Foreman Heads the Class for Boxing Hall of Fame

George Foreman joked Thursday that he hasn’t retired from boxing. The only reason he sat out the last five years, he said, was to become eligible for the World Boxing Hall of Fame.

“I’m coming right back,” Foreman said. “I’ve got 10 kids; I’ll be boxing until I’m 100.”

Foreman, 54, who won world heavyweight titles 20 years apart, is part of a class that includes five boxers and three others who work in the sport. They will be inducted Saturday night at the Crowne Plaza Hotel and Casino in Commerce.

Inductees joining him on the dais at a luncheon Thursday at the Crowne Plaza were former flyweight champion Miguel Canto, former bantamweight and junior-featherweight champion Lupe Pintor, Mike McCallum, a three-time champion in the junior-middleweight, middleweight and light-heavyweight divisions; HBO boxing analyst Larry Merchant and longtime publicist Bill Caplan.

Also being inducted are former welterweight champion Luis Rodriguez, who died in 1996, and trainer Freddie Roach.

Vernon Forrest, the World Boxing Council and International Boxing Federation welterweight champion, was introduced as the World Boxing Hall of Fame fighter of the year. Forrest’s trainer, Ronnie Shields, was named trainer of the year.