelley (in one of the best fights of the 1990s), Wayne McCullough, Paul Ingle and Vuyani Bungu.
He was a 35-0 world champion and a top 10 pound-for-pound fighter going into his 2001 showdown with Marco Antonio Barrera. But the underdog surprisingly manhandled Hamed in a clear decision victory.
Hamed never recovered. He fought just once more, winning a decision over a handpicked opponent in 2002. There has been sporadic talk of a comeback, but now that Hamed is serving 15 months in a British prison, I doubt we will ever see him in the ring again.
What he needs to do to get my vote: Since he probably won't fight again, there isn't much he can do to enhance his standing. But from 1995-2000, he dominated and electrified, and although his prime was short, it was fantastic. Eventually, I'll probably vote for him.
Genaro Hernandez (38-2-1, 17 KOs): A terrific two-time junior lightweight champ, Hernandez made 12 defenses over two title reigns. Among his victims: future Hall of Famer Azumah Nelson and future titlist Carlos Hernandez. In fact, in a 14-year career "Chicanito" lost only once at 130 pounds, and that was in the final bout of his career in 1998 when he was stopped by Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Hernandez's only other defeat came when he stepped up to lightweight and suffered a horrific nose injury in a TKO loss to Oscar De La Hoya. The only other blemish was a technical draw due to a first-round head butt against Raul Perez, which was avenged via knockout in his next fight.
What he needs to do to get my vote: I'm inclined to give him the thumbs-up when he finally appears on the ballot, but others might not be that impressed with the quality of his victories. He is truly on the bubble.
Hill
Virgil Hill (50-5, 23 KOs): He'll probably get into the Hall of Fame eventually based more on longevity and winning multiple alphabet titles than because he was a dominant and great fighter. Nonetheless, Hill, a former Olympic silver medalist, won five belts between light heavyweight and cruiserweight, including a vacant cruiserweight belt in January at the age of 42.
In his first reign as light heavyweight champ, Hill made 11 defenses before losing to Thomas Hearns. He made 10 more in his second reign, including unifying titles in Germany against hometown hero Henry Maske before losing to Dariusz Michalczewski in Germany.
Hill pulled off a major upset by knocking out Fabrice Tiozzo in the first round to win a cruiserweight belt in 2000.
What he needs to do to get my vote: Defend his new belt once or twice against reasonable opposition.
Marquez
Rafael Marquez (35-3, 31 KOs): The reigning bantamweight champion has made six defenses so far, but his most impressive accomplishment is owning knockout wins against long-reigning champ Tim Austin and two-division champ Mark Johnson.
He also owns a split-decision win against Johnson and has defeated good opponents during his title reign -- Mauricio Pastrana, Heriberto Ruiz and Ricardo Vargas and Silence Mabuza. Not bad for a guy who lost his 1995 pro debut.
What he needs to do to get my vote: Unifying titles at bantamweight against Jhonny Gonzalez and avenging his knockout loss to Genaro Garcia would be huge. He could also move up to junior featherweight and beat champion Israel Vasquez.
Michalczewski
Dariusz Michalczewski (48-2, 38 KOs): Long-reigning light heavyweight titlist (and briefly a cruiserweight beltholder) made an amazing 23 defenses at 175 pounds but never faced the top opponents when they were at their peaks. His best wins came against Virgil Hill, Montell Griffin and Graciano Rocchigiani (twice), none of whom were at their best when they fought.
What he needs to do to get my vote: After losing two fights in a row to Julio Gonzalez and Fabrice Tiozzo, Michalczewski announced his retirement in June 2005. That means there is nothing that will change about his resume. While the number of defenses is impressive, his opponent list is weak and he never faced Roy Jones Jr. or had an inclination to prove himself outside of Germany. He might get into the HOF, but not with the help of my vote.
Mosley
Sugar Shane Mosley (42-4, 36 KOs): I'll admit it: He's probably a first-ballot lock, but I still have a hard time dealing with the fact that he lost back-to-back fights to both Vernon Forrest and Winky Wright, not to mention that I thought he got a gift decision in his junior middleweight title rematch with Oscar De La Hoya in 2003.
He did beat De La Hoya cleanly for the welterweight title in 2000 after moving up from lightweight, where he dazzled in eight title defenses (all by knockout win), although none came against an A-level opponent.
That said, Mosley is a three-division champion and briefly was considered the No. 1 fighter in the sport.
