Houk to enter two boxing HOFs
Apr. 24—GREENSBURG — From the moment he put on boxing gloves at the age of 7, Craig "Golden Boy" Houk chased his dreams in the ring.
Houk's trek on this journey took him around the world, to a top ten world ranking, fights with some of histories best and now induction into a pair of boxing hall of fames.
Greensburg's Golden Boy will be inducted into the Indiana Boxing Hall of Fame May 19-20. The induction ceremony will be held at 2 p.m. May 20 at the Embassy Suites by Hilton in Plainfield. Doors open at 11 a.m. with a meet and greet at 11:30 a.m., autographs at 11:45 a.m. and lunch at 1 p.m.
Tickets are available at indianaboxinghof.com. More information on the 2-day event can be found on the hall of fame site.
Joining Houk in the 2023 Indiana Boxing Hall of Fame Class are Muhammad Ali, Jose Sulaiman, Cory Spinks, David Tua, Larry Donald, Vickie Elder, Ernie Brown, aaron Snowell, Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini, Shelley Williams, John Johnson, JD McCauley and Ron Kern.
On the weekend of June 30 through July 2, Houk will be in St. Petersburg, Florida, to be inducted into the Florida Boxing Hall of Fame.
The 2023 Florida Hall of Fame Class includes Roy Jones Jr., Ossie Ocasio, David Izon, Vivian Harris, Alfredo Escalera, Ada Velez, Joey Negron, Peter Khan, Jessie Robinson, Alfy Smith, Jesus "Tito" Escalera, Maria Rivera Martino, Vonda Carson, Marc Lichtenfeld, John Moceyunas, Ruben De Jesus, Ali Tareh, Fred Fluty, John Rupert, Harry De La Vega, John Westerterp, Craig Houk and Aaron Snowell.
In 1971, Houk's father took him and his brother Todd to the Civic Center in Des Moines, Iowa, where he began is love of the sweet science. He heard some loud noises coming from behind a curtain.
"It sounded like bombs going off...it was Marvin Johnson hitting the gloves," Houk remembered. He was hooked.
On "career day" in sixth grade, Houk told Mr. Ellinger is big plans for the future.
"I told him I was going to be a professional fighter and I was going to fight for the title on TV," Houk said.
Houk held that dream close to his heart and worked over the next several years taking steps toward the goal. Right out of graduation from Greensburg, Houk left for Florida to chase his dream.
In 1983, Houk fought in the Sunshine State Games. He won titles in the Sunshine State Games and the South Florida Golden Gloves event.
"I was on the same card as Antonio Tarver and Roy Jones Jr.," Houk said. "Now, Roy is leading the way into the Florida Hall of Fame the same year I am going in."
In 1983, Houk trained with the Finland Olympic team.
"After that, if guys were picking on me, I took them out," Houk laughed. "From then on, I said my brother 'used to' be able to beat me up."
Houk's connection with Marvin Johnson came full circle in 1986. Houk walked into Chaney's gym and Johnson and Chaney looked over at him. They asked who he was.
"I told them I was that 7-year-old they saw fight back in Iowa. They took me under their wing," Houk added.
"When I started the Indiana Hall of Fame, it wasn't about me. It was all about Marvin," Houk said.
Houk won the Indiana Golden Gloves in 1986. As a professional, Houk fought at 140 pounds, 147 pounds, 154 pounds and 160 pounds. In 1993, Houk was the IBF Continental Champion which elevated him to No. 9 in the world.
In 1994, Houk was on the undercard of Julio Cesar Chavez vs. Frankie Randall event at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The event also had Hector Camacho vs. Felix Trinidad.
Despite a loss, Houk was not fazed and continued to look for the big fight. In 1995, he got that fight.
Houk faced Julio Cesar Chavez (95-1-1)for the WBC Junior Welterweight World Title at the United Center in Chicago. Celebrities lined the walk-in, including the great Michael Jordan.
That career day dream had come to fruition.
But Houk was not done in the spotlight. The "Golden Boy" faced Hector Camacho in Madison Square Garden and again at Seminole Casino in Coconut Creek, Florida. Houk dropped Camacho in the second meeting, but Camacho recovered to get the win.
Houk had 67 professional wins, 45 coming in Indiana.
"I am a fighter, not different from the rest. Had a shot at four world titles...a shot at the best," Houk said. "Why did I pick such a brutal sport? Why wasn't I born into money and be a doctor or a lawyer? Life has plenty of tricks, my friends, but if I could have one last talk with God, I would ask to do it all again."
Contact Aaron Kirchoff at aaron.kirchoff@greensburgdailynews.com.
