Two men who have connections to the Beltway region are among the newest inductees into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Former undisputed heavyweight champion Riddick "Big Daddy" Bowe will be among the participant inductees. Bowe (43-1, 33 KO's) won a silver medal in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea before embarking on a legendary career that included a wonderful trilogy with Evander Holyfield that he won two of the three contests. Bowe, a native of Brooklyn, NY, fought a good portion of his career while living in Fort Washington, MD.
Also inducted will be referee "Double S" Steve Smoger of New Jersey. Smoger has been the third man in the ring for more than 200 title fights including Bernard Hopkins versus Felix Trinidad, Larry Holmes versus Ray Mercer and Andre Ward versus Chad Dawson.
Smoger has refereed numerous bouts in the Beltway region including Roy Jones versus Bernard Hopkins at RFK Stadium in 1993 and, most recently, the first contest between Tony Jeter and Jimmy Lange as well as Tori Nelson's title defense against Mia St. John.
Bowe and Smoger are part of an outstanding 2015 Hall of Fame class that includes former lightweight champion Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini, featherweight titleholder "Prince" Naseem Hamed, light flyweight champ Yoko "Fierce Eagle" Gushiken, manager and booking agent Rafael Mendoza, journalist Nigel Collins and HBO Play-By-Play announcer Jim Lampley.
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