Canastota, N.Y. — Ricky Hatton laughed his way through his Hall of Fame induction speech, marveling at the places boxing took him and the thousands of his fans that would always follow.
“I had some wars, didn’t I?” Hatton said Sunday. “When I think back at the Kostya Tszyu fight, Floyd Mayweather fight, Manny Pacquiao fight and my toughest fight, my divorce.”
Hatton and Moorer, both champions in two weight classes, were the headline names when the International Boxing Hall of Fame class of 2024 was inducted during a ceremony at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York.
Syracuse University alum Fred Sternburg was also among the inductees. Sternburg, a longtime publicist who has worked with numerous world champions, was a 1981 graduate of SU with degrees in political science and advertising.
“It cannot be denied that he is one of the most likable men in the sport of boxing and one of the all-time great publicists of the sport,” emcee Jimmy Lennon Jr. said in his introduction of Sternburg.
“I got my first taste of boxing down the street at Syracuse University in 1981,” Sternburg told the crowd. “The Carrier Dome had barely opened, and I got to see Sugar Ray Leonard fight Larry Bonds. It was a terrific fight, terrific atmosphere, and who knew five years later I’d be working with Sugar Ray Leonard, his promoter and many of the writers who were covering the fight that day.”
One of the early fights that Sternburg worked was Leonard’s comeback fight against Marvin Hagler.
“We start this press conference and I’m looking around, and I’m rubbing shoulders with Marvin Hagler and his camp, and I’m rubbing shoulders with Sugar Ray Leonard and his camp, and I’m rubbing shoulders with his promoter Bob Arum, and all these writers who I’d read as a kid are there live and in charge. I’m thinking, ‘boy, this is for me. This is boxing, sign me up.’ ”
Moorer won the light heavyweight title in just his 12th pro fight and later moved up to become the first southpaw heavyweight champion. Noting the size of present-day heavyweights who sometimes weigh more than 250 pounds, with former champion Tyson Fury fighting above 270, Moorer called for the advent of a super heavyweight division.
Moorer, who went 52-4-1 with 40 knockouts, said he has undergone 28 surgeries and been left without the ability to smell or taste. He said it was imperative for boxing’s sanctioning bodies, managers and promoters to prioritize the welfare of fighters.
