Flavor Flav Named 2023 Parade of Champions Grand Marshal!

05/02/2023 - No comments

Co-founder, rapper & hype man of legendary hip-hop group Public Enemy will lead parade through streets of Canastota

The International Boxing Hall of Fame announced today that hip-hop legend Flavor Flav has been named Grand Marshal of the 2023 Boxing Hall of Fame Parade of Champions scheduled for Sunday, June 11th at 12 noon.

“The Hall of Fame is so thrilled that Flavor Flav will be in Canastota in June to be the 2023 parade grand marshal,” said Hall of Fame Executive Director Edward Brophy. “It’s so fitting to welcome one of hip-hop’s pioneers to the Hall of Fame as the genre celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Boxing and hip-hop have a rich history and for decades champions have used hip-hop songs as their ring walk music to motivate themselves and energize fans. It will be a fantastic day when the legendary hype man leads the Parade of Champions through the streets of ‘Boxing’s Hometown.’”

Flavor Flav is a musical prodigy who is proficient in fifteen instruments. He burst onto the music scene in the late 1980s, where he emerged as a rapper, hype man and co-founder of the legendary hip-hop group Public Enemy. Possessing the most sampled voice in hip-hop, Flavor Flav (along with his group) were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013 and received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2020 GRAMMY Awards. Beyond the music industry, he is a reality television superstar, having appeared in several highly rated series including The Surreal Life, Strange Love and Flavor of Love. While continuing to perform with Public Enemy, Flavor Flav has expanded his talents to the mediums of voice-over acting, scripted television, feature films, podcaster and book author.

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“I’ve been a boxing fan my whole life, and it’s an honor that they would want me to come to the Boxing Hall of Fame and represent them as the Grand Marshal,” said Flavor Flav.

The Parade of Champions, set for Sunday, June 11th at 12 noon, will pass through the streets of Canastota. In addition to the grand marshal and boxing stars, the parade will also feature pageant caliber bands, drum & bugle corps, pipe bands, floats and community organizations.

The Class of 2023 includes boxers Timothy Bradley Jr., Carl Froch, Rafael Marquez, Tiger Jack Fox, Pone Kingpetch, Alicia Ashley, Laura Serrano and JoAnn Hagen; matchmaker Brad Goodman, trainer Joe Goossen, promotional executive Brad Jacobs, television executive Seth Abraham and broadcaster Tim Ryan.

Also participating in the festivities is an impressive array of boxing stars from around the world including Roberto “Hands of Stone” Duran, Riddick “Big Daddy” Bowe, Michael Carbajal, Chiquita Gonzalez, Buddy McGirt, Lucia Rijker, Michael Spinks, Jimmy Lennon Jr., Ann Wolfe, Winky Wright, Mikey Garcia, Robert Garcia, Andrew Golota, Angel Manfredy, Ray Mercer, Michael Nunn, Vinny Paz, Antonio Tarver and “Irish” Micky Ward.

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In addition to the Parade of Champions, the Hall of Fame Weekend will also feature many events in “Boxing’s Hometown” of Canastota including Hall of Fame Museum tours, ringside talks, fist casting, 5K Race / Fun Run and a boxing autograph card show. Also, Friday Night Fights,the Banquet of Champions and the Official Induction Ceremony will take place at Turning Stone Resort Casino in nearby Verona, NY. The four-day celebration promises to be an experience of a lifetime for boxing fans.