Byline: WILLIAM KATES Associated Press
CANASTOTA - It was the little guys who made it big Thursday in the International Boxing Hall of Fame class of 2005.
Headlining this year's group of 15 inductees were two-time featherweight champion Bobby 'Schoolboy' Chacon; two-time junior welterweight champion Duilio Loi of Italy; Ireland's popular featherweight champion Barry McGuigan; and junior middleweight champion 'Terrible' Terry Norris.
Non-boxers to be enshrined included matchmaker Don Fraser and writer Bert Sugar, said Boxing Hall of Fame Executive Director Edward Brophy.
This year's induction ceremony will be held June 12.
The four boxers - all who fought in classes below 154 pounds - were chosen by a panel of boxing writers and historians as representatives of the modern era, which runs from 1943 on. Five other fighters were selected from the Old-Timer and Pioneer categories, while six people were chosen in the Non-Participant and Observer classes, including Fraser and Sugar.
McGuigan, a small-town Irishman, became a national hero in the early 1980s by winning both the British and European featherweight titles as a young professional.
McGuigan was known for his stamina, determination and durable chin. In June 1985, he dropped aging Panamanian legend Eusebio Pedroza in the seventh round and won a grueling 15-round decision to claim the WBA featherweight title.
McGuigan was successful in two title defenses before he was dethroned in 1986 by unheralded Steve Cruz in a toe-to-toe 15-round fight in 125-degree heat in Las Vegas, a match that ended with a delirious, dehydrated McGuigan being rushed to the hospital.
It was two years before McGuigan boxed again. After four unremarkable comeback victories, McGuigan quit boxing in 1989, finishing with a 32-3 career record that included 28 knockouts.
Loi, too, was one of his country's most popular fighters as he compiled a 115-3-8 record during a 15-year career that saw him reign twice as world junior welterweight champion between 1960-62.
Regarded as a fine all-around boxer with a tremendous left hand, Loi also was European lightweight champion for four years. He won the world title with a hard-fought decision over Carlos Ortiz before 65,000 fans in Milan.
Chacon held WBC crowns as a featherweight from 1974-75 and as a super featherweight from 1982-1983. The California-born Chacon attempted to win a third world title in 1984, but was stopped by WBA lightweight champion Ray 'Boom Boom' Mancini.
With an explosive punching style, 'Schoolboy' Chacon knocked out 23 of his first 25 professional opponents. He finished with 59-7-1 career mark, with 47 KOs.
Texan Terry Norris was a star schoolboy baseball player who turned from the diamond to the ring and amassed an amazing 291-4 amateur record before turning professional in 1986.
Norris won the WBC junior middleweight belt in 1989 with a sensational one-round knockout of John Mugabi then put together a string of 10 successful title defens es, including a victory over Sugar Ray Leonard. He was upset by Simon Brown in his 11th title defense but won the crown back in a rematch.
In 1995, Norris unified the WBC and IBF belts with a 12-round decision over Paul Vaden. With a tremendous left hook, Norris compiled a career record of 47-9, with 31 KOs.
Fraser and Sugar were honored for their contributions outside the ring.
Fraser, 77, has been a fixture of the West Coast fight scene for more than five decades, promoting fights for a number of Hall of Famers, now including Chacon. Fraser's many bouts included the 1973 Muhammad Ali-Ken Norton rematch.
Sugar, 67, has written more than 80 books and hundreds of articles on boxing over more than 30 years.
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Associated Press Archive BIBBY CHACONm a twi-time featherweight champ, is one of 15 to be inducted on June 12.
