Manny Pacquiao, Mikey Garcia among first time IBHOF candidates on 2025 ballot

Former pound for pound great Manny Pacquiao and four-division champion Mikey Garcia are among the names making their first appearance on the International Boxing Hall of Fame ballot ahead of the Class of 2025 election.

Pacquiao, the first and only eight division champion in boxing history, is an obvious favorite to be enshrined during the IBHOF induction weekend from June 5-8, 2025 in Canastota, N.Y. The 45-year-old Filipino boxer, who parlayed his in-ring stardom to a career in politics and show business in his home country, won titles from flyweight to junior middleweight, and fought in the highest grossing boxing pay-per-view in history against 2021 inductee Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2015.

Garcia, whose final record is 40-2 (30 KOs), emerged from under the shadow of his brother/trainer Robert Garcia to make a name of his own, winning titles  from featherweight to junior welterweight, defeating the likes of Adrien Broner, Robert Easter Jr. and Juan Manuel Lopez.

Pacquiao and Garcia will be joined on the ballot by other first time Men’s Modern Era (last bout no later than 1989) candidates Shawn Porter, a two-time welterweight titleholder and current DAZN commentator, as well as Lucian Bute, the Romanian-Canadian southpaw who held the IBF super middleweight title from 2007 to 2012.

They will be joined on the ballot by other newcomers including two division champions Yessica Chavez of Mexico and Jessica Rakoczy of Canada in the women’s modern category, plus junior welterweight champion Bruno Arcari of Italy and junior flyweight champion of Venezuela in the “late era” old timer category.

Shirley Tucker, who retired at 16-0 (10 KOs) after a career between 1977 and 1982, will be on the ballot in the women’s trailblazer division, while British bare knuckle boxer Owen Swift will be added in the pioneer division.

Among other first time ballot entries are trainer/cutman Russ Anber, referee Kenny Bayless and promoter Salvatore Cherchi in the non-participant division, plus broadcaster/former NY Boxing Commissioner Randy Gordon, Argentinian journalist Ernesto Cherquis Bialo and Kevin Iole in the observer division.

Ballots were sent out to voters, with a press announcement scheduled for early December to reveal the inductees for 2025.