By: Jim Amato
I won’t vote for Virgil Hill when he finally becomes eligible for induction into the Hall Of Fame. Granted there are lesser boxers inducted but that doesn’t make it right. Adding another less then “great” fighter just compounds the problem that has evolved. Over the years the International Boxing Hall Of Fame has become lax in their criteria for induction. I’ve been casting my vote for the last two years. I would have never voted for Barry McGuigan. To me Pipino Cuevas was border line and he beat Angel Espada, Billy Backus, Clyde Gray, Pete Ranzany and Harold Weston Jr. He didn’t just win fights, he destroyed his opponents. He broke bones! I was more impressed with his career then I’ve ever been with Hill’s and that was before Virgil lost to Maske. Still I would have been hard pressed to vote for Pipino.

I’d vote for Danny ” Little Red ” Lopez in a heartbeat. There are several boxers I would vote for before Hill. Virgil was a good fighter who won titles and had longevity in an era when the light heavyweight and cruiserweight divisions were weak. I don’t believe that Hill would have been able to beat Michael Moorer or Prince Charles Williams when they each held a piece of the title at 175. Could you imagine Virgil mixing with the guys from the late 1970’s and 80’s? Fighters like Galindez, Conteh, Saad Muhammad, Marvin Johnson, Yaqui Lopez, Pierre Fourie, Richie Kates… I don’t think Virgil would have fared as well in this Golden Era of the light heavyweight division.Good God could you imagine Hill vs Michael Spinks ? Now that could have been downright scary. Virgil would have been wasted by the great Bobby Foster.

Virgil may be a good guy. Mr. McGuigan too but they were not great fighters and that is what the Hall Of Fame is supposed to be. The absolute elite of a very, very tough profession.

Jim Amato