The criteria I've used in forming my listing is thus:
1) A fighter must have fought competitively at the designated weight.
2) A fighter cannot have held a 'world' title of any kind at the designated weight
(Where do I draw the line? I tell ya, I was downright nasty on this one due
to the spurious claims to world titles out there. Excluding those nonsensical
White, Negro, Interim and any title below WBO in the alphabet categories, I
counted every claim and, unfortunately, had to exclude great fighters like
Hedgemon Lewis (Welter), Tiger Jack Fox (Lt. Heavy) and Len Harvey (Lt. Heavy)
due to New York and European recognition as world champs at their weight class).
3) A champion from another weight class is eligible provided he meets points 1 and
2.
4) Straw, Jr. Fly, Super Fly, Super Bantam, Super Middle and Cruiser weight
divisions are unrecognised. Therefore, champions as well as contenders from
those weight classes are eligible as contenders at the next higher weight class.
Awright, now that we know where we're going with this, I should add that this
chronological listing (not a ranking) of my top 15 is based on opinion and not
what a fighter may have achieved throughout a lengthy career. In other words, I've
simply rated whom I feel was the better fighter. Now, I catch a lot of E-mails
graced with both praise and criticism from you lot out there and I will admit
you're a knowledgable bunch. So, before you Fightnuts out there scroll down,
perhaps you should first form your own listing. My guess is you'll agree with
me on ten of my fifteen and scream "Have Hanley committed!" on the other five.
Ahh, but isn't the argument what it's all about? So, without further ado, let's
have a little fun butting heads on this backbone of boxing.
(Note: the fighter's name is followed by birthplace and number of title shots
received at the weight)
Daniel Hanley
Jr. welterweight
Willie Joyce (USA) (2)
Kenny Lane (USA) (1)
Angel Garcia (Cuba) (0)
Alfredo Urbina (Mex) (0)
Bunny Grant (Jam) (1)
Jose Napoles (Cuba) (0)
Adolph Pruitt (USA) (2)
Joao Henrique (Brazil) (4)
Carlos Gimenez (Arg) (2)
Esteban DeJesus (PR) (2)
Hector Thompson (Austr) (1)
Dave Green (Eng) (0)
Monroe Brooks (USA) (1)
Alexis Arguello (Nic) (2)
Ronnie Shields (USA) (2)
Okay, a chance to flex a little. A 'junior' division, but far deeper than the 154
lb. class. First up, Willie Joyce, fought twice for the revived 140 lb. title in
'46 against Tippy Larkin before it once again fell into disuse. Joyce fought more
than 10 world champs, going 3-1 against Ike Williams and 2-2 against Henry
Armstrong. Kenny Lane, fought for the once again revived title in '59, losing on
a cut to Carlos Ortiz, a man he went head to head with in a three bout series.
Lane's fame was at Lightweight where he won Michigan state recognition as 135 lb.
champ. Lane also posted wins over Ortiz, Carlos Hernandez, Virgil Akins, Manny
Gonzales and Orlando Zulueta. Angel (Robinson) Garcia, anything I could say of him
would be an understatement. Suffice to say he had 215 recorded bouts from '55 to
'76, fought 15 world champs and was stopped a grand total of 4 times. Alfredo
Urbina, fought 9 world champs over two divisions, beating Napoles, Brown, Perkins,
Chango Carmona (twice) and Lauro Salas. Bunny Grant, Commonwealth Lightweight
champ, but enjoyed great results at 140. Lost to Perkins over 15 for the title
but also beat Perkins as well as Urbina, Garcia, Salas and Dave Charnley. Jose
Napoles, avoided at 140 until finally abandoning the division altogether for the
greener pastures of the Welterweights. At 140 however, he beat Perkins, Hernandez,
Urbina, Grant and Pruitt. Adolph Pruitt, also a force in two divisions, nailed
down two title attempts at Jr. Welter. Fought 7 world champs, specifically,
Napoles, Loche, Perkins and Adigue at 140. Joao Henrique, a tough Brazilian Jr.
Welter unfortunate enough to have met Nicolino Loche and Bruno Arcari in their
primes. Beat Perkins, Maurice Cullen, Vicente Derado and was ahead on points before
getting clocked in the 9th round in '75 by Perico Fernandez in his 4th title try.
