The WBC Legends of Boxing Museum, located at the American Sports University in San Bernardino, California

San Bernardino, California

San Bernardino is a city located in the Riverside-San Bernardino metropolitan area , and serves as the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States...

, is a museum that pays honor to the outstanding achievements and accomplishments of some of the greatest boxers of all time, more specifically past World Boxing Council

World Boxing Council

The World Boxing Council was initially established by 11 countries: the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Philippines, Panama, Chile, Peru, Venezuela and Brazil plus Puerto Rico, met in Mexico City on February 14, 1963, upon invitation of the then President of Mexico, Adolfo...

 champions. The WBC is one of the four (WBA,WBC,WBO,IBF) major sanctioning bodies in boxing. The museum's motto is, "Great fighters may retire, but their greatness lives on forever." This quote was created by Board Member Eric Casillas.

Purpose

The museum enables boxing fans as well as the general public to come explore precious items and artifacts which are displayed for inspiration, learning, and enjoyment for the continued legacy of boxing.

History

The World Boxing Council has been in existence since the early 1960s and has crowned some of the most legendary boxers to ever lace them up, yet in all of the United States, prior to the opening of the museum, there was no place that paid homage and housed the grand treasures and history of these great WBC champions. In June 2008 that changed. WBC President Dr. Jose Sulaiman, Founder and Chairman of American Sports University Dr. Hwang, WBC Supervisor Dr. Rudy Tellez, WBCLBM Co-Chairman Jaime Ochoa and Vincent Johnson and Directors Angel Ochoa and Eric Casillas are the founding fathers of this museum and spearheaded the creation. The Grand Opening was held on June 27, 2008 and an estimated 700 people including loving fans, civic leaders, press, media, and legendary fighters attended this historical event.

WBC Hall of Fame

The WBC has a lond standing history of champions. The WBC Hall of Fame includes fighters like Bob Foster, Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...

, Sugar Ray Leonard

Sugar Ray Leonard

Sugar Ray Leonard is an American retired professional boxer and occasional actor. He was named Ray Charles Leonard, after his mother's favorite singer, Ray Charles...

, Jose Napoles

José Napoles

José Ángel Nápoles, nicknamed Mantequilla , is a Cuban-Mexican boxer and former world welterweight champion, who is frequently ranked as one of the greatest fighters of all time in that division...

, Nino Benvenuti, Ken Norton

Ken Norton

Kenneth Howard Norton Sr. is a former heavyweight boxer. He is best known for his 12-round victory over a peak Muhammad Ali where he famously broke Ali's jaw, on March 31, 1973, becoming only the second man to defeat Ali as a professional .He and Ali...

, Salvado Sanchez, Ruben Olivares

Rubén Olivares

Rubén Olivares is a former Mexican boxer and current member of the Boxing Hall of Fame. A native of Mexico City, Olivares was a world champion multiple times, and considered by many as the greatest bantamweight champion of all time. He was very popular among Mexicans, many of whom considered him...

, Lupe Pintor

Lupe Pintor

Jose Guadalupe Pintor Guzman , better known as Lupe Pintor, is a former world boxing champion from Cuajimalpa, Mexico. Nicknamed El Indio De Cuajimalpa or The Indian From Cuajimalpa, he started boxing professionally in 1974...

, Marvin Hagler

Marvin Hagler

Marvelous Marvin Hagler , is a former professional boxer who was undisputed world middleweight champion between 1980 and 1987. Hagler holds the distinction of having the highest KO% of all middleweight champions at 78%...

, Joe Frazier

Joe Frazier

Joseph William "Joe" Frazier , also known as Smokin' Joe, was an Olympic and Undisputed World Heavyweight boxing champion, whose professional career lasted from 1965 to 1976, with a one-fight comeback in 1981....

 and more.

Board of directors

The WBC Legends of Boxing Museum is run by a Board of Directors who fulfill duties ranging from the induction of fighters, design of the museum, setting and preparing events, contacting press and media, review and consideration of prized artifacts, hosting induction ceremonies, etc. The Board of Directors currently comprises 15 members.

Inductees

Those that are honored and inducted into the WBC Legends of Boxing Museum are screened by the Board of Directors that rigorously review the achievements and accomplishments of the boxer nominated. The nominee will gain induction upon majority vote. If the boxer does not receive a majority vote decision by the board members, the individual may be nominated in the future for reconsideration of his induction into the WBC Legends of Boxing Museum. Typically, the boxer needs to be five years retired from the sport to be eligible for induction and must have displayed outstanding achievements and accomplishments in their boxing career.

Inaugural Members of the WBC Legends of Boxing Museum

The first members to be honored and enshrined at the museum was the WBC Hall of Fame Class of 2008. Class of 2008 Inductees were Ken Norton, Danny "Lil Red" Lopez, Armando Ramos, Erubey "Chango" Carmona, Lennox Lewis

Lennox Lewis

Lennox Claudius Lewis, CM, CBE is a retired boxer and the most recent British undisputed world heavyweight champion. He holds dual British and Canadian citizenship...

, Genaro "Chicanito" Hernandez, Gabriel Ruelas

Gabriel Ruelas

Gabriel Ruelas, , was a professional boxer.Career=Ruelas turned pro in 1988 and in 1993 challenged WBC Super Featherweight Title holder Azumah Nelson, losing a close majority decision. In 1994 he was able to capture the title by outpointing Jesse James Leija...