What he needs to do to get my vote: He can start by scoring another decisive win against Fernando Vargas in their July 15 rematch. After that, I'd like one more marquee victory, be it at welterweight or junior middleweight.
Ottke
Sven Ottke (34-0, 6 KOs): This one kills me. Ottke retired as an undefeated unified super middleweight champion, yet I still have my doubts. Although he unified titles by beating Byron Mitchell and also notched victories against Charles Brewer (twice), Thomas Tate (twice), Anthony Mundine, Glen Johnson and Robin Reid, way too many of his fights were close calls.
Perhaps benefiting from fighting only in the comforts of Germany, Ottke always seemed to have gotten the benefit of the doubt. But there are numerous fights that could have gone the other way. Not just one or two, mind you, but several.
His crowning moment is probably a come-from-behind, 10th-round knockout of Mundine that saved his reign.
What he needs to do to get my vote: Ottke needs to just make sure that when the ballot with his name arrives that I remember that fighters who reign for seven years and retire undefeated, no matter the circumstances, are rare. He'll probably get my vote eventually.
Pacquiao
Manny Pacquiao (41-3-2, 33 KOs): The national hero of the Philippines is well on his way to Canastota. Start with knockout victories against Marco Antonio Barrera (which earned him recognition as the No. 1 featherweight) and Erik Morales in their junior lightweight rematch. Those two wins alone might be enough to get him in.
But Pacquiao also won titles at flyweight and junior featherweight and drew with Juan Manuel Marquez in a sensational featherweight title fight.
What he needs to do to get my vote: At 27 and with big fights still on the horizon, he just needs to keep winning for a little longer. He can start by dismissing former junior featherweight champ Oscar Larios next month and then win a scheduled fall rubber match with Morales. Those two wins would be more than enough for me to give the Pacman my vote.
Veerapol Sahaprom (52-3-2, 37 KOs): Deciding on Asian fighters is a tricky proposition given that they often fight such weak opposition while racking up outstanding records. Fortunately, I have seen tons of tapes on Sahaprom and other Asian champions, and Sahaprom at his best could really fight.
He won a bantamweight world title in just his fourth professional fight, but lost it in his first defense. When he fought for a bantamweight title for a second time in 1998, he won and held it until 2005. Between losses, he was 43-0-2 with 15 title defenses. His best wins came against Joichiro Tatsuyoshi, Adan Vargas and Toshiaki Nishioka (1-0-2).
What he needs to do to get my vote: Given that he is unlikely to come up with any more significant wins as a 37-year-old with a lot of mileage on his body, his résumé is probably complete. Asian fighters have long been overlooked by HOF voters, but I don't think Sahaprom should be when his turn comes up for selection.
Tapia
Johnny Tapia (55-5-2, 28 KOs): A colorful character and a terrific fighter, Tapia won five belts in three divisions (junior bantamweight, bantamweight and featherweight) and was one of the more popular smaller-weight fighters in recent years.
He won his defining fight, a junior bantamweight unification fight with crosstown Albuquerque rival Danny Romero, and beat other solid opponents such as Nana Konadu, Jorge Eliecer Julio, Manuel Medina (very close) and Cesar Soto. But he also lost two extremely close, action-packed fights to Paulie Ayala.
What he needs to do to get my vote: At 39, Tapia's run is over even if he fights a couple of more times. I'm afraid despite the excitement he brought and the titles he won, it just wasn't enough against top-shelf competition. Like some others, he might ultimately reach Canastota, but probably not with my help.
Wright
Winky Wright (50-3, 25 KOs): One of the slickest, most feared defensive fighters around, few opponents wanted to fight him, which is why it took Wright so long to make it big.
But when he finally got an opportunity to for stardom, he seized it by twice beating Shane Mosley to become the first undisputed junior middleweight champion in three decades. Then came a dazzling shutout decision win against future Hall of Famer Felix Trinidad. Those three wins are worth a lot.
What he needs to do to get my vote: It's pretty simple. Score a clean victory against Jermain Taylor on June 17 to win the middleweight world title and Wright is Canastota-worthy in my book.
Wonjongkam
Pongsaklek Wonjongkam (61-2, 31 KOs): He recently made his 14th flyweight title defense, tying him for the division record with Hall of Famer Miguel Canto. Unfortunately, Wonjongkam has feasted on competition that is average at best while fighting exclusively in Thailand, with a few side trips to Japan mixed in.