Carlos Gimenez, an Argentine buzzsaw who boasted of over 100 fights and over 60
KO's by the time he retired. Unfortunately, his two title shots came against a
man named Cervantes. Esteban DeJesus, although history knows him as a Lightweight,
his foray into the 140 lb. ranks saw him realize two title challenges. His loss to
Mamby was at the end of his career, but at his peak...well, like the aforementioned
Gimenez, he too met Cervantes. Hector Thompson, an absolutely awesome fighter at
140 who beat Alfonso Frazer, Gimenez (twice), Jimmy Heair, Shinichi Kadota and
Adigue. Unfortunately, his crack at the 140 lb. belt was against...wait, don't
tell me. Cervantes, right? Dave (Boy) Green, British and Euro champ at 140 as
well. Fought boxers the same way he fought sluggers, head into the chest and
pound away. His Euro title winning bout against Jean Baptiste Peidvache was a
study in sheer brutality. Monroe Brooks, a California fighter whose underused
boxing skills would have made his fights so much easier, layed out Shengsak
Muangsurin in the 1st round before finally succumbing in the 15th round of his
only title try. Alexis Arguello, his attempts at the 140 lb. crown, specifically
the first of the two bouts against Pryor, are classics. Arguello beat Billy
Costello, Claude Noel and Vilomar Fernandez in establishing himself at 140. And
last, Ronnie Shields, who had all the talent in the world except the fire to
initiate. Beat Mamby in a masterful performance but was lethargic against Costello
and Hamada in title attempts.
Honorable mention: Jo Kimpuani, Harold Brazier, Frankie Warren.
Lightweight
Jack Blackburn (USA) (0)
Jimmy McLarnin (Ire) (1)
Billy Petrolle (USA) (1)
Jack (Kid) Berg (Eng) (1)
Kid Chocalate (Cuba) (1)
Pedro Montanez (PR) (1)
Davey Day (USA) (1)
Freddie Dawson (USA) (1)
Orlando Zulueta (Cuba) (1)
Duilio Loi (Italy) (0)
Dave Charnley (Eng) (2)
Alfredo Urbina (Mex) (0)
Flash Elorde (Phil) (2)
Carlos Hernandez (Ven) (0)
Nicolino Loche (Arg) (0)
Oh, man, we are talkin' a packed division here. Let us begin with Jack Blackburn,
a turn of the century Lightweight who knocked heads with Sam Langford (3 times,
and I'm not kidding), Joe Gans (3 times), Harry Greb and Philadelphia Jack O'Brien.
Had his career derailed by a 5 year prison sentence and never regained the fire.
Better known as the trainer of Joe Louis. Jimmy McLarnin, turned pro at Flyweight
but soon filled out to terrorize the 135 pounders. Lost to mandell for the title
at 22 before moving up to 147. At 135 he beat Mandell (twice), Kid Kaplan, Billy
Petrolle, Al Singer and Ruby Goldstein. Billy Petrolle, the 'Fargo Express' was
enroute to an unsuccessful go at Canzoneri's crown, but along the way he beat Kid
Berg, Canzoneri, McLarnin and Bat Battalino. Jack (Kid) Berg, 192 fights and 21
years later, this Jr. Welter champ, who epitomized speed as his method of attack,
beat Canzoneri, Chocalate, Petrolle and Tippy Larkin, but lost some of his glorious
reckless abandon after his KO loss to Canzoneri. Kid Chocalate, the 'Cuban Bon
Bon', won much acclaim at 126, yet gave Canzoneri a rough go of it in his sole
shot at 135. Beat Singer, Lew Feldman and Frankie Wallace at Lightweight. Pedro
Montanez, a brilliant fighter at 135 who had no business fighting Armstrong at 147.
Gave Ambers a run for his money for the 135 lb. title and beat among others,
Ambers, Berg, Freddie Cochrane and Frankie Klick. Davey Day, an often overlooked
Lightweight who, again, should not have strayed into 147 territory versus Henry
Armstrong. Lost a disputed decision to Sammy 'the Clutch' for the 135 lb. title.
