The Bare Knuckle Boxing Hall of Fame is a museum and hall of fame in Belfast, New York, dedicated to the sport of bare-knuckle boxing. It is housed in barns that were once owned by the Greco-Roman wrestling champion and physical culture pioneer William Muldoon. The heavyweight boxing champion John L. Sullivan, who fought in both bare-knuckled and gloved boxing contests, trained in these barns under Muldoon's guidance for his championship bout against Jake Kilrain in 1889.[1] The barns were originally across Main Street from their current location, on the grounds of the Belfast Catholic Church. They were bought, moved, and restored by Scott Burt when the church became no longer interested in maintaining them. Burt opened the Hall of Fame in 2009, when it had its first induction class.[2]
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| Established | 2009 |
|---|---|
| Location | Belfast, New York |
| Coordinates | 42°20′36″N 78°06′46″W / 42.343392°N 78.112682°W |
| Type | Hall of Fame |
| Founder | Scott Burt |
| Owner | Scott Burt |
| Website | bareknuckleboxinghalloffame |
The Hall of Fame houses plaques and memorabilia associated with bare-knuckle boxers that have been inducted to the Hall of Fame, as well as exhibits devoted to the general history of bare-knuckle boxing. Each year's induction class includes bare-knuckle boxers from the classic era, modern bare-knuckle boxers, and honorary inductees. Trainers, promoters and other significant figures in the sport are also upon occasion inducted.[3][4]
The Hall of Fame also serves as a memorial to Sullivan's training camp with Muldoon, a number of relics of which have survived the lengthy period when the barns sat unused. These include his original work-out rings, a ceiling mount for Sullivan's heavy bag, the slatted area of flooring on which Sullivan stood for gravity showers after training, his original swing clubs and weights, and the "room of repose" in which Sullivan and Muldoon relaxed and discussed strategy in the evenings, which includes some of Muldoon's original furniture.[1] Sullivan and Muldoon's use of this training camp was documented by the celebrated reporter Nellie Bly, in an article she wrote for the New York World.[5]
Inductees
The following are the inductees into the Bare Knuckle Boxing Hall of Fame as of 6 April 2018:[2][6][7]
Original Inductees
Original inductees are required to have boxed completely bare-fisted (with no wraps) at some point in their career. These include living fighters and those that fought as early as the 18th century.
Honorary Inductees
These must have brought positive spotlight to upstate New York or done a considerable service to the sport of Bare-knuckle boxing. Honorary inductees are those that have not bare knuckle boxed, that is, those listed as a 'boxer' have boxed with gloves or wraps, and inductees associated with ice hockey are inducted for their contributions to the fighting aspects of the game (to date, both hockey-related honorary inductees have been associated with the Buffalo Sabres, who play 66 miles (106 km) from Belfast). The honorary inductees were included as an acknowledgement that bare-knuckle boxing ended as a mainstream sport over a century ago, and that the honorary inductee system allows notable figures that promoted activity similar to bare knuckle boxing, who might be more recognizable to modern audiences, to be included in the Hall.[8]
| Year | Inductee | Role | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Carmen Basilio | Boxer |  United States |
| 2009 | Rob Ray | Hockey enforcer |  Canada |
| 2009 | Baby Joe Mesi | Boxer | United States |
| 2009 | Bill Heaney | Promoter | United States |
| 2010 | Billy Backus | Boxer | United States |
| 2011 | Livingstone Bramble | Boxer |  Saint Kitts and Nevis United States Virgin Islands |
| 2011 | Dick Wipperman | Boxer | United States |
| 2011 | Jimmy Ralston | Boxer | United States |
| 2012 | Ben Becker | Coach Trainer (to Muhammad Ali before the 1960 Summer Olympics) | United States |
| 2012 | Tony Graziano | Trainer (of Billy Backus in the 1970s) | United States |
| 2012 | Juan de Leon | Trainer (Team Mesi) | |
| 2012 | Carlos de Leon | Trainer (Team Mesi) | |
| 2012 | Angel de Leon | Trainer (Team Mesi) | |
| 2012 | Chuck Pelitera | Trainer (Team Mesi) | |
| 2012 | Johnny Sudac Jr. | Trainer Gym Owner | United States |
| 2012 | Michael Tome | Gym Owner | United States |
| 2013 | Carlos Ortiz | Boxer |  Puerto Rico |
| 2013 | Tommy Hicks | Boxer | United States |
| 2013 | George "Elbows" McFadden | Boxer | United States |
| 2013 | Hite Peckham | Boxer | United States |
| 2014 | Nellie Bly | Reporter | United States |
| 2014 | Melvina Lathan | NYSAC Commissioner | United States |
| 2014 | Gloria Peek | Trainer | United States |
| 2014 | Leona Brown | Boxer | United States |
| 2014 | Christy Martin | Boxer | United States |
| 2015 | Jack Green Jr. | Promoter of the sport | |
| 2015 | Johnny Green | Boxer | United States |
| 2015 | Howard Cosell | Commentator | United States |
| 2015 | Bert Sugar | Historian | United States |
