A brief look at the 2001 inductees into the International Boxing Hall of Fame,
as described by IBHOF

CBZ NOTE: Here are the Inductees for 2001. To voice your opinion on the selections, please post on the CBZ MESSAGE BOARD.

BARNEY AARON -- Born, Nov. 21, 1800, England. A light heavyweight whose career spanned 1819-1834. A hard-hitting fighter, he was one of the standout boxers of his era. Died 1850.

GEORGE BENTON -- Born May 15, 1933, Philadelphia. Considered a skilled and defensive boxer, Benton fought as a middleweight during the 1950s and 1960s, closing his career with a record of 61-13-1 with 36 KOs. Two decades in the ring was perfect preparation for Benton, who went on to earn distinction as a top trainer and fight tactician working with Tyrell Biggs, Mark Breland, Evander Holyfield, Leon Spinks, Meldrick Taylor and Pernell Whitaker.

PAUL BERLENBACH -- Born Feb. 18, 1901 in New York City. A gold medalist wrestler in the 1920 Olympics, The Astoria Assassin boxed professionally between 1923-1933, winning the world light heavyweight title in a decision over Mike McTigue in May 1925. Renowned for his punching power, Berlenbach successfully defended his title three times before losing to nemesis Jack Delaney in July 1926. Fought five world champions before retiring with a 40-8-3 record and 33 KOs. Died Sept. 30, 1985.

JIM BRADDOCK -- Born June 7, 1906 in New York City. Turned pro in 1926 and had an early undistinguished career with losses to Hall-of-Famers Tommy Loughran, Maxie Rosenbloom and John Henry Lewis. Stunned boxing world in June 1935 when, as a 10-to-1 underdog, he outboxed Max Baer for the heavyweight crown in a 15-round decision. He lost the title in his next fight when he was knocked out in the eighth round by Joe Louis. Retired in 1938 with a record of 51-25-6 with 26 KOs. Died Nov. 29, 1974.

LESTER BROMBERG -- Born March 12, 1909, Brooklyn, N.Y. A versatile sports writer who covered boxing for the New York World Telegram and Sun and other publications. He wrote two books, ``World's Champs'' in 1958 and ``Boxing's Unforgettable Fights'' in 1962. Died Feb. 21, 1989.

DON CHARGIN -- Born June 5, 1928. Began as a promoter in 1951 at age 23, pairing up Eddie Chavez vs. Manuel Ortiz. Among major fights were Jerry Quarry vs. Jimmy Ellis and Bobo Olson vs. Paddy Young.

RALPH CITRO -- Born July 26, 1926 in Youngstown, Ohio. A prodigious record keeper responsible for production of the Computer Boxing Update, an annual record book that tracks the results of fights worldwide. Director of the International Boxing Research Organization from 1993 to 2000. Also considered a top cut man, Citro was in the corner of over 125 title fights, working with a long list of prominent boxers, including Alexis Arguello, Matthew Saad Muhammad and Thomas Hearns.

BILL GALLO -- Born Dec. 28, 1922, in New York City. Gallo has been an award-winning cartoonist for the New York Daily News since 1960. Highly regarded for his innate ability to translate the drama and glory of sport through art.

SAM ICHINOSE -- Born Nov. 12, 1907 in Hawaii. Sad Sam Ichinose was ``Hawaii's Mr. Boxing'' for 50 years. Until his retirement in 1982, Ichinose had either trained, managed or promoted every champion who came from the island state. Promoted more than 425 fights during his career. Died Jan. 23, 1993.

ISMAEL LAGUNA -- Born June 28, 1943, Panama. A lightweight whose career spanned 1960-1971, Laguna won world title in April 1965 in a decision over Hall-of-Famer Carlos Ortiz. Lost the title to Ortiz in a rematch in November 1965. Regained the crown in March 1970 with a ninth-round knockout of Mando Ramos but was beaten in November 1970 by Scotland's Ken Buchanan, another Hall-of-Famer. Retired in 1972. Finished 66-9-1 with 38 KOs.

BILLY PAPKE -- Born Sept. 17, 1886, Spring Valley, Ill. A coal miner, The Illinois Thunderbolt turned professional in 1905 and won the world middleweight title by a knockout over Stanley Ketchel in 12 rounds in September 1908. Papke lost the championship back to Ketchel two months later in a rematch. Unsuccessfully challenged Frank Klaus for vacant title in 1913. Retired in 1919 with a 38-9-7 record and 30 KOs. On Nov. 26, 1936, Papke murdered his estranged wife and then committed suicide.

LASZLO PAPP -- Born March 25, 1926, Hungary. First three-time Olympic boxing champion, winning gold medals in 1948 as a middleweight and in 1952 and 1956 as a light middleweight. Won European middleweight title by knocking out Chris Christensen in May 1962. Forced to retire by Hungarian Communist government in 1965, because the government did not want to recognize professional boxing. Professional record 26-0-3, with 15 knockouts.

WILLIE PASTRANO -- Born Nov. 27, 1935 in New Orleans. Boxed in every weight division from feather to heavyweight in career spanning 14 years. Won world light heavyweight title in 15-round decision over Harold Johnson in June 1963. Successfully defended title twice before losing title to Jose Torres in ninth-round TKO in March 1963, after which he promptly retired. Record 63-13-8, 14 KOs. Died Dec. 6, 1997.

ULTIMINIO ``SUGAR'' RAMOS -- Born Dec. 2, 1941, in Cuba. Won Cuban featherweight title in 1960 before leaving country for Mexico. In March 1963, under guidance of Angelo Dundee, Ramos scored a 10th-round knockout of Davey Moore to win world featherweight title. Successfully defended title three times before suffering a 12th-round KO at hands of Hall-of-Famer Vincente Saldivar in September 1964. Twice knocked out in challenging Hall-of-Famer Carlos Ortiz for world lightweight crown (1966 and 1967). Retired in 1972 with a record of 55-7-4, 40 KOs.

RANDY TURPIN -- Born June 7, 1928, England. Considered one of England's top boxers. He won the British and European middleweight championships and then upset Hall-of-Famer Sugar Ray Robinson in a 15-round decision to win the world title in July 1951. Turpin lost the title to Robinson in a rematch. In October 1953, he lost a 15-round decision to Bobo Olson for world middleweight crown. Retired in 1964 with a record of 66-8-1, 45 KOs. Committed suicide May 17, 1966.

MIDGET WOLGAST -- Born Joseph Robert LoScalzo on July 18, 1910 in Philadelphia. Turned pro in 1925. Considered the fastest boxer of his time, Wolgast won the vacant New York world flyweight title in a 15-round decision over Black Bill in 1930. Held title for five years until he was beaten by Small Montana. Retired in 1940 with a record of 153-35-16, with 16 KOs. Died Oct. 19, 1955.