Beat Angott, Montanez, Bobby Pacho, Stan Loayza and retired with a 60-8-4 slate.
Freddie Dawson, a hard fighter who came along during a hard era in boxing. Fought
5 world champs, with his title fight against Ike Williams sealing a 4 bout series
the two waged against one another. Orlando Zulueta, the original 'razor', what
with his propensity for slashing an opponents eyes. Beat Jimmy Carter, Don Jordan,
Bud Smith and Paddy DeMarco before losing to Joe Brown in the 15th of his only shot
at 135. Duilio Loi, this future 140 lb. champ cracked the Lightweight rankings in
'54 and remained in the top three until '59 when he moved up in weight without
coming within sniffing distance of a title shot. This, despite holding the Euro
crown and beating Bud Smith, Zulueta, Glen Flanagan and Ray Famechon. Dave
Charnley, British, Commonwealth (or Empire as it was known then) and Euro champ
at 135. Lost a couple of heartbreakers to Brown for the world crown. Also beat
Brown, Lane, Don Jordan, Len Matthews and Paul Armstead in a ten year career.
Alfredo Urbina (see Jr. Welter), was a fixture in the ratings throughout the '60's
and, aside from being one of only four men to stop the rock-jawed Angel Garcia,
he was the only man to stop Eddie Perkins. Flash Elorde, not only was he a great
Jr. Lightweight champ, but was also a damn good Lightweight. Aside from his two
valiant challenges to Carlos Ortiz' throne, he was the Oriental 135 lb. champ and
duked it out with Ismael Laguna, Frankie Narvaez and Paolo Rosi, all at Lightweight.
Carlos Hernandez was a frightening force at Lightweight in the early 60's, and
despite settling down at Jr. Welter where he became champ, he beat Brown, Lane,
Urbina, Teo Cruz and Bunny Grant at 135. And finally, the untouchable one, Nicolino
Loche. Despite Argentine and South American titles to his back, and 10 round draws
with reigning 135 lb. champs Laguna and Ortiz in '65 and '66, no one was breaking
down Loche's door in offering him a title fight. Therefore, he defected to the
140 lb. class where he made the division his own.
Honorable mention: Joe Rivers, Ruby Goldstein, Lew Tendler, Willie Joyce, George
Araujo, Art Aragon, Len Matthews, Howard Davis, Tyrone Crawley.
Jr. lightweight
Johnny Bizzarro (USA) (1)
Love Allotey (Ghana) (1)
Vicente Derado (Arg) (2)
Antonio Amaya (Pan) (3)
Ruben Navarro (Mex) (1)
Frankie Crawford (USA) (0)
Sammy Goss (USA) (0)
Hugo Barraza (Col) (0)
Ray Lunny (USA) (1)
Vilomar Fernandez (DR) (0)
Tyrone Everett (USA) (1)
Ruben Castillo (USA) (2)
Jeff Fenech (Austr) (2)
Angel Manfredy (USA) (1)
John Brown (USA) (1)
Hmmm...Jr. Lightweights huh? Not as thin as the 154 pounders but not as thick as
the 140 division. Some decent leather-slingers here though, so let's give 'em a
look see. Johnny Bizzarro, of the Pennsylvania fighting brood, went one better
than little brother Lou, who fought Duran for the 135 crown. Johnny was a contender
at both weights and fought both Elorde and Ortiz for their respective titles.
Love Allotey was a presence in the top ten from '62 until '73. The Ghanaian fought
5 world champs including a foul-filled bout against Elorde for the title which he
lost on a DQ. Vicente Derado, a tough little Argentine who fought 8 world champs,
beating Nicolino Loche, Carlos Hernandez and Teo Cruz. Lost to Elorde for the title
and to Raul Rojas for a generic California version of the crown. Antonio Amaya,
not a big banger this man from Panama, but good enough to beat Sugar Ramos, Frankie
Narvaez, Rene Barrientos, Rafiu King and Chucho Alonso. Unfortunately he was un-
lucky enough to have met Kobayashi and Shibata for the title. Ruben Navarro, his
rise to the title was nothing short of meteoric. Lost a highly disputed decision to
Barrientos for the vacant WBC title with a record of 13-1-2 behind him, and that
included a win over reigning champ Kobayashi and a draw with former champ Numata.
