In a follow-up to a story reported earlier in the week, Floyd Mayweather Jr's name has been swirling in the middle of an ongoing investigation regarding a Monday night shooting outside of the Las Vegas Boulder Highway roller rink. Quincey Williams, 24, was the target and made allegations that Mayweather threatened his life less than an hour before shots were fired in the parking lot. Nobody was hurt.
Police issued a warrant and searched Mayweather's cars and home. Search warant documents were released on Thursday, revealing that two handguns, ammunition and two bulletproof vests were recovered Mayweather's home and two cars. One of the guns was loaded.
According to the Las Vegas Review Journal, Williams encountered Mayweather at the Crystal Palace Skating Center on Sunday night. Mayweather immediately confronted him over a text message that was sent two months ago. In the text message, Williams told Mayweather that he hoped he would lose.
Williams claims Mayweather told during the confrontation - "He's got enough money to get me hit." Williams said Mayweather was at the rink with two bodyguards. When Williams left with a friend about 30 to 45 minutes after the confrontation, several shots were fired at their car. The shots came from the direction of Mayweather and his bodyguards, who were also in the parking lot. Williams did not see the shooter and nobody was injured.
Las Vegas police spokesman Bill Cassell confirmed to the paper that Mayweather has been cooperative in their investigation and currently he is not a suspect in the shooting. Police are looking for a "known associate" of Mayweather Promotions, who goes under the nickname of "O.C."
Friday, August 28, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista Returns To The Ring on October 26
Fight fans who have been wondering whatever happened to the promising Rey “Boom Boom” Bautista after his disappointing knockout at the hands of WBO super bantamweight champion Daniel Ponce De Leon and his subsequent loss to Heriberto Ruiz, don’t need to wonder any longer.
The respected patron of the Ala Gym – Tony Aldeguer informed us that Boom Boom who was considered a future world champion by Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy Promotions is slowly getting back into shape for a scheduled return to the ring at the Waterfront Hotel on October 16 .
Bautista who has a record of 26-2 with 19 knockouts will challenge WBC International featherweight champion Rachamangol Sor Pleonchit of Thailand who has a record of 9-1 with 5 knockouts.
The Thai fighter who was an outstanding Muay Thai exponent prior to becoming a pro boxer won the vacant title with a 6th round knockout over South Korea’s No. 2 ranked In Suk Song at the Citizen Hall in Osan City last June 19. Pleonchit was also the former WBC Asian Boxing Council super bantamweight champion.
For years Bautista hid the fact that he had an injury in his left wrist which hurt every-time he threw a jab or a hook .It was only after the Ruiz fight that doctors discovered a rotten bone in his left hand which had to be removed and replaced by a piece of bone from his hip.
The hand has not yet healed completely but Boom Boom is working out to get in shape and to lose some of the excess weight he had naturally put on.
Tony Aldeguer said Bautista may start training but if the pain returns then the doctors will take another look at his hand.
Boom Boom, a terrific young fighter is slowly working out on the punch mitts and the heavy bag and will probably begin light sparring within a couple of weeks.
Its also been decided that Bautista will move up to fight as a featherweight at 126 pounds.
The respected patron of the Ala Gym – Tony Aldeguer informed us that Boom Boom who was considered a future world champion by Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy Promotions is slowly getting back into shape for a scheduled return to the ring at the Waterfront Hotel on October 16 .
Bautista who has a record of 26-2 with 19 knockouts will challenge WBC International featherweight champion Rachamangol Sor Pleonchit of Thailand who has a record of 9-1 with 5 knockouts.
The Thai fighter who was an outstanding Muay Thai exponent prior to becoming a pro boxer won the vacant title with a 6th round knockout over South Korea’s No. 2 ranked In Suk Song at the Citizen Hall in Osan City last June 19. Pleonchit was also the former WBC Asian Boxing Council super bantamweight champion.
For years Bautista hid the fact that he had an injury in his left wrist which hurt every-time he threw a jab or a hook .It was only after the Ruiz fight that doctors discovered a rotten bone in his left hand which had to be removed and replaced by a piece of bone from his hip.
The hand has not yet healed completely but Boom Boom is working out to get in shape and to lose some of the excess weight he had naturally put on.
Tony Aldeguer said Bautista may start training but if the pain returns then the doctors will take another look at his hand.
Boom Boom, a terrific young fighter is slowly working out on the punch mitts and the heavy bag and will probably begin light sparring within a couple of weeks.
Its also been decided that Bautista will move up to fight as a featherweight at 126 pounds.
