The New Mexico Boxing Hall of Fame will host its banquet at the Roswell Convention and Civic Center on Nov. 19 to honor New Mexico’s boxing legends. This is only the second time the induction ceremony will be held in Roswell.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NMHOF has refrained from holding any inductions until now.
Two of the six inductees are Roswell natives Ronald Kent Brown and Willie Hall Jr. The rest of the inductees are Rocky Burke, Bill Daniels, Joe Lewis Murphy Sr. and Florencio “Flory” Olguin.
Ronald Brown is a state champion from 1974 until 1976. Brown teaches boxing at Marshall White Community Center in Ogden, Utah.
Rocky Burke was born in 1953 in Las Cruces. He started boxing at seven and attended the New Mexico Military Institute. Burke won the state Golden Gloves as a novice and won the New Mexico state championship in 1976. Burke made his professional debut in 1979 with a record of 6-1 as a pro. Rocky Burke is also a world-class referee and has officiated 200 fights in the world of boxing.
Bill Daniels was born in Colorado and based in Denver. As a teenager, Daniels was raised in Hobbs and went to NMMI. Daniels won two state Golden Glove championships and was a decorated combat pilot in the World War II and the Korean conflict. Bill Daniels is also the founder of the Daniels Fund, which provides scholarships and grants to amateur sports.
The son of boxing coach legend Willie Hall Sr., Willie Hall Jr. was born in Roswell and won state championships from 1975 through 1977. Hall Jr. has coached football at the Brackenridge High School in San Antonio, Texas, since 1983 and coaches boxing as well.
Joe Lewis Murphy Sr. was born in 1936 in Albuquerque’s South Valley. Murphy won two state Golden Gloves championships and turned pro at 19 in Reno, Nevada. His record as a professional is 13 wins, 11 losses, three draws and four knockouts. Murphy retired from boxing in 1966 and served in the Vietnam War as a member of the Air National Guard.
Florencio “Flory” Olguin was born in December 1938 in Albuquerque. Olguin had a successful amateur career and turned pro in 1958. Olguin had a record of 40-20-2 with 11 knockouts as a professional. He is an Army veteran of the Korean War and later served as sheriff in Bernalillo County.
Two additional acknowledgments will go to Elba Garcia Burke and Jerry Martinez. Elba Burke will receive a lifetime achievement award and Jerry Martinez will be recognized as the New Mexico Boxing Hall of Fame founder.
Elba Burke is from the Mesilla Valley in Las Cruces and went to college at New Mexico State University. She is the mother of Rocky, Shelly and Louie Burke. Elba volunteered her time and effort for the sport of boxing as it is a family business.
Jerry Martinez is a southpaw boxer born in Roswell and a New Mexico boxing community legend. Martinez had an amateur career of over 100 bouts, winning three state championships at 125 pounds.
The banquet will be open to the public but will have a cap of 200 attendees on a first-come-first-serve basis. Tickets can be purchased at Bank of the Southwest locations on North Main Street and West Hobbs Street. For more information, contact New Mexico Boxing Hall of Fame President Ray Baca at 575-910-2222.
Sports reporter Blynn Juliano Beltran can be reached at 575-622-7710, ext. 304, or sports@rdrnews.com.
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