He soon defected thereafter to 135. Frankie Crawford, known primarily as a Feather-
weight, but like most trying to earn a payday, had no reservations of fighting at
the higher weight. Fought 6 world champs in his day, including a win over Mando
Ramos. Sammy Goss, despite being the top contender at 130 from '72-'73, he could
not nail down a shot at the big boy. Beat Edwin Viruet, Raul Cruz, Walter Seeley,
Jose Fernandez and Jose Luis Lopez, but faded from the scene after losing his
NABF title to Tyrone Everett. Hugo Barraza, a tough as nails Columbian who suffered
the same fate as Goss, losing to Everett at the top of his game. However, unlike
Goss, he continued making noise in the division for a few more years. Held wins
over Crawford, Cruz, Lopez, Rodolfo Lobato and David Sotelo. Ray Lunny, appeared
to have the goods when he broke onto the scene, if only he would have held his
hands up somewhere in the vicinity of...oh, let's say his chin. Still, he held
wins over Crawford, Goss, Jimmy Robertson, Mike Mayon, Raul Montoya and went into
the 12th round with Escalera for the title. Vilomar Fernandez, beat reigning Jr.
Lightweight champ Alexis Arguello in a non-title tenner, but had since departed
the 130 lb. ranks for 135. Besides fighting both Duran and Hilmer Kenty for the
Lightweight crown, he beat Lunny, Amaya, Ray Lampkin and Frankie Otero. Tyrone
Everett, 'Ty the fly', a southpaw out of Philly, was one of the coolest customers
around and the victim of what is generally recognized as one of the worst decisions
in boxings shadowy history in his sole defeat to Alfredo Escalera. Murdered six
months later, a career and life never fulfilled. Ruben Castillo, a force in two
divisions. Went into his title bout with Arguello with a record of 48-0 and was
battling the thin man neck and neck until two body shots in the 11th took his
measure. His subsequent opportunity against Julio Cesar Chavez came past his prime.
Jeff Fenech was already a three division champ when he descended on the 130 lb.
class and was ripped royally in his draw with Azumah Nelson. The rematch, however,
cannot be dismissed and the Aussie was never again the same fighter. Angel Manfredy,
one of the few active fighters on my list, but has since departed 130 for the 135
lb. ranks. His wins over Arturo Gatti and John Brown were memorable. Pity about
the 2 rounder with Pretty boy. John Brown, although the possibility exists that
he could still win the title, I entered him on the list because...well, it's my
list. Hey, you want political correctness? You came to the wrong page. Seriously,
brilliant displays against Gabe Ruelas and Angel Manfredy earned him a crack at
two titles. Too bad he fought a couple of guys named Mosley and Corrales who
clearly dwarfed him in size.
Honorable mention: Teruo Kosaka, Kang-Il Suh, Chucho Alonso, Lionel Hernandez.
Featherweight
Owen Moran (Eng) (2)
Nel Tarleton (Eng) (2)
Ray Famechon (Fra) (1)
Percy Bassett (USA) (0)
Flash Elorde (Phil) (1)
Spider Kelly (Ire) (0)
Mitsunori Seki (Jap) (4)
Art Hafey (Can) (0)
Jose Torres (Mex) (0)
Ruben Castillo (USA) (2)
Patrick Ford (Guy) (2)
Rocky Lockridge (USA) (2)
Bernard Taylor (USA) (2)
Marco A. Barrera (Mex) (0)
Erik Morales (Mex) (0)
Okay, gang, we go from thinish to thick with this Featherweight bunch and we start
with Owen Moran, a turn of the century fighter who fought 10 world champs in his
day, including wins over Battling Nelson, George Dixon and two draws with Abe
Attell for the title. Nel Tarleton, intermittently ruled the British Featherweight
roost from '30-'47, fought Freddie Miller twice for the world crown and retired
with a log of 116-20-8. Not bad for a pug with only one lung. Ray Famechon, a two
time Euro boss from '48-'55, this slick Frenchman went at it with Saddler and Pep,
the latter for the title. Held wins over Spider Kelly, Ronnie Clayton and Tiger Al
Phillips. Percy Bassett, was a fixture in the top ten from '49-'55. Tough as nails,
Bassett beat Jimmy Carter, Lew Jenkins, Harold Dade and Famechon without gaining a
shot for himself. Flash Elorde, at 21 and a veteran of 39 fights, Elorde went at
it with Saddler for the title, being stopped on cuts in a bout even on points.
