COMMISSIONER’S CORNER IMPENDING RIVALRY By Randy Gordon
While no boxing promotional company has the muscle and resources of TKO/Zuffa, a tip of my Ring hat goes to all of the smaller promoters who provide the breeding grounds for the stars of tomorrow. Two of the many are Atlantic City-based Boxing Insider and Baltimore-based Pony Tail Promotions. Larry Goldberg is the founder and president of Boxing Insider. His frequent shows originate from the Tropicana hotel and casino in Atlantic City and from venues in the heart of New York City. He is currently working on promoting a whole slate of cards in 2026. Goldberg was voted the local “Promoter of the Year” by Ring 8 last year. James Hogan of Baltimore is the head of Ponytail Promotions. Hogan, 48, has been involved with boxing since he was a kid, as his dad had done some boxing until an injury shortened his career. Young Hogan picked up his father’s love of boxing, and he began promoting local shows. In 2014, he opened Ponytail Promotions in the Baltimore area. Today, he puts on regular shows at both the Patapsco Arena and in the Horseshoe Casino, both in the Baltimore area. His shows have become so popular that Hogan is looking at the possibility of running one show per month in 2026.
He was 45-0 (44 KOs). Zamora, the Ring and WBA titleholder, was 29-0, with all his wins coming by knockout. As they were best friends, a deal was made whereby the bout would be scheduled for 10 rounds, not 15 (title bouts were 15 rounds then), and both guys would fail to make the 118-pound bantamweight limit. As many fans were
[Side note: The beatdown and loss somehow made Gomez a lot friendlier to the media when he returned to action!] Three of the greatest 122-pound championship fights I have been ringside for were between the same two men: Rafael Marquez and Israel Vazquez. They first fought on March 3, 2007, at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California. In that one, Marquez won the Ring and WBC junior featherweight titles, forcing Vazquez to remain in his corner after seven brutal rounds. In a rematch five months later in Hidalgo, Texas, Vazquez regained the crown with a sixth-round TKO. Seven months after that, the two were at it again, with Vazquez winning by a 12-round split decision in Carson. The second and third bouts were The Ring’s Fight of the Year for 2007 and 2008. I wonder if we’ll get to see Inoue- Nakatani more than once.
(which include administrators, officials, cutmen, managers, trainers, ring announcers, publicists and ringside physicians), there are 29 names. Three will make it to induction weekend (June 11-14, 2026). I have whittled the list down to nine, two of whom I feel will get the call. Those two are ring officials and are among the best the sport has ever seen. They are referee/judge Jack Reiss and judge Steve Weisfeld. Reiss, who retired from refereeing last year but continues to judge, refereed more bouts (1,152) than anybody else. He has also judged 612 bouts. His total of 1,764 total bouts officiated is among the most by any official in boxing history. Nobody has judged more bouts than Weisfeld, who is widely acknowledged as the best judge in boxing. As of mid-October 2025, he has judged an astounding 3,183 bouts. Aside from Reiss and Weisfeld, I feel longtime Nevada ringside official Dr. Edwin “Flip” Homansky may make it in. Also late, great trainer/gym owner Jimmy Glenn, and I am hoping for late ring announcer Ed Derian. Derian (who always said the last name twice!). In the Observer category (in which I was selected last year, along
disappointed this wasn’t being billed as a title bout, a crowd of 13,999 turned out (around 4,000 short of capacity) for what was called the “Battle of the Z-boys.” I’m glad I was one of those 13,999, as I got to watch a terrific, action-packed fight that ended in the fourth round with Zarate the winner. As far as I was concerned, Zarate – even though he was over the bantamweight limit by a pound and the fight was only scheduled for 10 rounds – was now the unified bantamweight champion. I was also ringside inside the Roberto Clemente
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The nominees for the International Boxing Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026 have been announced. Let’s take a look:
T he cover of this month’s magazine features Naoya Inoue and Junto Nakatani. It’s a matchup still in the realm of wishful thinking, but the two are on a collision course, set for May in Japan. It will be among the biggest sporting events – and certainly the biggest boxing match – ever to take place in The Land of the Rising Sun. So, as you read this column and the rest of this month’s issue, keep in mind: There are two obstacles to an Inoue-Nakatani fight happening. One is Alan Picasso. The other is Sebastian Hernandez. Both are elite fighters, not guys masquerading as unbeaten 122-pound contenders. Picasso is 32-0-1 (17 KOs). He is 25 years old. Hernandez is 24 years old. He is 20-0 (18 KOs). He gets stronger as the fight
Carlos Zarate (left) and Alfonso Zamora in The Battle of the Z-Boys.
Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the afternoon of October 28, 1978, for another fight involving Zarate. In this one, he took his 52-0 record into the ring to face 21-0-1 junior featherweight titleholder Wilfredo Gomez. Gomez pounded Zarate into a fifth-round TKO. I wonder how the 122-pound Gomez would have done against either Inoue or Nakatani. On August 21, 1981, Gomez did what Zarate had tried to do against him three years earlier – he carried a few extra pounds and his 32-0-1 record (all 32 wins by stoppage) up in an attempt to win a world title in another division. His opponent was WBC featherweight titleholder Salvador Sanchez (40-1-1, 30 KOs). Gomez, not a favorite among much of the media – whom he shunned – was handed his first defeat in a one-sided, eighth-round blitz at the hands of Sanchez.
with TV executive Ross Greenburg), there are 24
Among the fighters, I see only one sure- shot winner: Gennadiy Golovkin. The former middleweight titleholder retired in 2022 with a record of 42-2-1 (37 KOs). The only blemishes on his record came against Canelo Alvarez, and you can make a case that Golovkin may have won two of their three fights. As I said, I believe
names. This category includes writers, announcers, columnists, cartoonists, broadcasters, producers; record- keepers, TV executives and statisticians. Two names will be selected. As I whittled the list down, I came up with eight names: Eric Armit (journalist/record keeper),
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goes on. Inoue is a -4500 to -5000 favorite to win his fight against Picasso, a +1600 underdog. Nakatani is a -1100 favorite to beat Hernandez, who is a +750 underdog. As I think about the certain thrill and importance of an Inoue-Nakatani showdown, I smile at how many huge 118-, 122- and 126-pound title fights my career has taken me to. Let’s go back to April 23, 1977, in what was then the Fabulous Forum in Inglewood. The fight matched two unbeaten bantamweight titleholders, both from Mexico: Carlos Zarate against Alfonso Zamora. Zarate was the WBC titleholder.
The New York State Athletic Commission appointed a chairman. After years being without one, New York Governor Kathy Hochul appointed one in midsummer. She did so very quietly. It was so quiet that none of my boxing colleagues knew about it. It was so quiet that I – who was once appointed commission chairman amid much fanfare – didn’t know about it! The new chairman is a U.S. veteran; a former state legislator and a former U.S. ambassador. His name is Nick Perry. From one Commish to another: Congratulations and welcome, Commissioner Perry!
Golovkin was the king at 160 for years.
“GGG” is a sure-shot winner. Of the remaining 41 names on the Modern ballot, I believe the 41 can be narrowed down to two of these seven names: Arthur Abraham, Nigel Benn, Vernon Forrest, Shawn Porter, Antonio Tarver, Fernando Vargas and Wilfredo Vazquez. Amongst the Non-Participants
Bob Canobbio (statistician), Tom Casino (photographer), Tom Cushman (journalist), Kevin Iole (journalist), Carlos Irusta (journalist), Mark Taffet (television executive) and Alex Wallau (broadcaster).
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