McTavish: Sonsona a Bigger Puncher Than Pacquiao at 115
Internationally respected New Zealand referee Bruce McTavish believes that WBO super flyweight challenger “Marvelous” Marvin Sonsona who battles veteran Jose “Carita” Lopez for his title at the Rama Casino in Ontario, Canada on September 4 “is more powerful than (Manny) Pacquiao” when Pacquiao was at that weight..
In an interview conducted at the Orchid Inn in Angeles City by Australia’s “Promoter of the Year” Peter Maniatis who hosts a popular weekly show titled “KO Boxing” in Sydney, McTavish clarified his comment by saying that “a lot of people think that Pacquiao is just a knockout artist. Pacquiao boxes, he uses his speed, he’s lateral movement.”
McTavish described the 19 year old Sonsona who is undefeated with a record of 13-0 with 12 knockouts as “more of a stand-up fighter and believe it or not he looks like a rod, he’s so skinny. But the kid is so powerful.”
The international referee who lives in Angeles City recalled that he refereed Sonsona’s last fight against former WBC interim champion Wandee Singwancha of Thailand and after the first round McTavish thought “this will be a very close fight and he turned around in the second round and knocked him (Wandee) out cold.”
The concern McTavish had was the fact that Sonsona, according to his manager as well as his trainers was 125 pounds which is ten pounds over the limit and with the long hours in flight and the fact that they have just ten days before the fight, it could be risky. However, Donaire Sr said he was confident the weight would be no problem..
Sonsona leaves for Canada on Tuesday along with trainers Nonito Donaire Sr and Jun Agrabio, his manager Dr. Rajan Yraola and Filipino promoter Sammy Gello-ani.
The 37 year old Lopez is a brawler and a fighter who can take a punch and has a record of 39-7-2 with 32 knockouts which means he has had four times the number of fight that Sonsona has engaged in although he is almost twice Sonsona’s age..
In an interview conducted at the Orchid Inn in Angeles City by Australia’s “Promoter of the Year” Peter Maniatis who hosts a popular weekly show titled “KO Boxing” in Sydney, McTavish clarified his comment by saying that “a lot of people think that Pacquiao is just a knockout artist. Pacquiao boxes, he uses his speed, he’s lateral movement.”
McTavish described the 19 year old Sonsona who is undefeated with a record of 13-0 with 12 knockouts as “more of a stand-up fighter and believe it or not he looks like a rod, he’s so skinny. But the kid is so powerful.”
The international referee who lives in Angeles City recalled that he refereed Sonsona’s last fight against former WBC interim champion Wandee Singwancha of Thailand and after the first round McTavish thought “this will be a very close fight and he turned around in the second round and knocked him (Wandee) out cold.”
The concern McTavish had was the fact that Sonsona, according to his manager as well as his trainers was 125 pounds which is ten pounds over the limit and with the long hours in flight and the fact that they have just ten days before the fight, it could be risky. However, Donaire Sr said he was confident the weight would be no problem..
Sonsona leaves for Canada on Tuesday along with trainers Nonito Donaire Sr and Jun Agrabio, his manager Dr. Rajan Yraola and Filipino promoter Sammy Gello-ani.
The 37 year old Lopez is a brawler and a fighter who can take a punch and has a record of 39-7-2 with 32 knockouts which means he has had four times the number of fight that Sonsona has engaged in although he is almost twice Sonsona’s age..
Monday, August 24, 2009
Vernon Forrest's Killers To Face The Death Penalty
Justice will be served. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that all three of the men responsible for the July 25 robbery/murder of former champion Vernon Forrest will face the death penalty. The Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard informed the paper that all three of the men will be indicted on Tuesday. Charmon Sinkfield, 30, Jquante Crews, 25, and DeMario Ware, 20, are all going face the ultimate price for their roles in tragedy that took place near gas station in Atlanta, Georgia.
Sinkfield is the alleged shooter who pumped seven to eight bullets into Forrest. Ware is alleged to have been the robber and Crews drove the get-away-car.
"I want to say to people in general, Fulton County is not the place to do this type of thing,” Howard said. “We’re trying to hold criminals accountable.”
Sinkfield is the alleged shooter who pumped seven to eight bullets into Forrest. Ware is alleged to have been the robber and Crews drove the get-away-car.
"I want to say to people in general, Fulton County is not the place to do this type of thing,” Howard said. “We’re trying to hold criminals accountable.”
