The Illinois Boxing Hall of Fame is proud to announce its seventh class of inductees, to be officially introduced at the Illinois Boxing Hall of Fame’s Annual Event, Saturday, November 15, in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, in Chicago’s Western Suburbs.
The 2025 inductees are:
Wayne Gregory – former boxer and Muay Thai Fighter/Kickboxer turned world-class boxing coach. Gregory has coached numerous amateur and professional champions and is one of the world’s most sought-after MMA striking coaches.
Jose Andres Hernandez – National Golden Gloves Champion, three-time Chicago Golden Gloves champ and a 22-5 pro who fought top competition
Marty Jakubowski – world-class fighter who went 118-7 against the best in the world and fought for World Titles three times.
Antony Ivory – this master boxer and consummate journeyman is the veteran of 116 professional fights who would fight anyone, anytime, and usually on their home turf. He could be counted on to put on a show and provide tough competition against the best fighters in the world.
Jeff Mason – 196-9 as an Amateur, Mason won the Chicago Golden Gloves twice and was runner-up at the National Golden Gloves. He then turned pro and went 12-0. He continues to give back to the sport as a coach and trainer.
Jesse “The Law” Torres – 19-8-3, a professional who won the Illinois State Professional Super lightweight Championship. Torres went on to be a top amateur coach.
Eddie White – undefeated boxer who, after a 50-0 amateur career that saw him win the US National Title, he then ran up a 19-0 professional record and won the IBO World Supermiddleweight Championship
Pat White – champion martial artist who transitioned to boxing and became a top coach with his gym consistently producing top amateurs and tough up and coming pros
Rodney Wilson – Top regional amateur fighter who went 25-13-3 as a pro and won the Illinois State Professional Title in three separate divisions: Lightweight, Super lightweight, and Welterweight.
Tom Zbikowski – a lifetime boxer who embarked on an 8-0 professional career at the same time he earned All-America honors in football at Notre Dame. Zbikowski then embarked on a long and successful NFL career.
The Director of Illinois Boxing Hall of Fame, Mike McNamara, says “this is one of our best classes, a diverse group of amateur and professional champions. And they were all huge draws, are great coaches, or both!”
The Illinois Boxing Hall of Fame’s Annual Event will return Saturday, November 15 at The Abbington Distinctive Banquets in Glen Ellyn in West Suburban Chicago.
Illinois Boxing Hall of Fame Co-Director Pete Hoffman added “to nobody’s surprise, least of all ours, tickets are going fast. Every inductee this year has a huge following. We’re already nearly sold out despite having more seats available this year.
The annual Illinois Boxing Hall of Fame banquet usually draws more than 500 people and is attended by past Hall of Fame inductees, former World Champions, Olympians, trainers, coaches, managers, promotors and family, friends, and fans.
The Illinois Boxing Hall of Fame is an outgrowth of the successful Illinois Martial Arts Hall of Fame which was founded in 2005. McNamara, an accomplished kickboxer, tournament fighter, and trainer of former ISKA World Cruiserweight Kickboxing Champion Rob Salazar, is also Director of the IMAHOF.
Tickets are $70 per person and $630 for a table of 10 and are available by calling or texting Mike McNamara at 708-473-0682. All major credit cards as well as Venmo, Zelle and PayPal are accepted.
The Illinois Boxing Hall of Fame is dedicated to honoring people from Illinois and/or who participated in or contributed to Boxing in Illinois. The Illinois Boxing Hall of Fame is an Illinois 501c3 nonprofit corporation as Illinois Hall of Fame, Inc.
The Abbington Distinctive Banquets is located at 3S002 Route 53 at the corner of Route 53 and Butterfield Rd, Glen Ellyn, IL 60137. The event starts at 6PM with a social hour followed by dinner at 7PM and induction ceremony at 8PM.