, Diego "Chico" Corrales, Roger Mayweather

Roger Mayweather

Roger Mayweather is a retired professional boxer. He won two major world titles in two different weight classes. Throughout his career, Mayweather fought against many other boxing champions of the 1980s and 1990s. He is a part of the Mayweather boxing family; his brothers are former welterweight...

, Rodolfo "El Gato" Gonzalez, Paul Banke, Bobby Chacon

Bobby Chacon

Bobby Chacon is an American former, two-time, world boxing champion.-Career:Chacon turned professional in 1972 and won his first 19 fights, including a win against former champion Jesus Castillo...

, Armando Muniz, Rene Arredondo

Rene Arredondo

Rene Arredondo was a Mexican professional boxer. He competed in the welterweight division.-Personal life:...

, and Alberto Davila

Alberto Davila

Albert "Alberto" Dávila is a Mexican-American boxer who boxed during the 1970s and 1980s in the bantamweight division. During parts of 1983 and 1984, he held the World Boxing Council championship. Dávila lost world bantamweight championships matches three times, and temporarily left the sport...

.

Lifetime Achievement Awards

The museum also presents a lifetime achievement award. The WBC Legends of Boxing Award for Lifetime Achievement was established and sanctioned first in 2008 by Chairman Dr. Rudolph J. Tellez to honor an individual who has made significant fundamental contributions to the world of pugilism

Boxing

Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...

, either through a single branch of the sport or through a body of work combining different elements of boxing. These contributions, whether they have been in boxing competition, promotion, training, announcing, sports journalism, photography, leadership or mentorship, must have had a lasting impact on the boxing world and must have demonstrated a lifetime commitment to progress and promotion of the Sweet Science

The Sweet Science

The Sweet Science may refer to:* The sport of boxing* The Dead Science , an experimental pop band from Seattle, Washington...

. The 1st Annual Awards were presented at the 2008 WBC Legends of Boxing Museum Inaugural Induction Ceremony at the American Sports University in San Bernardino, Ca, U.S.A. on 27 June 2008. Twelve awards were given on that day and were presented to notable boxing figures such as Cleto Reyes, founder of the glove manufacturing company Industria Reyes, legendary world champion trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr., world champion trainer and manager Bennie Georgino, Ken Thompson, owner of Thompson's Boxing Promotions, World Boxing Hall of Fame President Adolfo Perez, among others.

How Memorabilia is Placed into the Museum

Items are placed into the museum by a variety of ways. Prized personal possessions are given to the museum for enshrinement by the inducted fighter. Items can be placed into the museum by the WBC Legends of Boxing Museum Board of Directors that are deemed of significant WBC boxing value. Items can be given to the museum by family members or the managing team of a deceased past WBC champion that is receiving an award or induction. Some of the memorabilia in the museum includes; autographed gloves, autographed pictures, WBC championship belts, posters, trophies from inductees, etc...

Memorabilia from Fighters that are on Display

The museum is filled with memorabilia from past WBC champions that is showcased on standing glass cases, wall cases and more. Some of the WBC legends whose memorabilia are on display include Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson

Mike Tyson

Michael Gerard "Mike" Tyson is a retired American boxer. Tyson is a former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and holds the record as the youngest boxer to win the WBC, WBA and IBF world heavyweight titles, he was 20 years, 4 months and 22 days old...

, Julio Cesar Chavez

Julio César Chávez

Julio César Chávez is a retired Mexican professional boxer.He is a six-time world champion in three weight divisions, and for several years he was considered the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world...

, Lennox Lewis, Marco Antonio Barrera

Marco Antonio Barrera

Marco Antonio Barrera Tapia is a Mexicanprofessional boxer. He has won numerous world titles in three different weight classes; he is a former two-time WBO super bantamweight , WBC, Lineal, & The Ring featherweight , and WBC & IBF super featherweight champion...

, Ken Norton, Diego Corrales

Diego Corrales

Diego "Chico" Corrales was an American boxer.He was the WBC, WBO, & The Ring lightweight champion, and the WBO & IBF super featherweight champion....

, Erik Morales

Erik Morales

Érik Isaac Morales Elvira is a Mexican professional boxer. He is the first Mexican born boxer in history to win a world title in four weight classes and is the current WBC Light Welterweight Champion...

, Danny "Little Red" Lopez, Roger Mayweather, Rene Arredondo, Bobby Chacon, Salvador Sanchez

Salvador Sánchez

Salvador Sánchez Narváez was a Mexican boxer born in the town of Santiago Tianguistenco, Estado de México. Many of his contemporaries as well as boxing writers believe that, had it not been for his premature death, Sanchez could have gone on to become the greatest Featherweight boxer of all time...

, and Laila Ali

Laila Ali

Laila Amaria Ali is a retired American professional boxer. She is the daughter of boxing legend Muhammad Ali from his third wife Veronica Porsche Ali.-Boxing career:...

 amongst many more WBC boxing greats.

Visiting

The museum is open to the public and is free of charge. The museum welcomes all people to come view the treasures and history of the greatest WBC Champions. Special visits are available upon request and include private showings and tours for schools, boxing clubs, boxing organizations, community leaders, boxing fans, etc...

Quick Notes

• The WBC Legends of Boxing Museum is the only boxing museum on the west coast.
• The WBC also has a museum that honors WBC champions in Mexico City, Mexico
  Mexico City
  Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
  
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