On Saturday, the New Mexico Boxing Hall of Fame (NMBOF) inducted new members at the Encanto Event Center.

Industry representatives and their families were invited to celebrate with food and speeches from NMBOF leaders. The different heads of the organization choose the inductees out of a pool of different boxers, teachers, judges and promoters from New Mexico.

The eight inductees included Frankie Archuleta, Isidro Castillo, Larry Cisneros, John De Los Santos, Guadalupe Lozoya, Levi Martinez, Ray Sanchez III and Sijuola Ade Shabazz. They also awarded Joe Hidalgo with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Archuleta is a boxer from the Bernalillo/Las Vegas area. He began his boxing career at the age of 15, and as an amateur, he was a runner-up in the USA National Tournament, won the Blue & Gold Invitational and captured one Gold Glove Championship. He started his professional career in 1997 and amassed a 27-10 record, with 14 knockouts during that time.

During his professional career he achieved 18 consecutive wins, faced eight world champions and was asked to serve as the sparring partner of World Boxing Association (WBA) Jr. Featherweight Champion Paulie Ayala. Archuleta’s signature win came on Mar. 3, 2004, when he beat multiple-time world champion Johnny Topia in Las Vegas. Archuleta retired from boxing in 2012.

Castillo grew up in a boxing family, but in 1996, his boxing career would come to an end due to an oilfield accident that nearly took his life. That didn’t stop him from making an impact, as he would go on to become a boxing coach. Over the course of 25 years he trained many boxers from southeastern New Mexico. He is also a promoter for the sport. In 2010, he began promoting boxing from his hometown of Hobbs. Since then he has led the promotion of more than 80% of the boxing matches that were promoted in Southeast New Mexico. He is also he only person to promote boxing, mixed martial arts (MMA) and bare knuckle boxing.

Cisneros, nicknamed “The Rock of New Mexico,” is one of two fighters inducted posthumously, as he passed away in 2017. His daughter, Paula Ortega, accepted the award in his honor. The Questa native fought for ten years during the 1930s and 40s. He racked up a 73-15 record with 21 knockouts. His achievements included a No. 3 world ranking, wins against Chato “Bulldog” Gonzales and Hall of Famer Chalky Wright. He also boxed overseas while serving in the U.S. Army during World War II, which included a fight against Marcel “Le Bombardier” Cerdian. While not a boxing achievement, he also earned the Purple Heart award during his time serving.

John De Los Santos is the other boxer who was inducted posthumously with his sons Thomas and Joseph accepting the award in his honor. De Los Santos was a Roswell native who got into boxing while attending Mesa Middle School. During his amateur career, he compiled a 57-7 record with 52 knockouts. He was also a three-time New Mexico Golden Glove Boxing champion. He fought in New Mexico and California after relocating there. After his boxing career he became a pastor and minister — a role he maintained until his death.

Lozoya was born in Idalou, Texas, but grew up in various cities of New Mexico. His fighting career began after boxing coach Juan Velasquez saw him knock out two men during a brawl at a dance club. Velasquez invited Lazoya to his gym, which jump-started Lazoya’s career. During his boxing career, he became a one-time Novice Light Heavyweight Golden Glove state champion and a three-time Open-class Light Heavyweight Golden Glove state champion. This all occurred between 1978 and 1981. He is currently a coach at Crosstown Boxing in Las Cruces.

Martinez is a native of Chimayo who has served as both a boxing judge and a member of the Board of Directors of the International Boxing Federation (IBF). He started his judging career in 1994 and retired in 2019. During his time judging, he adjudicated approximately 1,500 fights, which included 199 world title bouts and 156 regional title matches. After his retirement, he was elected to the Board of Directors of the IBF and advanced to become the vice president, a role he currently holds.

Sanchez III is an Albuquerque native who started boxing at the age of 10. As an amateur, he had an 86-8 record. During that time, he won 11 regional titles, nine national championships, five National Silver Gold Glove Champions, a Police Athletic League (PAL) championship, a Junior Gold Glove Championship, a Blue & Gold National Championship and was a three-time New Mexico Most Outstanding Boxer. He turned professional in 2001 and amassed a 20-1 record. His achievements included winning the WBC Latino Welterweight Title in 2004 and the WBC Youth Welterweight Title in the same year. He was once ranked #8 by the North American Boxing Federation (NABF) and #37 by the World Boxing Council (WBC).

Shabazz grew up in the Las Cruces area and started boxing in 2003. He fought in 204 amateur fights and had a 183-21 record. He was also a nine-time state champion, a nine-time regional champion, a two-time PAL National champion, a Gold Glove National champion and was an eight-time runner-up in the USA championship. He also took his talents overseas, fighting in Russia, China, Ireland and England. His most significant achievements were in 2008 and 2012, when he was an alternate for the U.S. Olympic boxing team.

Hidalgo was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions as a fighter, coach and official. He began boxing at the age of 16 and was a State Golden Glove winner and runner-up. He also boxed overseas before joining the Navy during the Vietnam War. He began coaching in 1969 and continues to coach to this day. His highlight of his coaching career was being the Assistant Coach to Sammy Burke for PAL. He also trained World Champions Jennifer and Stephan Han. He began officiating in 1979 when he was chosen to refer the 1979 National Gold Glove Tournament in Albuquerque. He continued to officiate matches all across Southeast New Mexico until he stopped in 2005.