Lopez, Olivares, Cuevas to Attend Hall of Fame Weekend

28.05 - The International Boxing Hall of Fame announced today Mexican boxing stars Ruben Olivares, Pipino Cuevas and Ricardo "Finito" Lopez will be among the celebrity guests attending the 2003 Hall of Fame Induction Weekend scheduled for June 5-8th.

"These three men provided boxing fans with countless memorable moments," said Hall of Fame director Edward Brophy. "It's an absolute thrill to welcome them to 'Boxing's Hometown.'"

Olivares is the former 2-time bantamweight champion and WBA and WBC featherweight champion. The hard-punching Olivares registered 78 kayos in 104 bouts and wins over Lionel Rose, Chucho Castillo, Bobby Chacon and Art Hafey. In 1991 Olivares was elected into the Hall of Fame.

At the age of 18 Cuevas won the WBA welterweight title and began a spectacular reign that eventually included 11 successful defenses. Known for his explosive left hook, Cuevas retired in 1989 and was elected into the Hall of Fame in 2002.

Lopez is the former WBC, WBA and WBO strawweight champion. He defended his title 22 times before winning the IBF light flyweight title in 1999. "Finito" retired undefeated with a 51-0-1 (38KOs) record in 2002.

The Hall of Fame Weekend will feature over 20 exciting events. Living inductees to be honored include welterweight king Curtis Cokes, 2-time heavyweight champion George Foreman, junior welterweight champion Nicolino Locche, 3-division champion Mike McCallum, journalist Jack Fiske and Academy Award-winning screenwriter Budd Schulberg. Posthumous inductees will also be honored.

Over 50 boxing stars, including Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Emile Griffith, Ken Buchanan, Earnie Shavers, Ken Norton, George Chuvalo, Angelo Dundee, Aaron Pryor, Alexis Arguello, Carmen Basilio, Gene Fullmer, Tony DeMarco, Marlon Starling, James "Buster" Douglas, Frank Bruno and Donald Curry are scheduled to participate in weekend festivities.

For more information on the Hall of Fame’s 14th Annual Induction Weekend please call (315) 697-7095.