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Malignaggi Calls Out Boxing For Being The Corrupt Mess That It Is (Fight Replay)
Juan Diaz and Paulie Malignaggi fought last night on HBO's Boxing After Dark. Malignaggi lost a very controversial unanimous decision to Diaz, the hometown fighter in Houston, Texas. David Sutherland scored the fight 116-112, Raul Caiz scored it 115-113 and Gale Van Hoy scored it 118-110, obviously all in favor of Diaz.
After the fight, Malignaggi had some strong words for the judges, and boxing in general. Max Kellerman tried to reign him in, probably for his own good, but Malignaggi was not to be stopped. He was quite
The NY Daily News certainly isn't unbiased either, as Malignaggi is from Brooklyn, but they pointed out some interesting facts that skewed the fight towards Diaz from the beginning:
"Van Hoy is from Texas, Sutherland is from Oklahoma and Caiz is a Mexican-American, sharing the same ethnicity as Diaz. The referee, Laurence Cole, is from Texas, and the ring was of the smaller variety (18 feet), stacking the deck entirely against Malignaggi."
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Thursday, August 20, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Juan Manuel Lopez Extends Contract With Top Rank
Undefeated world champion Juan Manuel Lopez of Puerto Rico today signed to extend his promotional contract with Top Rank.Todd duBoef, president of Top Rank, made the announcement.
Juanma Lopez, 26, is a rising star with a record of 26-0, 24 KOs. He is the WBO Junior Featherweight champion and is 5-0 with five knockouts in world title bouts. Lopez has an impressive combination of size, skill, strength, speed, power and poise in the ring with an extensive amateur background that began at the age of 10 and progressed to the highest levels.
Lopez was named the 2008 'Puerto Rico Fighter of the Year.' He is next scheduled to fight on October 10, taking on tough challenger Rogers Mtagwa of Philadelphia on a Top Rank championship fight card at the WAMU Theatre inside Madison Square Garden in New York City.
DuBoef said "there is a great lineage of Puerto Rico superstars - Wilfredo Gomez, Tito Trinidad and Miguel Cotto. It is a pleasure that that Juanma and Top Rank will work together to get him to become one of the greatest of all-time on the island.
"Juanma has had a meteoric rise in his first five years. We believe Juanma's future is very bright for him and for the sport of boxing on the island," duBoef said.
Ivan Calderon, Rodel Mayol Vow Revenge on Sept. 12
SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO- WBO junior flyweight champion, Ivan “Iron Boy” Calderon will defen hist title in a rematch next September 12 against dangerous Rodel Mayol in the card “Undefeated Champions” presented by PR Best Boxing Promotions in the Coliseo de Puerto Rico Jose Miguel Agrelot, that will bring also the first defense of the WBO junior lightweight champion Roman “Rocky” Martinez.
Unbeaten Calderon (32-0-1 6KO’s), from Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, will face Mayol (25-3-1, 19 KO’s) in a rematch of their June 13 fight when after an accidental headbutt and a hurt on the head of Calderon the bout was stopped and ended in a technical draw after six rounds.
“I made many mistakes in the other fight when I wants to impress the fans and the TV, but this time I’m going to do my job, my boxing that in hit and not to hit me”, said Calderon in a press conference today.
Mayol, who came to Puerto Rico with his manager Michael Konez, said that “I am training very hard for this fight because I want the title and I know that I will win the title on September 12”.
Meanwhile, Martinez (22-0-1, 13 KO’s) will defende his WBO 130 pounds title versus an opponent that will be announced in the next days.
Unbeaten Calderon (32-0-1 6KO’s), from Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, will face Mayol (25-3-1, 19 KO’s) in a rematch of their June 13 fight when after an accidental headbutt and a hurt on the head of Calderon the bout was stopped and ended in a technical draw after six rounds.
“I made many mistakes in the other fight when I wants to impress the fans and the TV, but this time I’m going to do my job, my boxing that in hit and not to hit me”, said Calderon in a press conference today.
Mayol, who came to Puerto Rico with his manager Michael Konez, said that “I am training very hard for this fight because I want the title and I know that I will win the title on September 12”.
Meanwhile, Martinez (22-0-1, 13 KO’s) will defende his WBO 130 pounds title versus an opponent that will be announced in the next days.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Ulises Solis Confirms 9/15 Return, Wants Viloria
Former champion Ulises "Archie" Solis (28-2, 20KOs) has confirmed his return on September 15 in Mexico. Solis will appear on the Jorge Arce-Simphiwe Nongqayi undercard. Solis has been medically cleared after suffering having a surgical procedure for an eyebrow injury that has plagued him for a long time.
