Former two-time WBA heavyweight champion John “The Quietman” Ruiz and Peter “The Pride of Providence” Manfredo, Jr. lead a six-member Class of 2014 into the Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame (CBHOF).
New members will be inducted at the 10TH annual CBHOF Gala Induction Dinner on Saturday night, November 8 in the Uncas Ballroom at Mohegan Sun.
The new CBHOF inductees also includes referee Michael Ortega, International Boxing Federation president Daryl Peoples, trainer Paul Cichon and the late boxing judge William Hutt.
“I’m ecstatic about our 10th annual Class of Inductees,” CBHOF president and Class of 2011 inductee Glenn Feldman said. “The board once again did a great job selecting these six men to be honored in November.”
Ruiz (44-9-1, 30 KOs), a Massachusetts native now living in New Hampshire, is the first and only Latino heavyweight champion of the world. He fought three times in Connecticut, including his 2001 WBA title defense with Evander Holyfield that ended in a draw.
Manfredo (40-7, 21 KOs) starred in the inaugural season of NBC’s reality television show, The Contender. The two-time world title challenger was born and raised in Providence and he now lives in Dayville, Connecticut. Eleven of his 47 professional fights were held in Connecticut.
Ortega, the son of 2006 CBHOF inductee Gasper Ortega, has been a world class referee since 1996. He has officiated such notable fights at Paulie Malignaggi vs. Zab Judah, Johnathon Banks vs. Seth Mitchell, Arthur Abramah vs. Robert Stieglitz, Chad Dawson vs. Glen Johnson and Carl Froch vs. Jermain Taylor.
Peoples has been a highly respected IBF official since 1995. In 2010, the IBF Board of Directors elected him as its President and Chief Executive Officer, a position that he still holds today.
Cichon is director of boxing for the Manchester Ring of Champions Society. A veteran boxing trainer for more than 16 years, he was chief second for four-time national amateur champion Matt Remillard and guided him undefeated through his first 23 pro fights. He has also trained two-time Junior Olympics heavyweight champion Miguel Ayala. Cichon was the 2011 CBHOF Contributor to Boxing Award recipient.
Hutt not only was considered one of the finest officials to ever judge a boxing match in Connecticut, but he also spent a lot of his free time helping to promote the sport he loved. He was a mainstay in Connecticut amateur and professional boxing. He judged fights all over the world including fights featuring Larry Holmes, Prince Naseem Hamed, James Toney, Julio Cesar Chavez, Bernard Hopkins, Chris Byrd and a pair of CBHOF past inductees, Micky Ward and Vinny Paz. The CBHOF official’s award is named after Hutt, who passed away in 2001 at the age of 49.
Tickets for the CBHOF 10th annual Gala Induction Dinner, reasonably priced at $90.00, are on sale now by calling Kim Baker at Mohegan Sun (1.860.862.7377) or Sherman Cain at the Manchester Journal Inquirer (1.800.237.3606 X321). Doors open at 5:30 p.m. ET, cocktails at 6 p.m. ET, followed by dinner.