What he needs to do to get my vote: A lot. Is it too much to expect for a world champion to record at least one truly significant victory before immortalizing him in the Hall of Fame? Despite a glossy record, Wonjongkam's best win is probably a decision against Hussein Hussein. That's not enough to get my vote, much less make me think long and hard about it.
Dan Rafael is the boxing writer for ESPN.com
ESPN.com
Archive
Each June, boxing luminaries and fans from around the world gather at the International Boxing Hall of Fame in the quaint upstate New York village of Canastota for the annual induction weekend.
HOF HAPPENINGS
Boxing historian Bert Sugar and other luminaries will be attending the 17th Annual International Boxing Hall of Fame Induction Weekend, which begins Thursday. More
Also, SportsNation wants your vote on who should get in. Click here.
At Sunday's 17th annual induction ceremony, former junior flyweight champions Michael Carbajal and Humberto "Chiquita" Gonzalez, who faced each other three times in their signature bouts, headline a 12-man class that also includes historian/publisher Hank Kaplan, promoter/manager Jarvis Astaire, the late lightweight champion Edwin Rosario and the late welterweight and middleweight champion Lou Brouillard.
But which boxers will join them as Hall of Famers when they become eligible five years after their retirement?
As a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America, I have a Hall of Fame vote, which means I have a say. I voted for Carbajal and Gonzalez in this year's class, but for whom will I cast my ballot in the future?
On the bubble
Here are some fighters who are not yet eligible for the Hall of Fame who might receive my vote. Some are retired, and I will need to think long and hard about their candidacy when they appear on the ballot, and others are active fighters who still can accomplish more between now and their retirement:
Calzaghe
Joe Calzaghe (41-0, 31 KOs): The unified super middleweight champion from Wales has made 18 defenses of his version of the 168-pound title and he unified belts in March with a sensational performance against Jeff Lacy. You'd think at 41-0 with all those defenses, he'd be a Hall of Fame lock.
But he's not. I need to see more. While Calzaghe does own some nice wins against an aging Chris Eubank, Robin Reid (very close), Omar Sheika, Richie Woodhall, Charles Brewer and Byron Mitchell, the résumé still doesn't feel like HOF material yet. There is still time and the light heavyweight division to conquer.
What he needs to do to get my vote: Further unify super middleweight titles by beating Mikkel Kessler or Markus Beyer or win a legitimate light heavyweight title, perhaps against Antonio Tarver if he beats Bernard Hopkins.
Gatti
Arturo Gatti (40-7, 31 KOs): Gatti is a special case. At first glance, his record doesn't appear HOF-worthy. Although he won titles at junior lightweight and junior welterweight, he never has been considered "the man" in either division. Nor has be beaten any A-level opponents, although he does own a number of solid wins against B-opponents such as Tracy Harris Patterson (twice), Calvin Grove, Gabriel Ruelas, Terronn Millett, Micky Ward (2-1), Leonard Dorin and James Leija.
But Gatti is about more than the victories. He is about excitement, and not just your average excitement. Gatti has delivered action beyond comprehension with a series of battles that are so over the top with blood, guts and drama that he must be considered a serious HOF candidate.
The trilogy with Ward is the modern Zale-Graziano. And despite losing twice to Ivan Robinson and once to Angel Manfredy (on a cut), those three fights were special also.
Throw in an epic battle with Ruelas, the miracle comeback against Wilson Rodriguez and the underrated Grove fight, and Gatti has been in at least nine fights that merited fight-of-the-year consideration. Gatti was 5-4 in those wars of will.
What he needs to do to get my vote: I'm already pretty convinced I will vote for him when the day comes, but there are many others who don't feel the same way I do. So for Gatti to increase his support, he can start by winning the recognized welterweight title July 22 against Carlos Baldomir. That is an extremely important fight for Gatti's HOF legacy.
Hamed
Naseem Hamed (36-1, 31 KOs): "The Prince" had a huge personality and a huge punch. He also had an unorthodox style and the talent to win the featherweight title. Despite the distractions of his big mouth and flashy ring entrances, "Naz" rightly should have held simultaneously the four major sanctioning organization titles, but politics interfered and led to one stripping after another. Nonetheless, he beat all the title holders: Steve Robinson, Tom Johnson, Cesar Soto and Wilfredo Vazquez. He also beat numerous other former or future champions: Manuel Medina, Kevin Kelley (in one of the best fights of the 1990s), Wayne McCullough, Paul Ingle and Vuyani Bungu.
He was a 35-0 world champion and a top 10 pound-for-pound fighter going into his 2001 showdown with Marco Antonio Barrera. But the underdog surprisingly manhandled Hamed in a clear decision victory.