Brian Viloria broke Solis' long title run in April by handing the Mexican fighter the second loss of his career, and the first by knockout, in the eleventh round to win the IBF junior flyweight title. The fight was held at the Araneta Coliseum in Metro Manila, Philippines. Solis hopes to get a rematch and wants it to take place in Mexico.
Brian Viloria broke Solis' long title run in April by handing the Mexican fighter the second loss of his career, and the first by knockout, in the eleventh round to win the IBF junior flyweight title. The fight was held at the Araneta Coliseum in Metro Manila, Philippines. Solis hopes to get a rematch and wants it to take place in Mexico.
Nonito Donaire vs Jorge Arce on December 12?
Nonito Donaire Sr, the father of Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire said his son fought an “intelligent fight” against Panama’s tough Rafael “El Torito” Concepcion even as he suspected that Nonito Jr hurt his left hand early in the fight and that’s why he couldn’t win by a knockout.
Donaire Sr who trained his son and honed his skills to become world IBF/IBO flyweight champion but parted ways after an apparent misunderstanding following Donaire’s second title defense, told BoxingScene.com, insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports that his son followed “what we worked on before. He did the right thing but he missed a lot of punches.”
While following the action on television, Donaire Sr said “I thought he had a problem with his hand and that is why he didn’t land his punches.” Donaire noted that its his left hand which bothers him and although he’s power is in his left, “I know he has a pretty strong right hand too.”
Donaire Sr who is currently training undefeated 19 year old prospect “Marvelous” Marvin Sonsona for his WBO super flyweight title fight against champion Jose “Carita” Lopez in Canada on September 4 said he felt Nonito could have knocked out Concepcion with a couple of right hands but decided to box him and stay out of trouble.
The father and former trainer said “the good thing is that he was in good shape and Concepcion couldn’t reach him” as he kept moving out of harm’s way.
At the same time Nonito Donaire Sr said that even though he and his son haven’t communicated with each other for some time now, he was “still very happy that he won.”
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum is hoping that Donaire’s injured hand heals quickly enough so he could resume training and be ready for “Pinoy Power 3” which Arum plans to stage on December 12 with the possibility that Donaire may take on Mexican warrior Jorge Arce.
Arum is also planning another card on October 17 at the same venue, the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas which drew a predominantly Filipino crowd for the fights headlined by Donaire’s WBA super flyweight interim title fight against Rafael “El Torito” Concepcion.
Donaire Sr who trained his son and honed his skills to become world IBF/IBO flyweight champion but parted ways after an apparent misunderstanding following Donaire’s second title defense, told BoxingScene.com, insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports that his son followed “what we worked on before. He did the right thing but he missed a lot of punches.”
While following the action on television, Donaire Sr said “I thought he had a problem with his hand and that is why he didn’t land his punches.” Donaire noted that its his left hand which bothers him and although he’s power is in his left, “I know he has a pretty strong right hand too.”
Donaire Sr who is currently training undefeated 19 year old prospect “Marvelous” Marvin Sonsona for his WBO super flyweight title fight against champion Jose “Carita” Lopez in Canada on September 4 said he felt Nonito could have knocked out Concepcion with a couple of right hands but decided to box him and stay out of trouble.
The father and former trainer said “the good thing is that he was in good shape and Concepcion couldn’t reach him” as he kept moving out of harm’s way.
At the same time Nonito Donaire Sr said that even though he and his son haven’t communicated with each other for some time now, he was “still very happy that he won.”
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum is hoping that Donaire’s injured hand heals quickly enough so he could resume training and be ready for “Pinoy Power 3” which Arum plans to stage on December 12 with the possibility that Donaire may take on Mexican warrior Jorge Arce.
Arum is also planning another card on October 17 at the same venue, the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas which drew a predominantly Filipino crowd for the fights headlined by Donaire’s WBA super flyweight interim title fight against Rafael “El Torito” Concepcion.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Roy Jones Batters Jeff Lacy Over Eleven Rounds
At the Gulf Coast Arena in Biloxi, Mississippi, Roy Jones Jr. (54-5, 40KOs) stopped Jeff Lacy (25-3, 17KOs) after ten rounds of action.Lacy came out winging bombs. He tried going to the body and tried banging away at Jones against the ropes. The veteran Jones was able to block most of punches. Jones began to open up in the second, landing some good combos as Lacy came in while trying to apply the pressure. Lacy continued to press forward in the third, he was getting hit with a lot counter punches combinations from Jones. Jones dominated the fourth, landing sometimes at will as Lacy had no answers. Lacy missing many attemps in the fifth, and Jones making him pay often in a another dominating round.
