Ballots and Boxing Immortality: My Picks for the 2025 Hall of Fame”

If you’re a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA), October is one of the most important months of the year. Not because it’s the birthday month of Thomas “Hitman” Hearns or the anniversary of the “Thrilla in Manila” – as notable as those occasions are - but because it’s pugilistic election time.

The ballots for the International Boxing Hall of Fame are mailed out to BWAA members by Executive Director Ed Brophy in early October, and due back by Halloween.

That gives members roughly a month to pick five fighters (out of 42) for the honor of a lifetime. And the more you pore through the names and titles and belts and opponents and knockouts and history – sometimes a month isn’t enough. Boxing has been around for almost 160 years. That’s no small amount of time, especially compared to other sports. And it’s nothing to take lightly.

Being a voter for boxing immortality is a profound responsibility. And it is a privilege.

So, after almost a month of research and a career’s worth of analyzing, assessing and admiration for the fighters on the ballot, here are my selections for the 2025 International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Nigel Benn, 42-5-1 (35 knockouts), England: One of the most popular fighters in British boxing history, the “Dark Destroyer” won titles in two divisions, holding the WBO middleweight title in 1990 and the WBC super-middleweight title in 1995. Known for his go-for-broke style, strong killer instinct and heavy hands, Benn scored sensational knockouts over Doug DeWitt (TKO 8), Iran Barkley (TKO 1) and Robbie Sims (KO 7) but is perhaps best known for his 1995 “Fight of the Year” victory over Gerald McClellan, who suffered a debilitating brain injury after the 10^th -round knockout loss. After being knocked out of the ring in round one courtesy of McClellan’s fearsome power shots – and being dropped again in the eighth – Benn clawed his way back into the fight, forcing a stoppage after McClellan failed to rise from a second knockdown in the 10^th round. Benn was also half of one of the greatest British rivalries ever, losing to Chris Eubank via ninth-round TKO in 1990 and fighting to a draw with Eubank in 1993. The series was so profound that, more than 30 years later, the rivalry of their sons has produced two anticipated events.

Gennadiy Golovkin, 42-2-1 (37 KO’s), Kazakhstan: One of the most dominant middleweights and fighters in boxing history, “GGG” won the WBA 160-pound title in 2010 and also annexed the WBC and IBF crowns in going 17-0 (17 KO’s) in title fights before being held to a decision by Daniel Jacobs in 2017. He then won the vacant IBF super middleweight title in 2019. Overall, GGG went 22-2-1 (20 KOs) in title fights, with the draw and a loss to Alvarez being highly disputed. A deadly puncher with a destroyer mentality, Golovkin cut off the ring with precision and put victims away with deadly efficiency. Among his championship opponents: Milton Nunez (KO 1), Kassim Ouma (TKO 10), Grzegorz Proksa (TKO 5), Gabriel Rosado (TKO 7), Matthew Macklin (KO 3), Curtis Stevens (TKO 8), Daniel Geale (TKO 3), Martin Murray (TKO 11), Willie Monroe Jr. (TKO 6), David Lemieux (TKO 8), Kell Brook (TKO 5) and Sergiy Derevyanchenko (W 12). GGG is tied with Bernard Hopkins for the most consecutive title defenses in middleweight boxing history (20) and was one of the most avoided and feared fighters of his era.

Santos Laciar, 79-10-11 (31 KO’s), Argentina: Laciar, a legend in his native Argentina, is one of the greatest little men ever, a two-division champion who won titles at bantamweight and junior bantamweight, winning the WBA 112-pound title twice between 1981 and ‘85 and defending it nine times in his second reign before moving up and winning the WBC junior bantamweight title in 1987. His resume is a who’s who of 1980s era bantamweights, including Peter Mathebula (TKO 7), Juan Herrera (TKO 13, W 15), Betulio Gonzalez (W 15), Prudencio Cardona (KO 10) and Hilario Zapata (W 15). In 1986, he moved up and fought dominant champion Gilberto Roman to a draw for the WBC 115-pound title, then embarked on a six-fight win streak before stopping Roman in the 11^th round in their 1987 rematch to win his second divisional title. A relentless pressure fighter who was defensively responsible while moving forward, “Falucho” defended his title all over the globe – from Venezuela and Denmark to Japan and South Korea – and is a national hero who boxed Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona in an exhibition match.

Dariusz Michalczewski, 48-2 (38 KO’s), Germany: One of the most accomplished light heavyweights in boxing history, “The Tiger” – a native of Poland who defected to Germany in 1991 - made 23 defenses of his WBO 175-pound title between 1994-2003 and unified that crown while also winning the WBO cruiserweight title in 1994. Aggressive and heavy-handed, Michalczewski won the WBO 175-pound title with a 12-round decision over Leeonzer Barber in 1994 then beat Graciano Rocchigiani (DQ 7, TKO 9), Drake Thadzi (TKO 9), Montell Griffin (TKO 4) and Nestor Giovannini (KO 10 to win the cruiserweight title), but shined brightest in June 1997 when he scored a dominant 12-round decision over Virgil Hill to unify the WBO, WBA and IBF light heavyweight titles. Michalczewski’s come-forward aggression stymied the slick style of Hill, who had himself unified a portion of the crown with a win over Henry Maske seven months earlier. Michalczewski knocked out 14 straight opponents after the Hill win. A potential Michalczewski-Roy Jones Jr. showdown was anticipated in the early 2000s, but the fight never materialized, as Jones Jr. was accused of ducking Michalczewski.

Pongsak Wongjongkam, 91-5-2 (47 KO’s), Thailand: A two-time flyweight champion, Wongjongkam defended his first WBC 112-pound title 17 times (against 16 fighters) over six years, from 2001-2007. He then regained the WBC title in 2010, outpointing Koki Kameda over 12, defending that title three times. His record was 22-2-2 (8 KO’s), in title fights. A punishing, relentless southpaw combination puncher, Wongjongkam owns the fastest knockout in flyweight history, stopping Daisuke Naito in 34 seconds in 2002. Won his first title in 2001 with a first-round knockout of Malcolm Tunacao, flooring the Filipino three times in 2:42 before embarking on a historic run. He defended against Alex Baba (TD 5), Luis Lazarte (TKO 2), Hidenobu Honda (W 12), Hussein Hussein (W 12), Naito (KO 1, TD 7), Suriyan Kaikanha (W 12) and Julio Cesar Miranda (W 12). The WBC named Wongjongkam the “Fighter of the Decade” between 2001-10.

Honorable mention:

Chris Eubank

Gilberto Roman

Wilfredo Vazquez

Ratannapol Sor Vorapin

Matthew Aguilar may be reached at [email protected]

@MatthewAguilar5 on X (Twitter)