Shelly Finkel
Born: June 27, 1944
Induction: 2010
Born June 27, 1944 in New York, NY. A former rock and roll manager / promoter (Vanilla Fudge and Mountain), Finkel branched out to the sport of boxing and began promoting amateur bouts in 1978.
He soon found his niche as a manager, guiding Alex Ramos when he turned pro in 1980 after capturing four New York Golden Gloves titles. Finkel began adding fighters to his roster, including junior middleweight Tony Ayala, Jr., junior welterweight Johnny Bumphus and heavyweights Mitch Green and Tony Tucker. He formed a partnership with Hall of Famer Lou Duva and in 1984 signed Olympic medalists Pernell Whitaker, Evander Holyfield, Meldrick Taylor, Mark Breland and Tyrell Biggs.
Widely respected for his business acumen and sharp eye for talent, Finkel is the head of Shelly Finkel Management and has advised or managed Mike McCallum, Micheal Moorer, Vinny Paz, Mike Tyson and current heavyweight champions Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko among many, many others.
In 1990 and 1993 he was awarded the Al Buck Award by the Boxing Writers Association of America for “Manager of the Year.”