This was a rematch of a bout six months earlier, in which the young Filipino upset
the titleholder in a non-title affair. He did not stay much longer at 126, but
Elorde made his impact. Billy (Spider) Kelly, was as fast and elusive as his
monicker suggests. British and Commonwealth Feather champ in the mid-'50's, Kelly
beat Hogan (Kid) Bassey, Roy Ankrah and Sammy McCarthy. Mitsunori Seki, broke into
the ratings as a Flyweight in 1960 and remained in the top ten until '68. Fought
Saldivar (twice), Sugar Ramos and Howard Winstone for the title, coming up short
each time. Also fought Chartchai Chionoi and Hiroshi Kobayashi. Art Hafey, at 5'2"
this little Canadian had but one way of fighting, and this bull-like style took
him to stoppage wins over Ruben Olivares, Alfredo Marcano and Famoso Gomez. His
size disadvantage was most evident in losses to Arguello and 'Little Red' Lopez.
Jose Torres, one of the deadliest bangers of his day. Had both Arguello and Lopez
on the canvas but couldn't keep them there. Took out top ten fighters Enrique
Garcia, Carlos Becerril and Saul Montana. Ruben Castillo, enjoyed success at two
weights. Went to the 15 round wire with Salvador Sanchez and lost to Juan LaPorte
when he had little left, both for the title. Beat contenders, Torres, Seeley and
Fel Clemente. Patrick Ford, Guyanan, FECARBOX and Commonwealth Featherweight champ.
Lost a razor close decision to Sanchez for the title that could easily have gone
the other way. Of course, his subsequent opportunity at Pedroza's share of the
crown was beyond dispute, ending in the 13th round. Held wins over Eddie Ndukwu,
Enrique Solis and Diego Alcala. Rocky Lockridge, this two time 130 lb. champ first
made waves as a Featherweight and battled it out in two disputed losses to Pedroza
for the title. Beat Goss, Clemente and Refugio Rojas on his way up the 126 lb.
ladder. Bernard Taylor, his Olympic dreams boycotted in '80, Taylor became a
brilliant professional who duked it out with Eusebio Pedroza in a 15 round draw.
His subsequent title opportunity saw him stopped in 8 by Barry McGuigan in a bout
in which he was ahead on points. Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales, okay,
okay, I realize I'm pushing matters here. After their brutal 12 rounder it's
perfectly obvious that either of these two could take a portion of the 126 lb.
crown if given the chance. So, I promise to pull their names when that day comes.
Honorable mention: Phil Zwick, Famoso Gomez, Sergio Palma, Leo Cruz.