Round six and seven was more of the same, Lacy was too slow with his punches to catch up with Jones, who mananged to use his speed advantage to get off with power punches, quick flurries and bodyshots all night. During the eight, Lacy began to take a lot of damage. Both of his eyes were swelling shut and Jones was starting to play to the crowd as he launched quick punches and combinations. Not much from Lacy in the ninth as he took yet another pounding from Jones. Lacy seemed to be spent at this point and it's a miracle the fight was not stopped. Lacy took another bad beating during the tenth. He was barely able to see from his swelling face. His corner stopped the fight before the start of the eleventh.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Womens Boxing Added to 2012 Olympic Games
(COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO.) – The International Olympic Committee Executive Board announced today that the sport of women’s boxing will be added to the schedule for the 2012 Olympic Games in London, England. Boxing was previously the only summer sport on the Olympic docket without a female counterpart.
“We are thrilled that the IOC Executive Committee has voted to add women’s boxing events to the 2012 Olympic Program. The ‘yes’ vote means that female boxers will now be able to share in the dream of standing on the world’s most prestigious sporting podium,” said USA Boxing Women’s Task Force Chair and AIBA Women’s Commission member Christy Halbert. “It’s a historic event, marking the first time that all of the summer Olympic sports will have female participants. The Olympic Games, will, from now on, truly showcase the world’s best talent.”
Female boxers will compete at three weights in London, flyweight (106 lbs-112 lbs), lightweight (123 lbs-132 lbs) and middleweight (152 lbs-165 pounds), with 12 boxers boxing in each of three divisions. “The addition of women’s boxing means that we finally have a truly universal Olympic Games,” AIBA President Dr. Chung-Kuo Wu said. “Nevertheless, we will strive to ensure a very successful first Olympic Games for women in London in order that the number of women participating in future Olympic Games may increase.”
Halbert echoes President Wu’s sentiment on the future growth of women’s boxing within the Olympic Games. “With the announcement of only a small amount of weight categories for women, the work toward fairness continues,” Halbert added. “This is a first step toward recognizing that women boxers are an important addition to the Olympic family. The 2012 Olympics will undoubtedly send a strong and inspiring message that all athletes are valued in Olympic sports, regardless of their gender.”
The addition of the 36 female boxers will necessitate the removal of one weight category in men’s competition, meaning there will be only 10 men’s weight classes. “USA Boxing is extremely excited for all of the female boxers across the country that have been training and preparing for this day, but we also realize that it has an unfortunate impact on the men’s program,” commented USA Boxing Acting Executive Director Mike Martino. “This change will require a great deal of planning by the national office with the addition of female boxers and the unfortunate reduction of male boxers who will enjoy the opportunity to compete in the Olympic Games, but we will ensure that all our athletes are prepared for competition at the highest level.”
AIBA petitioned the IOC for the inclusion of women’s boxing prior to both the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games following the first-ever Women’s World Championships, which was held in 2001 in Scranton, Pa. According to AIBA, over 120 countries participate in women’s boxing worldwide. The reduction to 10 men’s weight classes is the second cut in weight divisions for the sport in the past decade, following the move from 12 to 11 weight divisions for the addition of women’s wrestling in 2004.
USA Boxing, as the national governing body for Olympic-style boxing, is the United States’ member organization of the International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA) and a member of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC). It is responsible for the selection and management of the United States Olympic Boxing Team, and for the governance and oversight of USA Boxing’s national organization of 38,000 members, 1,400 individual boxing clubs, and 1,600 sanctioned events annually.
“We are thrilled that the IOC Executive Committee has voted to add women’s boxing events to the 2012 Olympic Program. The ‘yes’ vote means that female boxers will now be able to share in the dream of standing on the world’s most prestigious sporting podium,” said USA Boxing Women’s Task Force Chair and AIBA Women’s Commission member Christy Halbert. “It’s a historic event, marking the first time that all of the summer Olympic sports will have female participants. The Olympic Games, will, from now on, truly showcase the world’s best talent.”
Female boxers will compete at three weights in London, flyweight (106 lbs-112 lbs), lightweight (123 lbs-132 lbs) and middleweight (152 lbs-165 pounds), with 12 boxers boxing in each of three divisions. “The addition of women’s boxing means that we finally have a truly universal Olympic Games,” AIBA President Dr. Chung-Kuo Wu said. “Nevertheless, we will strive to ensure a very successful first Olympic Games for women in London in order that the number of women participating in future Olympic Games may increase.”
