Michael 'The Body Snatcher' McCallum, Jamaica's most successful and decorated boxer, is set to be recognised again for his boxing prowess, as he will be inducted into the New York State Boxing Hall of Fame when it comes into being in 2012.

The brainchild of a group of New York boxing enthusiasts who are members of the RING 8 boxing organisation, whose president is well-known sportsman Bob Duffy, the Hall of Fame was first thought about to honour outstanding New York boxers. That has changed, however. At a press briefing in Manhattan, New York, recently, Duffy announced that after several months of discussion, the idea eventually blossomed into something much bigger. Those to be honoured each year, it was decided, will be persons who have excelled in and made a substantial contribution to boxing worldwide.

Among the nominees for the first induction ceremony, which will take place in March 2012 in New York, and who will be honoured with McCallum, are two former outstanding champions, Sugar Ray Robinson, regarded by many as the best pound-for-pound boxer of all time, and Mike Tyson, the youngest heavyweight champion in boxing history and one of the most devastating punchers ever. Several other boxing greats will be on the first list of inductees, among them Jake LaMotta, Carmena Basilio, Benny Leonard, Emile Griffith and Vito Antufermo.