By David Finger
The Orleans Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas played host to one of the biggest nights in boxing on Saturday as thirteen legends of the sport were inducted as part of the classes of 2025 and 2026.
Class of 2025
For the class of 2025, former WIBF lightweight champion Laura Serrano was inducted after a notable career that lasted from 1994 to 2012. Serrano turned pro against women’s boxing legend Christy Martin and was a pioneer in the sport of women’s boxing, helping bring women’s boxing into the mainstream in Mexico.
Also inducted as part of the class of 2025 was legendary matchmaker Brad Goodman, who was unable to attend the event in person.
There were no shortages of emotional moments during the induction speeches, but perhaps none hit as hard as the speech given by “the clown prince of boxing,” Jorge Paez. Paez, part of the class of 2025, has remained a bit distant from the sport since his retirement, and many boxing insiders were honored and deeply moved to see Paez attending the event in person due to his general reluctance to attend events related to the sport.
“A lot of people don’t know much about me because I’m staying away from the limelight,” Paez admitted during his speech.
“When I retired, I decided to burn it all, so I burned all my robes in my backyard. I gave away all my belts.”
The admission shocked many fans, but Paez stressed that he was not bitter.
“A lot of people asked why,” Paez continued. “Boxing gave me everything and I gave everything to boxing, so when I retired I burned it all. I’m out of the limelight. I’m very happy with my family at the moment.”
Paez also discussed how faith has inspired him since leaving the sport.
“I am now a Jehovah’s Witness and now I’m fighting my last fight. I did 99 in the ring and this is 100. This is the last one and it is the hardest because it is against the Devil. My trainer is Jesus and my manager is Jehovah, and I know I am going to win this fight.”
Any concerns that Paez might have been bitter about the sport were put to rest when he met with the fans both before and after his speech, often falling back on his favorite joke, “five dollars!” when someone asked to take a photo.
Paez is perhaps best remembered for his eccentric haircuts and ring entrances, but he was a tough and well-respected fighter in his own right. In one of the final 15-round title fights, Paez dropped then-undefeated IBF featherweight champion Calvin Grove three times in the 15th round to secure a 15-round majority decision on August 4, 1988. He would go on to defend the belt eight times before vacating the title to challenge IBF Jr. lightweight champion Tony Lopez in 1990. Paez held his own against Pernell Whitaker in 1991 and continued to fight at the highest level before calling it a career in 2003 with a record of 79-14-5, 52 KOs.
Also inducted as part of the class of 2025 was former light heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver. Tarver’s knockout over Roy Jones remains one of the most iconic moments in recent boxing history, and it took place at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. In addition to the knockout over Jones, the “Magic Man” fought some of his most noteworthy fights in Nevada before retiring in 2015.
“I truly wanted to entertain,” Tarver said about his career, “and it truly came full circle here.”
Hard-punching former four-division champion Mikey Garcia, who fought from 2006 to 2021, was also inducted as part of the class of 2025. Garcia was one of the best fighters in the world during the 2010s, with wins over Adrien Broner, Juan Manuel Marquez, and fellow inductee Jessie Vargas.
Rounding off the class of 2025 was Texas native Paulie Ayala, the former WBA bantamweight champion who was Ring Magazine’s “Fighter of the Year” in 1999. Ayala fought some of the greatest fighters of the late 1990s and early 2000s, but it was his two wins over Johnny Tapia that fight fans perhaps best remember him for. Ayala retired in 2004 with a record of 35-3, 12 KOs.
Class of 2026
The late great Ricky Hatton was inducted as part of the class of 2026, with Al Bernstein discussing how much Hatton electrified boxing fans in England. He also spoke about how Hatton would bring a large number of English fans to Las Vegas every time he fought in Nevada.
Former middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin was inducted but was unable to attend the gala in person.
Legendary boxing artist Richard Slone opened the induction ceremony with a powerful speech about his life in boxing, first as a young fighter who trained at Joe Frazier’s gym, and then as arguably the greatest boxing artist in the sport’s history. Slone also talked about his current fight, battling stage IV cancer.