Halbert echoes President Wu’s sentiment on the future growth of women’s boxing within the Olympic Games. “With the announcement of only a small amount of weight categories for women, the work toward fairness continues,” Halbert added. “This is a first step toward recognizing that women boxers are an important addition to the Olympic family. The 2012 Olympics will undoubtedly send a strong and inspiring message that all athletes are valued in Olympic sports, regardless of their gender.”
The addition of the 36 female boxers will necessitate the removal of one weight category in men’s competition, meaning there will be only 10 men’s weight classes. “USA Boxing is extremely excited for all of the female boxers across the country that have been training and preparing for this day, but we also realize that it has an unfortunate impact on the men’s program,” commented USA Boxing Acting Executive Director Mike Martino. “This change will require a great deal of planning by the national office with the addition of female boxers and the unfortunate reduction of male boxers who will enjoy the opportunity to compete in the Olympic Games, but we will ensure that all our athletes are prepared for competition at the highest level.”
AIBA petitioned the IOC for the inclusion of women’s boxing prior to both the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games following the first-ever Women’s World Championships, which was held in 2001 in Scranton, Pa. According to AIBA, over 120 countries participate in women’s boxing worldwide. The reduction to 10 men’s weight classes is the second cut in weight divisions for the sport in the past decade, following the move from 12 to 11 weight divisions for the addition of women’s wrestling in 2004.
USA Boxing, as the national governing body for Olympic-style boxing, is the United States’ member organization of the International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA) and a member of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC). It is responsible for the selection and management of the United States Olympic Boxing Team, and for the governance and oversight of USA Boxing’s national organization of 38,000 members, 1,400 individual boxing clubs, and 1,600 sanctioned events annually.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
The Top 25 Flyweights of All-Time
The Eight, Pt. 1
For any new boxing fan, the time is not long before a fellow fan points out a magic number which grows more mythologized with time: eight. As in boxing’s original eight weight classes. The number represents in the mind of many a time when the sport was compressed into fields which couldn’t help but be talented, couldn’t help but draw crowds, because there were so few places on the scale to go. They were divisions marked by single champions ever challenged by a depth of contenders today’s seventeen weight classes rarely know.
Reflection and research reveals this was not always the case, but it was true often enough to bestow a mystique on boxing’s ‘original eight weight classes’ which carries through to the modern day. As good as they can be, as great as some of their competitors have been and still are, weight classes prefixed by a “Jr.” designation will always be seen some as bastard spawn which took something away from the game no matter what they added.
Even with classes taking up space in between the old markers, the eight continue to provide memories and spilled blood today. Over the course of this series, homage is paid to boxing’s original eight by identifying the best of their lot through the years.
Flyweight
25) Guty Espadas (1971-84)
24) Yoshio Shirai (1943-55)
23) Jackie Paterson (1938-51)
22) Rinty Monaghan (1934-49)
21) Sot Chitalada (1983-92)
20) Mark Johnson (1990-2006)
19) Yuri Arbachakov (1990-97)
18) Chartchai Chionoi (1959-75)
17) Peter Kane (1934-51)
16) Newsboy Brown (1922-33)
15) Pone Kingpetch (1954-66)
14) Hiroyuki Ebihara (1959-69)
13) Betulio Gonzalez (1968-88)
12) Santos Laciar (1976-90)
11) Fighting Harada (1960-70)
10) Horacio Accavallo (1956-67)
Record: 75-2-6, 34 KO
WBA Titlist 1966-67, 3 Defenses
Flyweight Champions/Titlists Faced – 3: (Salvatore Burruni, Hiroyuki Ebihara, Efren Torres)
One of the greats of the 1960s, the southpaw Accavallo never lost in his native Argentina. Of course, fighting mostly in Argentina meant a lot of non-descript opposition but he squeezed in a fair share of quality. Accavallo won two of three non-title affair against Burruni, all of them going the distance, with wins in Burruni’s native Italy and his own Buenos Aires. In 1966, he traveled to Japan to narrowly outpoint Katsuyoshi Takayama for the vacant WBA belt and then brought one of Japan’s best home three fights later, posting a unanimous decision over Ebihara in his first defense. A couple of years before Efren Torres would begin his epic rivalry against Chartchai Chionoi, Accavallo gave him his first shot at gold, retaining via unanimous decision. In a shocker, Accavallo would follow the Torres win with a non-title sixth round TKO loss in Japan. It would be, in his 81st professional start, the only stoppage defeat in his career which would hold only two more starts. In his farewell bout, Accavallo would retain his crown for the second time against Ebihara, a debated split decision in Buenos Aires which convinced Accavallo to hang up his gloves just shy of his 34th birthday.