| 2015 | Don Dunphy | Commentator | United States |
| 2015 | Al Bernstein | Commentator | United States |
| 2015 | Cus D'Amato | Trainer | United States |
| 2015 | Charles Murray | Boxer | United States |
| 2015 | Purple Heart Homes | Charity | United States |
| 2016 | James J. Corbett | Boxer | United States |
| 2016 | Ring Magazine | Publication | United States |
| 2016 | Boxing News Magazine | Publication |  United Kingdom |
| 2016 | The USA Boxing News | Publication | United States |
| 2017 | Ed Atherton | Wrestler | United States |
| 2017 | Barry Broughton | Grandmaster | |
| 2017 | Chris Guzman | Artist | |
| 2017 | Roy Harding | Boxer | United States |
| 2017 | Jimmy Holmes | Boxer | United States |
| 2017 | Tim Witherspoon | Boxer | United States |
| 2018 | Rick Jeanneret | Hockey announcer (inducted for his blow-by-blow on in-game fights) | Canada |
| 2018 | Tony Gee | Historian |  England |
| 2018 | Dick Topinko | Boxer | United States |
Marie Backus Person of the Year
| Year | Recipient |
|---|---|
| 2014 | Mercedes Vazquez-Simmons |
| 2015 | Jack Emrick |
| 2016 | Bob Collins |
| 2017 | Gino Arilotta |
| 2018 | Bill Clancy |
Marie Backus Team of the Year
| Year | Team | Members |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Team USA Jujitsu | Bryana Baer Mike Hanchett Charlie Love Desmond White Barry Broughton (coach) |
Induction Events
For the inaugural induction ceremony in 2009, former undisputed heavyweight champion Leon Spinks was a special guest.
From 2011-2013 there was a breakfast in honour of a particular person each year, in 2011 this was Jack Green, Buffalo Ring 44 President. In 2012 the breakfast was in honour of Jeff Mengel, who had trained the fighter Jimmy Holmes in the barns in Belfast, New York. The 2013 breakfast was in honour of Zeke Wilson, author of the book The Eighth Round, combatant of prejudice in boxing and a noted boxer himself.[2]
Current Recognized Champions
With the introduction of modern day sanctioned bare knuckle boxing events both inside and outside of the United States, the Bare Knuckle Boxing Hall of Fame, in conjunction with the National Police Gazette, currently recognizes several individuals as World and American Bare Knuckle Boxing champions. The following individuals are recognized as the current champions.[9]
| Division | Champion |
|---|---|
| Heavyweight World Champion |  Joey Beltran |
| Heavyweight American Champion | Chase Sherman |
| Lightweight American Champion | Johnny Bedford |
| Women's Featherweight World Champion |  Bec Rawlings |
| Women's Featherweight American Champion | Helen Peralta |
Modern Era Championship History
National Police Gazette Heavyweight World Championship
- Weight limit: 200 lbs and above (91 kg)
- Bobby Gunn was recognized as the Bare Knuckle Boxing lineal champion after his victory over Richie Steward in 2011. Sometime after this victory, Gunn was awarded the National Police Gazette Championship by the Bare Knuckle Boxing Hall of Fame. He then cemented his lineal championship status as he defeated Irineu Beato Costa Jr at BKFC 1 in 2018 which did not appear to be a Police Gazette Championship title defense.[10]
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bobby Gunn promoted to undisputed champion | N/A | February, 2016 |
National Police Gazette Heavyweight American Championship
- Weight limit: 200 lbs and above (91 kg)
- Arnold Adams claimed this championship by winning an 8-man tournament which was hosted by Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship.
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arnold Adams def. Sam Shewmaker | Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 3 Biloxi, Mississippi | October 20, 2018 | |
| 2 | Chase Sherman | Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 7 Biloxi, Mississippi | August 10, 2019 |
National Police Gazette Lightweight American Championship
- Weight limit: 135 lbs (61 kg)
- Johnny Bedford claimed this championship by winning an 8-man tournament which was hosted by Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship.
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johnny Bedford def. Reggie Barnett Jr. | Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 6 Tampa, Florida | June 22, 2019 |
National Police Gazette Women's Featherweight World Championship
- Weight limit: 126 lbs (57 kg)
- The inaugural champion, Bec Rawlings, was awarded the National Police Gazette Championship by the Bare Knuckle Boxing Hall of Fame 3 days after her historic win over Alma Garcia. [11]
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bec Rawlings promoted to undisputed champion | N/A | June 5, 2018 | 1. def. Britain Hart at BKFC 2 on Aug 25, 2018 |
National Police Gazette Women's Featherweight American Championship
- Weight limit: 126 lbs (57 kg)
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Christine Ferea def. Britain Hart | Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 5 Biloxi, Mississippi | April 6, 2019 | |
| 2 |  Helen Peralta | Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 7 Biloxi, Mississippi | August 10, 2019 |