Whiting, Indiana boxing legend Marty Jakubowski (119-7, 34 KO’s) was inducted into the Indiana Boxing Hall of Fame this past weekend. The ceremony, held at the Embassy Hilton in Plainfield, Indiana, saw many of boxing’s best honoured, in and out of the ring, including Don and Carl King, Felix Trinidad Sr. and Jr, Kristy Follmar, Antonio Tarver, Leon Spinks, J Russell Peltz, Prince Charles Williams, Bob Chambers, Nate Tubbs, Peter Van Doren, Ronnie Essett and Jakubowski, among others.
The event included a dinner and auction on Friday, June 3 and a meet n’ greet, autograph session, lunch, and induction session on Saturday afternoon, June 4.
Jakubowki had an impressive career and was one of the few 100+ bout fighters (let alone 100+ winners) in the modern era. Jakubowski stayed busy on the (then-burgeoning) mid-west club circuit boxing 4-10 rounders between major assignments. He left the ring having amassed a resume that included names like Mexican legend Julio Caesar Chavez (twice), European star, and world title challenger Dennis Holbaek Pedersen, world title challenger Harold Warren, and tough, Philadelphia contender Anthony Boyle, to name but a few.
Jakubowski, a popular TV fighter was featured on ESPN and the USA Network, among others, also stepped into world title fights on 3 occasions facing German WBO 135 champ Artur Grigorian in Germany, going to Morocco to face Khalid Rahilou for the WBA world super lightweight title, and going to Connecticut to face WBC lightweight champion Miguel Angel Gonzalez.
All in all, Jakubowski, who entered the pros after a 100+ bout amateur career, fighting out of the Indiana/Chicago area, had an outstanding career that saw him compete with some of boxing’s very best.
But, this past weekend it was time to look back, meet up with some old (and new) friends, and receive some hardware to honour his outstanding career.
MaxBoxing caught up with the very personable Jakubowski, on his way home from another busy day at the gym, to get his thoughts on this past weekend and his Hall of Fame induction.
“I gotta tell you Billy, it was really a great weekend. It was so well run, and it was such a pleasure to be part of it. I was really impressed with the event as a whole”, he said. “I got to see my old sparring partner, and friend, Angel Manfredy. Boy, we had some great sparring. He and (Harold) Brazier gave me the best sparring I ever had. I ran into my old trainer Dennis (Hardesty) and we had a good talk. I saw my old promoter Fred Berns”, he continued, “people I haven’t see in a long time; brings back lots of memories”.
It was clear that the weekend allowed him to meet up with some new people, all very aware of his accomplishments in boxing, and also make some new friends.
“I had the pleasure of making some new friends as well”, said Jakubowski. “People I obviously knew through boxing but hadn’t really spent time with them”, he said. “Carl King, was over the top nice and friendly, what a good guy, and, I got to speak with Ronnie Essett and he was just great, what a nice guy. Michael Spinks and I were chatting, another really nice fellow. And, I was chatting with Philadelphia promoter Russell Peltz who made a point of reminding me I beat his fighter Anthony Boyle years ago”, he said with a laugh. “Later on, he signed his book for me”, he said. “Just a lot of great guys and it was such a good time just hanging out with them”.
And then it was time to collect his Hall of Fame award and it was clear Jakubowski looked back on his career fondly, and with a lot of good memories.
“I was really pleased and honoured to get recognized”, he said. “It really was a great event, and I was very humbled by the award. I made sure to thank my matchmaker Pete Susens, and my long-time manager Sean Gibbons. Those guys were fantastic and are still great friends to this day. True characters who really helped build my career and put me in the right fights at the right time. I really can’t say enough about Pete and Sean, they were the key to my success”, he said. “All the fights I had, the way they handled my career; I wouldn’t change a thing. They were great for me in the ring, and I cherish their friendship out of the ring”, he said. “It was a great time in boxing, the commissions let you fight a lot, and it was just a great time to be in the sport. So many good memories”.
Marty by the Numbers
Amateur bouts – 100+
Professional bouts – 126
Knockouts – 34
Professional rounds – 649
World title fights – 3
Most fights in a year – 36 (1993)
Most bouts in a month – 6
World champions/challengers faced – 6
Records of champions faced – 168-2
Bouts against immediate family member (brother) – 1
Career years – 1987-2005 (18 years)
In retirement
Marty, a long-time married father and grandfather, worked for the City of Whiting for years before moving to his new job in a familiar workspace. Jakubowski is currently a full-time trainer the Knuckleheads Boxing and Fitness Gym in Chicago, Illinois.
Congratulations Champ – Job Well Done!
This news is republished from another source. You can check the original article here