Great induction weekend into the Canastota International Hall of Fame 2023

In less than 24 hours, the combined staff of the Turning Stone Resort & Casino and the International Boxing Hall of Fame turned the event center into a magnificent banquet hall with more than 1,000 seats.

Before a crowd of a thousand boxing fans, attendees celebrated the class of 2023 along with members past and future.

The members of 2023 who were present took the microphone and expressed their happiness and were in awe of the support from fans from all over who gather every year in the small town of Canastota, New York.

High-ranking matchmaker Brad Goodman was the first of the class of 2023. Goodman began by dedicating this moment to his late parents.

Top Rank executive Brad Jacobs was next. Jacobs had many to thank, including members of his Top Rank family.

Seth Abraham was next. As a television executive, Abraham started with the New York Times covering baseball. Eventually moving to HBO, he was instrumental in creating boxing programming.

Veteran CBS boxing commentator Tim Ryan also paid tribute to another hall of famer, his former broadcast partner Gil Clancy. Ryan expressed his good fortune to be able to call boxing during its golden years in the ’80s on television.

The first induced in the modern category was Laura Serrano who was unable to attend in person. However, she did send a video message expressing her thanks.

Alicia Ashley was next. The Jamaican star opened up about her late start in boxing after an injury quashed her dreams of becoming a dancer. Her brother encouraged her and trained her from the age of 28. She turned professional at the age of 32, without management, promotional ties or sponsorship.

Ashley holds the Guinness World Record for being the oldest person, male or female, to win a world title at age 48! She now lives and trains fighters in China.

Two-time Mexican world champion Rafael Márquez, brother of hall of famer Juan Manuel Márquez, was brief on his speech. “It is a sacrifice of 30 years to be here today, which is very difficult, but very beautiful.” Márquez thanked his parents, children and his wife.

Carl “The Cobra” Froch was next. The former WBC super middleweight champion thanked his mother for his strength, his father who brought him into boxing and his early trainers.

Ultimately, Timothy Bradley, Jr. credited his parents with guiding him and his sisters safely through life in his tough neighborhood that saw gang activity and drug addiction.