Bantamweight
Aurel Toma (Rom) (0)
Chamrern Songkitrat (Thai) (3)
Leo Espinosa (Phil) (1)
Jose Medal (Mex) (2)
Bernardo Carraballo (Col) (2)
Alan Rudkin (Eng) (3)
Jesus Pimental (Mex) (1)
Famoso Gomez (Mex) (0)
Valentin Galeano (Par) (0)
Rogelio Lara (Mex) (1)
Venice Borkorsor (Thai) (2)
Alberto Sandoval (USA) (1)
Jiro Watanabe (Jap) (0)
Gilberto Roman (Mex) (0)
Khaosoi Galaxy (Thai) (0)
Awright, gang, 118 is rocking with talent and I can't hold 'em back, so let's begin
with Aurel Toma, a two time Euro champ from '36-'39 and a fighter who beat 6 world
champs in his stellar career yet, no opportunity for the little Romanian. Chamrern
Songkitrat, on the other hand, had talent plus political and financial backing to
his career, and gave Carruthers, Cohen and Macias a go of it in all of his efforts
for the crown. Leo Espinosa, after a highly productive run of it at 112, was a
fixture in the 118 ratings from '56-'62 and went head to head with Jofre and
Macias, the latter for the crown. Jose (Joe) Medal, despite never winning the
title, this fighter is still immersed in Mexican boxing lore to this day. Medal
fought twice for the crown, was rated amongst the big boys from '60-'67, fought 8
world champs, and beat Fighting Harada, Walter McGowan and Jesus Pimental. Bernardo
Carraballo, this rangy Columbian had the misfortune of, like Medal, Fighting Jofre
and Harada for the title. The throne and division was solid in the mid-sixties, but
Carraballo, who fought 7 world champs, still managed to beat Pascual Perez,
Chartchai Chionoi and Piero Rollo. Alan Rudkin, the British, Commonwealth and Euro
champ was a solid fixture at Bantam from '65-'72 and fought Harada, Rose and
Olivares for the crown, retiring with a solid 42-8 record. Beat McGowan, Johnny
Caldwell, Johnny Clark and Franco Zurlo. Jesus Pimental, try to imagine being rated
every year in the top ten from 1963, seeing two title opportunities go belly up, and
finally, at the ripe old age of 31 you get your shot at the crown. Unfortunately,
Ruben Olivares is standing in the other corner. Just plain bad luck. Famoso Gomez,
a veritable speed demon in the ring who took the measure of fighters of three
divisions. Although no title opportunity came his way, he did beat Rafael Herrera,
Danny Lopez, Fernando Cabanela, Valentin Galeano, Cesar Deciga and Fernando Atzori.
Valentin Galeano, a thick built tank of a Bantamweight who almost changed history
when he layed out Ruben Olivares in '71. Unfortunately for the hard punching
Paraguayan, Olivares got up. Rogelio Lara, another awesome Banty from south of the
border who toed the mark with Clemente Sanchez, Chucho Castillo, Rodolfo Martinez
and Romeo Anaya. The latter for the title, in which he lost a disputed split 15
rounder. Venice Borkorsor, the former Flyweight champ invaded the Bantams in '73,
beginning with a demolition job on former #1 contender Julio Guererro. Borkorsor
fought Herrera and Martinez both to split 15 round decisions. Alberto (Superfly)
Sandoval, was so gifted, if only he could have kept his head together. DQ'd against
Elisio Cosme for nailing him while he graced the canvas and KO'd by Alfonso Zamora
after having him out on his feet, courtesy of his awesome jab, only to pull another
Billy Conn. Lupe Pintor finally ended his run in the 12th round of their title
bout. Jiro Watanabe was an outstanding Super Flyweight (Jr. Bantam) champ from
Japan who never opted to cross the three pound threshold into the Bantam division.
This, despite impressive wins over Shoji Oguma, Gustavo Ballas and Payao Poontarat.
Gilberto Roman, who likewise was content to stay at the bastardized 115 lb. limit,
was an outstanding boxer, in a Miguel Canto mold, who beat Watanabe, Santo Laciar
and Sugar Baby Rojas. And of course there is Khaosoi Galaxy, of this hesitant trio
that never crossed the line. He retired with a record of 49-1, with wins over
Rafael Orono, Elly Pical and Israel Contreras.
Honorable mention: Johnny King, Freddie Gilroy, Raul Cruz, Cesar Deciga, Johnny
Clark, Danny Romero.
Flyweight
Tancy Lee (Scot) (1)
Jimmy Warnock (Ire) (0)
Joe Curran (Eng) (1)
Bunty Doran (Ire) (0)
Leo Espinosa (Phil) (2)
Halimi Gutierrez (Mex) (0)
Fernando Cabanela (Phil) (1)
Luis Estaba (Ven) (0)
Ignacio Espinal (DR) (1)
Martin Vargas (Chile) (3)
Yoko Gushiken (Jap) (0)
Jung Koo Chang (SK) (0)
Chiquita Gonzales (Mex) (0)
Michael Carbajal (USA) (0)
Ricardo Lopez (Mex) (0)
Okay, gang, we made it to 112, so lets square off with Tancy Lee. This tough little
Scot was British and Euro Flyweight champ and the only man to stop a peak Jimmy
Wilde. Not bad for a fighter who turned pro at 28. Jimmy Warnock, twice beat the
Scottish terror, Benny Lynch. The second time while Lynch was reigning world champ.