Why He’s Here: Accavallo was a brilliant boxer-puncher who stood out in a tremendously talented era in the Flyweight division. His numbers are clearly phenomenal but he lacks just slightly in comparison to other greats on this list for not facing more of the top men of his time. The men in front of him on this list did not and while most picked up more losses than Accavallo, they also had a greater depth of defining victories to call their own.
9) Masao Ohba (1966-73)
Record: 35-2-1, 16 KO
WBA Titlist 1970-73, 5 Defenses
Flyweight Titlists/Champions Faced – 5: (Bernabe Villacampo, Berkrerk Chartvanchai, Betulio Gonzalez, Susumu Hangata, Chartchai Chinoi)
Like the great Featherweight Salvador Sanchez or fellow Flyweight great Pancho Villa, Japan’s Ohba is a case of a great fighter cut short of what could have been more. Killed in a tragic car accident just weeks after his fifth title defense, Ohba was only 23 years old and yet had left already an indelible mark on Flyweight history. Wildly exciting with the ability to get his man out of there or outwork them the full route behind a schooled left jab, Ohba left the victor in 25 of his first 28 contests to earn a crack at Charvanchai. He made good, handing the Thai only his second loss, and first by stoppage. He maintained his winning ways through to the end of his career. He made his first defense with a decision against Betulio Gonzalez in 1971 and avenged one of his two career defeats against Susumu Hanagata in 1972. Later in the same year, he won a war with contender Orlando Amores in arguably his most memorable brawl, a savage five round affair. Two fights later, he left one last battle for the world, stopping the blood and guts Chionoi in thirteen.
Why He’s Here: Ohba left the scene so early it’s hard to say what would have happened. Would he have flamed out early as so many in the lowest classes do or gone on to disrupt the history which unfolded. The 1970s produced an excellent Flyweight class which included Shoji Oguma, Venice Borkhorsor, and Miguel Canto among others. Would Ohba have had the chance to unify the crown and, if he had, could any of those men have become what they eventually were? It’s the sort of tantalizing question which only the imagination can answer. Without those answers, there was still enough on his ledger to suggest genuine greatness and Ohba’s exclusion from the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) to date is hard to fathom.
8) Midget Wolgast (1925-40)
Record: 136-35-16, 17 KO (19 No Decisions, 1 No Contest)
NYSAC Titlist 1930-35, 3 Defenses
Flyweight Titlists/Champions Faced – 7: (Izzy Schwartz, Johnny McCoy, Pinky Silverberg, Willie LaMorte, Newsboy Brown, Frankie Genaro, Small Montana)
Wolgast, standing just over 5’3, was one of the ring’s greatest defensive geniuses with a chin to go with it. He was stopped only five times in 215 bouts. Three of those in came in his last seven bouts and one in his first ten. Born Joseph Robert Loscalzo, Wolgast was the son of a fighter and took on a ring name which suggested greatness as soon as he stepped between the ropes. Wolgast lived up to the billing, winning or contesting in more battles against top competition than this small space could ever provide justice to. A best attempt is made to define some of the career highlights. Wolgast garnered his first major title try under the then-powerful New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) banner, outpointing the outstanding Black Bill over fifteen rounds in March 1930. He would fight eleven more times, that year, losing only in a non-title points affair to Newsboy Brown and defeating Silverberg, LaMorte, and the tough Speedy Dado en route to a Madison Square Garden unification with National Boxing Association (NBA) champion Frankie Genaro. Their contest was ruled a draw, maintaining a disputed World title scene which held for a decade from 1927-37. Wolgast would rarely venture below the Flyweight line again, pursuing bigger game over the years and extending Bantamweight champion Lou Salica, future three division king Henry Armstrong, and tough Lightweight Lou Feldman the distance in losing efforts. While the NYSAC stripped Wolgast in 1934, Small Montana still staked a claim to the belt in 1935 with a points win in Wolgast’s final, ill-advised Flyweight encounter. He would avenge the loss above the Flyweight limit later in the year.
