Golovkin, Tarver, Benn inducted into Boxing Hall of Fame

Gennadiy Golovkin, Antonio Tarver, and Nigel Benn entered the International Boxing Hall of Fame on Sunday in Canastota, New York, headlining a 2026 class that also honored cut men, a referee, a physician, and two trailblazing women's champions.

Golovkin, who compiled a 42-2-1 record with 37 knockouts across a 35-year career, tied a record with 20 consecutive middleweight title defenses before losing a contested rematch to Canelo Alvarez in 2018. The Kazakhstan native thanked his team and Madison Square Garden officials during his speech, per ESPN. "I have a great time with these people, a great time with my boxing family because, like 35 years I stayed in boxing, and this is my life," he said at the ceremony held at Turning Stone Casino.

Tarver reflects on rivalry with Roy Jones Jr.

Tarver, who went 31-6-1 with 22 knockouts, won a heavyweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">light heavyweight belt in 2004 by knocking out Roy Jones Jr., the fighter he credited with launching his own pursuit of greatness. Recalling Jones's controversial loss in the 1988 Olympic gold medal match, Tarver told the audience he jumped off his couch and ran three miles that night. "I got off the couch and ran three miles and I've been running ever since," he said, according to the report. The charismatic champion, who later played Mason Dixon in Rocky Balboa and worked as a TV analyst, admitted the moment tested even his microphone skills.

Benn, a 42-5-1 middleweight and super middleweight champion with 35 knockouts, joined his fellow multi-division titlists on stage. Cut men Russ Anber and Jimmy Glenn, referee Frank Cappuccino, and physician Edwin Homansky were also enshrined, with Homansky becoming only the second doctor inducted. Anber, who worked corners for Oleksandr Usyk, Vasiliy Lomachenko, and Deontay Wilder during a 48-year career, said he spent that time "sitting on a wooden stool with a steel bucket at my feet, a towel over my shoulder, a Q-tip in my mouth and a glob of Vaseline on the back of my hand, and it's been the best seat in the house."

Japan's Naoko Fujioka, the country's first five-division champion who finished 19-3-1 with seven knockouts, earned induction alongside Jackie Nava, who captured bantamweight and super bantamweight titles in back-to-back fights in 2005 on her way to a 40-4-4 record with 16 knockouts. The class also included Jimmy Clabby, who retired in 1923 with an 86-21-23 mark and 46 knockouts, plus journalist Kevin Iole and late broadcaster Alex Wallau in the Observer category.

Source: espn.com