Hamed never recovered. He fought just once more, winning a decision over a handpicked opponent in 2002. There has been sporadic talk of a comeback, but now that Hamed is serving 15 months in a British prison, I doubt we will ever see him in the ring again.
What he needs to do to get my vote: Since he probably won't fight again, there isn't much he can do to enhance his standing. But from 1995-2000, he dominated and electrified, and although his prime was short, it was fantastic. Eventually, I'll probably vote for him.
Genaro Hernandez (38-2-1, 17 KOs): A terrific two-time junior lightweight champ, Hernandez made 12 defenses over two title reigns. Among his victims: future Hall of Famer Azumah Nelson and future titlist Carlos Hernandez. In fact, in a 14-year career "Chicanito" lost only once at 130 pounds, and that was in the final bout of his career in 1998 when he was stopped by Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Hernandez's only other defeat came when he stepped up to lightweight and suffered a horrific nose injury in a TKO loss to Oscar De La Hoya. The only other blemish was a technical draw due to a first-round head butt against Raul Perez, which was avenged via knockout in his next fight.
What he needs to do to get my vote: I'm inclined to give him the thumbs-up when he finally appears on the ballot, but others might not be that impressed with the quality of his victories. He is truly on the bubble.
Hill
Virgil Hill (50-5, 23 KOs): He'll probably get into the Hall of Fame eventually based more on longevity and winning multiple alphabet titles than because he was a dominant and great fighter. Nonetheless, Hill, a former Olympic silver medalist, won five belts between light heavyweight and cruiserweight, including a vacant cruiserweight belt in January at the age of 42.
In his first reign as light heavyweight champ, Hill made 11 defenses before losing to Thomas Hearns. He made 10 more in his second reign, including unifying titles in Germany against hometown hero Henry Maske before losing to Dariusz Michalczewski in Germany.
Hill pulled off a major upset by knocking out Fabrice Tiozzo in the first round to win a cruiserweight belt in 2000.
What he needs to do to get my vote: Defend his new belt once or twice against reasonable opposition.
Marquez
Rafael Marquez (35-3, 31 KOs): The reigning bantamweight champion has made six defenses so far, but his most impressive accomplishment is owning knockout wins against long-reigning champ Tim Austin and two-division champ Mark Johnson.
He also owns a split-decision win against Johnson and has defeated good opponents during his title reign -- Mauricio Pastrana, Heriberto Ruiz and Ricardo Vargas and Silence Mabuza. Not bad for a guy who lost his 1995 pro debut.
What he needs to do to get my vote: Unifying titles at bantamweight against Jhonny Gonzalez and avenging his knockout loss to Genaro Garcia would be huge. He could also move up to junior featherweight and beat champion Israel Vasquez.
Michalczewski
Dariusz Michalczewski (48-2, 38 KOs): Long-reigning light heavyweight titlist (and briefly a cruiserweight beltholder) made an amazing 23 defenses at 175 pounds but never faced the top opponents when they were at their peaks. His best wins came against Virgil Hill, Montell Griffin and Graciano Rocchigiani (twice), none of whom were at their best when they fought.
What he needs to do to get my vote: After losing two fights in a row to Julio Gonzalez and Fabrice Tiozzo, Michalczewski announced his retirement in June 2005. That means there is nothing that will change about his resume. While the number of defenses is impressive, his opponent list is weak and he never faced Roy Jones Jr. or had an inclination to prove himself outside of Germany. He might get into the HOF, but not with the help of my vote.
Mosley
Sugar Shane Mosley (42-4, 36 KOs): I'll admit it: He's probably a first-ballot lock, but I still have a hard time dealing with the fact that he lost back-to-back fights to both Vernon Forrest and Winky Wright, not to mention that I thought he got a gift decision in his junior middleweight title rematch with Oscar De La Hoya in 2003.
He did beat De La Hoya cleanly for the welterweight title in 2000 after moving up from lightweight, where he dazzled in eight title defenses (all by knockout win), although none came against an A-level opponent.
That said, Mosley is a three-division champion and briefly was considered the No. 1 fighter in the sport.
What he needs to do to get my vote: He can start by scoring another decisive win against Fernando Vargas in their July 15 rematch. After that, I'd like one more marquee victory, be it at welterweight or junior middleweight.
