*Sunday was a star-studded event, honoring some of the greatest athletes in boxing, including Mike Tyson. He, along with “Rocky” star, Sylvester Stallone was among the group inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Three-division champion Julio Cesar Chavez, junior welterweight champ Kostya Tszyuu, referee Joe Cortez and trainer Ignacio “Nacho” Beristain were also among the honored.
Tyson became emotional in his acceptance speech as he spoke to former trainer and mentor Cus D’Amato.
“When I met Cus, we talked a little bit about money, but we wanted to be great fighters,” said Tyson.
Clearly overwhelmed, Tyson promptly ended the speech, saying: “Hey guys, I can’t even finish this stuff. Thank you.”
And how did an actor end up on the list? It was all about the role he played in telling the story of Philadelphia club fighter, Rocky Balboa.
“I’ve never pretended to be a boxer, I don’t possess those skills,” said Stallone. “What I do think I have is an understanding of what goes on outside the ring. Outside the ring is sometimes maybe even a bigger struggle than what goes on inside the ring and if I was able to capture that, then I believe you can identify more with the fighter.”
