Floyd Mayweather and others were inducted into the Boxing HOF!…

After breaking down in tears only hours before his big night, Floyd Mayweather Jr. was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame on Sunday.

“I done a lot in my career, but this is by far the best,” said Mayweather, who credited his mom, dad and sister for much of his success. “I want to thank the International Boxing Hall of Fame for giving me this. This right here is going to my dad because he deserves it. Bernard Hopkins said it best, ‘You’ve got to earn it,’ and my dad earned this ring.

Boxing legend Floyd Mayweather was admitted into the boxing hall of fame on Sunday, leading three classes that included him. Because the previous two inductions had to be postponed because of the pandemic, 2022 is going to be a crowded occasion. To accommodate the 36 inductees, the event was relocated from the Hall of Fame’s original location in Canastota, New York to the Turning Stone Resort and Casino in nearby Verona.

It was a night of champions.

This year’s class included male champions Roy Jones Jr., Miguel Cotto, James Toney, and female winners Regina Halmich and Holly Holm. Hopkins, Juan Manuel Marquez, and “Sugar” Shane Mosley were all members of the 2020 class. Floyd Mayweather, Wladimir Klitschko, and Andre Ward were part of the class of 2021.

Christy Martin, Laila Ali, Lucia Rijker, Halmich, and Holly Holm were among the first women to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. On her 54th birthday, Martin was inducted into the Ultimate Fighting Championship Hall of Fame. Ali was happy to be back at Turning Stone, where her career began in October 1999 with a victory over April Fowler.

It was expected that all but one of the 27 combatants who were inducted would be present for the ceremony. Klitschko, the former heavyweight champion, was the only one missing. He’s in Ukraine right now, assisting his brother Vitali, a former Hall of Fame pitcher who is now mayor of Kyiv, in the ongoing conflict against Russian invaders.

Instead, Wladimir Klitschko — the heavyweight champion for the longest period of time in history (12 years and 2 days) — produced two short films on social media to appreciate the achievement. Klitschko had a professional record of 64-5 (53 KOs).

In his own words, “Thank you fans. “I never ever dreamed of getting that far in the sport. Amazing. Boxing just made me a better person, period. It taught me a lot.”
His films were only a few minutes long, but Klitschko made an effort to criticize Jones for visiting Russian-occupied Crimea.