Jessie Vargas, a former WBO welterweight champion who lost his title to Manny Pacquiao at the Thomas & Mack Center in 2016, was also inducted as part of the class of 2026. Vargas had numerous friends and family members there to support him during his induction, where he focused on the support from his family as a young man and amateur. Vargas retired with a record of 29-4-2, 11 KOs.
Legendary commentator Raul Marquez, a former IBF junior middleweight champion and 1992 U.S. Olympic team member, was inducted as part of the class of 2026, and he spoke about the work he put into the sport, both as a participant and as a commentator. Marquez boxed from 1992 to 2008 and retired with a record of 41-4-1, 29 KOs.
Also inducted was a man beloved by Nevada fight fans: the hard-punching brawler Marcos Maidana. Maidana, who fought from 2004 to 2014, remains to this day one of the most familiar fighters online, as clips of his victory over Adrien Broner in 2013 are a common sight on social media sites. But as impressive as his title-winning performance over Broner was, just as impressive was his gritty performance against Floyd Mayweather in 2014. Maidana remains one of only a handful of men who pushed Mayweather to the brink. All three of those fights were at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Maidana retired after the losses to Mayweather with a final record of 35-5, 31 KOs.
Former heavyweight contender Gerry Cooney, a man who will go down as one of the best heavyweights ever to not win a world title, gave an upbeat speech in which he discussed his love for the sport and his dedication to living life as a positive force. He also discussed the day he made the most important decision of his life.
“April 21, 1988, I put down alcohol,” Cooney told the attendees during his speech. “That was six years too late.”
But Cooney had no regrets and expressed his belief that everything worked out in the end.
“I think God looked out for me.”
Cooney again expressed his commitment to being a positive force in boxing.
“I love the boxing world,” Cooney added. “I love the boxing people. We struggle to get up, dust off our pants, and move on. I love helping people get off the floor and dust off.”
Cooney closed with a playful jab at his former rival and current friend Larry Holmes, indicating that if they fought a rematch today, he would “kick his ass,” something he said with a smile and a laugh. Considering how well known it is today that the two have developed a great friendship, few in attendance took that as anything more than playful banter between friends.
Cooney was part of one of the biggest fights in Nevada history when he challenged Larry Holmes for the WBC heavyweight title in 1982, a fight that Holmes won by way of a 13th-round TKO. Cooney’s last fight was a second-round stoppage loss to George Foreman back in 1989.
Also honored was MVP Promotions, which was awarded the Trailblazer Award. Bill Caplin was awarded the “Uncle Bill Award,” the Marc of Distinction Award (named after Marc Ratner) was awarded to Dave Moretti, and the “Yo Adrian Award” was awarded to Martha Vargas, wife of former IBF and WBA light middleweight champion Fernando Vargas. Larry Wade was awarded the President’s Excellence Award.
Hundreds were in attendance to celebrate the historic night, including such boxing notables as Robert Byrd, Iran Barkley, Mikaela Mayer, Miguel Diaz, Chad Dawson, Antonio DeMarco, Brian Mendoza, Junior Jones, Kevin Kelley, Danny Lopez, Ishe Smith, Paul Spadafora, James Toney, Michael Nunn, Fernando Vargas, Fernando and Emiliano Vargas, Hasim Rahman, Nico Foster, Jeff Mayweather, Floyd Mayweather Sr., Jacob Duran, Elena Reid, Layla McCarter, Jarrett Hurd, Wayne McCullough, Giovanni Marquez, Regis Prograis, Kenny Bayless, Shawn Porter, Nate Jones, “Bones” Adams, Lamon Brewster, Fres Oquendo, and Marco Antonio Barrera.
The event was another knockout from the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame, and credit is due to its president Michelle Corrales-Lewis, founder Rich Marotta, board member and co-MC Al Bernstein, marketing director Aysia Randolph, and all of the members and volunteers who made the event as successful as it was.
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