Ottke
Sven Ottke (34-0, 6 KOs): This one kills me. Ottke retired as an undefeated unified super middleweight champion, yet I still have my doubts. Although he unified titles by beating Byron Mitchell and also notched victories against Charles Brewer (twice), Thomas Tate (twice), Anthony Mundine, Glen Johnson and Robin Reid, way too many of his fights were close calls.
Perhaps benefiting from fighting only in the comforts of Germany, Ottke always seemed to have gotten the benefit of the doubt. But there are numerous fights that could have gone the other way. Not just one or two, mind you, but several.
His crowning moment is probably a come-from-behind, 10th-round knockout of Mundine that saved his reign.
What he needs to do to get my vote: Ottke needs to just make sure that when the ballot with his name arrives that I remember that fighters who reign for seven years and retire undefeated, no matter the circumstances, are rare. He'll probably get my vote eventually.
Pacquiao
Manny Pacquiao (41-3-2, 33 KOs): The national hero of the Philippines is well on his way to Canastota. Start with knockout victories against Marco Antonio Barrera (which earned him recognition as the No. 1 featherweight) and Erik Morales in their junior lightweight rematch. Those two wins alone might be enough to get him in.
But Pacquiao also won titles at flyweight and junior featherweight and drew with Juan Manuel Marquez in a sensational featherweight title fight.
What he needs to do to get my vote: At 27 and with big fights still on the horizon, he just needs to keep winning for a little longer. He can start by dismissing former junior featherweight champ Oscar Larios next month and then win a scheduled fall rubber match with Morales. Those two wins would be more than enough for me to give the Pacman my vote.
Veerapol Sahaprom (52-3-2, 37 KOs): Deciding on Asian fighters is a tricky proposition given that they often fight such weak opposition while racking up outstanding records. Fortunately, I have seen tons of tapes on Sahaprom and other Asian champions, and Sahaprom at his best could really fight.
He won a bantamweight world title in just his fourth professional fight, but lost it in his first defense. When he fought for a bantamweight title for a second time in 1998, he won and held it until 2005. Between losses, he was 43-0-2 with 15 title defenses. His best wins came against Joichiro Tatsuyoshi, Adan Vargas and Toshiaki Nishioka (1-0-2).
What he needs to do to get my vote: Given that he is unlikely to come up with any more significant wins as a 37-year-old with a lot of mileage on his body, his résumé is probably complete. Asian fighters have long been overlooked by HOF voters, but I don't think Sahaprom should be when his turn comes up for selection.
Tapia
Johnny Tapia (55-5-2, 28 KOs): A colorful character and a terrific fighter, Tapia won five belts in three divisions (junior bantamweight, bantamweight and featherweight) and was one of the more popular smaller-weight fighters in recent years.
He won his defining fight, a junior bantamweight unification fight with crosstown Albuquerque rival Danny Romero, and beat other solid opponents such as Nana Konadu, Jorge Eliecer Julio, Manuel Medina (very close) and Cesar Soto. But he also lost two extremely close, action-packed fights to Paulie Ayala.
What he needs to do to get my vote: At 39, Tapia's run is over even if he fights a couple of more times. I'm afraid despite the excitement he brought and the titles he won, it just wasn't enough against top-shelf competition. Like some others, he might ultimately reach Canastota, but probably not with my help.
Wright
Winky Wright (50-3, 25 KOs): One of the slickest, most feared defensive fighters around, few opponents wanted to fight him, which is why it took Wright so long to make it big.
But when he finally got an opportunity to for stardom, he seized it by twice beating Shane Mosley to become the first undisputed junior middleweight champion in three decades. Then came a dazzling shutout decision win against future Hall of Famer Felix Trinidad. Those three wins are worth a lot.
What he needs to do to get my vote: It's pretty simple. Score a clean victory against Jermain Taylor on June 17 to win the middleweight world title and Wright is Canastota-worthy in my book.
Wonjongkam
Pongsaklek Wonjongkam (61-2, 31 KOs): He recently made his 14th flyweight title defense, tying him for the division record with Hall of Famer Miguel Canto. Unfortunately, Wonjongkam has feasted on competition that is average at best while fighting exclusively in Thailand, with a few side trips to Japan mixed in.
What he needs to do to get my vote: A lot. Is it too much to expect for a world champion to record at least one truly significant victory before immortalizing him in the Hall of Fame? Despite a glossy record, Wonjongkam's best win is probably a decision against Hussein Hussein. That's not enough to get my vote, much less make me think long and hard about it.
Dan Rafael is the boxing writer for ESPN.com
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