Joe Curran, packed in 156 fights between '32 and '48, beating Rinty Monaghan, Bunty
Doran and Jackie Paterson. Lost to Paterson when it counted for the title. Bunty
Doran, fought four world champs from Fly to Bantam, his win over reigning Flyweight
champ Paterson putting him on the fistic map. Leo Espinosa, before abandoning the
Flys to make his mark at 118, fought twice for the 112 lb. title, losing to Yoshio
Shirai and Pascual Perez. Also beat Shirai and Pone Kingpetch in non-title bouts.
Lorenzo (Halimi) Gutierrez, on the night he decked and beat reigning 112 lb. champ
Erbito Salavarria in '71, he was the best Flyweight on the planet. Hard to believe
with a #5 rating and a record of 58-7-2 going into that fight, a non-title affair
was the best he could get. Fernando Cabanela was a tall, rangy Filipino who went
15 with Masao Ohba for the 112 lb. title, and would go on to have a go at Soo-Hwan
Hong and Carlos Zarate for the Bantam crown. Also beat Gutierrez, Chartchai Chionoi
and Berkrerk Chartvanchai. Luis Estaba, the first in a long line of dominant Jr.
Flys. Although 34 by the time he won the title, he managed to make 12 defenses,
beating Franco Udella, Rafael Pedroza and Netrnoi Vorasingh. Ignacio Espinal of
the Dominican Republic was a classy boxer/puncher who enjoyed outstanding wins
over Betulio Gonzales, Valentin Martinez and Vicente Pool. But, was known more
for his torrid three bout series with Miguel Canto. Martin Vargas, this hard
punching Flyweight from Chile was unfortunate to have met Miguel Canto and Betulio
Gonzales in his quest for the title, even having a go at 108 before his day was
done. Held wins over world champs, Alfonso Lopez, Joey Olivo and Rafael Pedroza.
Yoko Gushiken was an anomaly...with tremendous backing. Jr. Fly champ in his 9th
pro bout, he dominated the 108 lb. scene for five years without ever hinting at
112, despite having the height and range for the division. Our loss. Held wins over
Juan Guzman, Jaime Rios, Alfonso Lopez, Martin Vargas and Pedro Flores. Jung Koo
Chang, the 'Korean Hawk', won the 108 lb. title on his second attempt and held
it through 15 title defenses. Along the way he beat Hilario Zapata, Sot Chitalda
and German Torres. Humberto (Chiquita) Gonzales, was a short, compact puncher who
won and lost the 108 lb. title 3 times. Amazingly, after losing his title the
second time to Michael Carbajal, he turned boxer and soundly beat Carbajal in their
second and third bouts. Also beat Chang and Melchor Cob Castro. Michael Carbajal,
a true warrior of the ring, will always be remembered for the 'Battle of the little
giants' showdown with Gonzales where he lifted the title after picking himself off
the canvas twice to stop Chiquita in 7. Still somewhat active today, Carbajal also
holds wins over Muangchoi Kittikasem and Cob Castro. And finally, one of the true
greats of the ring, Ricardo Lopez. Although languishing, in my opinion, at an
irrelevant weight such as 105, regardless if he made over 20 defenses, his style
and talent managed to show through the haze which was devoid of the talent that
brings out the best in a fighter. Wins over Hideyuki Ohashi, Alex Sanchez and
especially Saman Sorjaturong are fine, but it could have really made the boxing
world take notice if we had an Estaba, Gushiken, Chang, Gonzales, Carbajal and
Lopez all converged at 112 instead of diluting the talent pool down to 108 and
105.
Honorable mention: Dai Dower, Myung Woo Yuh, Saman Sorjaturong
Whewwww! Y'know, Fightnuts, I...am...bushed! After this, the old Fightnut is gonna
head out to the pub for a cold one. My mind is so tapped I don't wanna talk boxing,
I don't wanna read boxing, I don't wanna watch...wait a minute! The Lewis-Grant
fight is on tonight. What am I doing here?!
See ya next round