FLORIDA BOXING HALL OF FAME - INAUGURAL INDUCTEES 2009
Luis Manuel Rodriguez. Born in Cuba on June 17, 1937, Rodriguez is considered by many to be one of the greatest welterweights of all time. His four fights with Emile Griffith were all extremely close. Rodriguez was unbeaten in 36 fights before losing a split-decision to Griffith in 1960, in a non-title fight. His style was so appealing that Muhammad Ali adopted many of his moves when the two trained together at the Fifth Street Gym, in Miami Beach. In 1963, Rodriguez won the welterweight title with a unanimous decision over Griffith. Six months later, fighting in Madison Square Garden, Griffith won his title back with a split decision win. In their fourth and final fight, Griffith retained his crown, again by split decision. Griffith’s greatest margin of victory over Rodriguez was three rounds. Rodriguez finished with a career record of 107-13, with 49 KO’s. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1997. He died in 1996, at the age of 59.
Ralph Dupas. One of 11 children born to a New Orleans fisherman, Dupas turned pro at the age of 14 and was taken to Miami to train by Angelo Dundee. A win over Armand Savoie in 1953 moved Dupas into the rankings and he was the top-ranked lightweight in the world by 1955. In 1957 he challenged Joe Brown for the title but lost by an eighth-round technical knockout. Moving up to welterweight, he defeated future middleweight champ Joey Giardello in 1961, but lost in a title shot to Emile Griffith the following year. Dupas, a close friend of IBHOF member Willie Pastrano, won the light-middleweight championship in 1963 with a 15-round decision over Denny Moyer. He finished with a record of 106-23-6, with 19 KO’s.
Willie Pastrano. Another New Orleans native and a good friend of Ralph Dupas, Pastrano was also trained by Angelo Dundee. Fighting out of Miami Beach just like Dupas, he boxed in every division from welterweight to heavyweight. Turning pro at 16, he was a smooth fighter with quick hands who would often spar with stablemate Muhammad Ali early in Ali’s career. Pastrano won the light-heavyweight championship when he out-pointed Harold Johnson. He successfully defended his title twice, stopping Gregorio Peralta of Argentina, and Terry Downs of England. He lost his crown when he was stopped by Jose Torres in nine rounds, tasting the canvas for the only time in his career when he was dropped by a left hook to the liver in round 6. A 2001 inductee of the IBHOF, Pastrano finished with a record of 62-13-8, with 14 KO’s.
Florentino Fernandez. Born on March 6, 1936, in Santiago de Cuba, Florentino “The Ox” Fernandez was a left-hook artist who fled to Miami Beach when professional boxing was outlawed in his home country. Following a string of knockouts, Fernandez earned a shot at middleweight champion Gene Fullmer. Fighting in Ogden, Utah in August 1961, he lost a split decision to Fullmer, and was never given a rematch. Often appearing on TV on fight cards promoted by Chris Dundee, Fernandez became a fan favorite, with most of his fights ending with either Fernandez or his opponent being stopped. In one of his most famous fights, he was stopped by Rubin “Hurricane” Carter just seconds into the opening round of their fight in 1962, but a year later he rebounded to stop future world light-heavyweight champion Jose Torres in five rounds. He finished with a record of 50-16-1 with 43 KO’s.
Pinklon Thomas. Undefeated with a record of 24-0-1, Thomas got his heavyweight title shot against WBC champion Tim Witherspoon on August 31, 1984, in Las Vegas. Known for his solid chin, a great left jab, and his pink boxing trunks, Thomas boxed his way to the heavyweight championship by a majority decision. Ten months later, he defended his title against ex-champion Mike Weaver, stopping Weaver with a single punch in the eighth round. Thomas lost the WBC title to Trevor Berbick, in March 1986, by a decision. In a comeback attempt in May 1987 against champion Mike Tyson, Thomas went down in the sixth round for the first and only time in his career. Though Thomas beat the count, the fight was over. His final record was 43-7-1 with 34 KO’s. Thomas now works as a counselor, and has long been active with his organization, project PINK (Pride In Neighborhood Kids), in Orlando.
Wilfredo Vazquez Sr. Born in Puerto Rico, Vazquez didn’t start boxing until he was 18, making his pro debut on Jan. 29, 1981, losing a four-rounder by decision. But it wasn’t until May 18, 1996 that Vasquez really reached the record books. Fighting WBA featherweight champion Eloy Kiki Rojas in Las Vegas, Vazquez was trailing on all scorecards when he dropped Rojas twice in the eleventh round, the referee stepping in to stop the fight. With that victory, he became one of the few fighters in the world to win world titles in three divisions (bantamweight, super-bantam and featherweight). He was also the first boxer in history to win three different divisions under the umbrella of the same organization when he became the WBA featherweight champion. He finished his career with a record of 56-9-2 with 41 KO’s.
Angelo Dundee. There’s not much you can say about Angelo Dundee that hasn’t already been said. He’s one of the few trainers in boxing who can boast of being a household name. A trainer for world champions like Carmen Basilio, Muhammad Ali, and Sugar Ray Leonard, he has also been in the corner with world champions such as Willie Pastrano, Jimmy Ellis, Pinklon Thomas, Ralph Dupas, and Sugar Ramos. He was in George Foreman’s corner in 1994, when Foreman won the heavyweight title from then undefeated Michael Moorer. The Boxing Writers Association of America named Dundee its manager of the year in 1968 and 1979. He was inducted into the IBHOF in 1992.
Jimmy Williams. For more than 60 years, Jimmy Williams has been one of the most highly respected teachers of the sweet science. A professional dancer by trade, Williams was born in Florida, moved to New York, and returned to Florida, where he‘s been a Tampa resident for 39 years. Now 81 and still going strong, Williams is the man behind former world light-heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver, teaching Tarver the fundamentals of boxing going back to his amateur days. Some of the other fighters taught by Williams include Cornelius Boza Edwards, Brian Mitchell, and John “The Beast” Mugabi.
Steven J. Canton. Steve Canton has been involved in every aspect of boxing for more than 52 years, or since he was a small boy. Along with his own successful amateur and professional boxing careers, he has promoted shows and been a matchmaker for fights and fighters all over the world. Along with his work in the corner, he has worked as a ring announcer, television commentator, judge, referee, and timekeeper. Considered a world-class cutman and trainer, he has worked with some of the best fighters in the world. For seven years he co-hosted a popular Las Vegas-based boxing radio talk show with James “Smitty” Smith, and for several years he wrote a monthly Florida boxing column for Flash/Update. Canton is well respected in the boxing community as a historian, is a proud member of the International Boxing Research Organization, and a voting member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame that elects new inductees, in both the modern and old-timer categories. He was instrumental in arranging the first internet broadcast of a boxing event. He was also involved in the promotion of the first casino boxing in Florida, and the first pay-per-view boxing event in the Bahamas.
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