Why He’s Here: Wolgast’s standing here could have been slightly improved by a unified crown and more impressive title run, but it’s hard to say given the men ahead of him. It’s also hard to say he could have improved on a ring tenure as deep and impressive as what he amassed. Looking only at the various Flyweight title claimants he faced, only Brown and Genaro whom he faced one time each could officially keep him from the winner’s circle at least once. Schwartz did as well, but only because of no-contest rules in place in parts of the U.S. in the 1920s; the newspaper decision favored Wolgast. Wolgast was inducted into the IBHOF in 2001.
7) Benny Lynch (1931-38)
Record: 81-12-15, 34 KO
World Champion 1937-38, 1 Defense
NBA/BBBofC Titlist 1936-37, 1 Defense
Flyweight Titlists/Champions Faced – 3: (Jackie Brown, Small Montana, Peter Kane)
Lynch was the arguably the greatest fighter ever produced by Scotland and it would be hard to find much argument at that. While brief in years, Lynch’s career was marked by thrilling wars, subtle defense, and some massive crowds. It was Lynch who would end any dispute about who the champion at 112 lbs. was after a decade of leathered debate. He began his ascent in 1935 with a second round destruction of the veteran Brown to snare recognition from the NBA and British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) as champion. He fought eight non-title bouts in his next nine, losing only once on points, to set up a unification showdown with Montana, the NYSAC title claimant. At famed Wembley, Lynch would win over fifteen in January 1937 and make his most famed defense in October of the same. In front of some 40,000 screaming Scotsman at Shawfield Park in October of 1937, Lynch outdueled Peter Kane in one of the all-time Flyweight classics, stopping the Brit in thirteen. Kane would never make Flyweight again, weighing in near 120 lbs. for the Kane rematch, a March 1938 draw, and losing the title on the scales even as he defeated the talented Jackie Jurich by twelfth round stoppage a few months later. Lynch would fight only twice more, losing both and being stopped for the only time in his career to bid the ring farewell. He was just 25 years old and would die penniless six years later battling alcoholism and malnutrition.
Why He’s Here: Lynch is one of the most storied names in Flyweight history for a reason as the memories of his fights carried over time. So too does a lack of depth on his record. While there are spots of genuine excellence, Lynch missed quite a few of the top names of his time and occasionally suffered losses to men who, historically, couldn’t shine his ring boots. Still, from a 1932 mark of 25-6-7 to the Montana fight where he entered 73-8-14, he was all but unbeatable. Even past his best and vexed by the scale, the fact he was still able to beat a serious contender like Jurich spoke volumes about the warrior Lynch was. Benny Lynch was inducted into the IBHOF in 1998.
6) Pascual Perez (1952-64)
Record: 84-7-1, 57 KO
World Champion 1954-60, 9 Defenses
Flyweight Titlists/Champions Faced – 3: (Yoshio Shirai, Pone Kingpetch, Efren Torres)
Standing 4’11 is usually not a recipe for being a bad ass but Perez defied such categorization. The 1948 Olympic Gold Medalist from Argentina built one of the finest legacies ever at 112 and he didn’t waste time in doing so once he got started. In December 1952, Perez made his professional debut at age 26, more than four years removed from the U.K. Games. Perez ran off 23 straight wins, 22 by knockout, before a non-title draw with Flyweight Champion Yoshio Shirai in July of 1954. The result was enough to earn him a crack at the crown and in November, 1954 he headed to Japan and wrested the title away from Shirai by unanimous decision. With less than two years as a professional, he was the king at 112 lbs. and would stay that way for just shy of six years, making only nine defenses but also winning numerous non-title starts. Perez would not suffer a pro defeat until January 1959 when, entering 51-0-1, he would fall to upstart Sadao Yaoita by a ten-round decision in Yaoita’s Japanese homeland. Perez did not let the blemish slide, returning to Japan later in the year for November showdown. Perez came off the floor in the second round to stop Yaoita in the thirteenth. It would be his last great night as champion. In his very next bout, then age 34, Perez would lose his crown on a split decision to Kingpetch and in the return, making his first start in the U.S., Perez would suffer his first knockout loss in eight rounds. Perez was done as champion but not as a fighter. From 1961-63, Perez would win 28 in a row before journeyman Leo Zulueta stopped the streak with a split decision and began the drawing of the curtain, the first of four losses in six contests which included a knockout loss to a rising future champion Efren Torres.
Why He’s Here: As is often the case, boxing trades off between deep eras of relative parity and dominant champions. It’s a chicken and egg question as to whether the dominance reflects a weaker era or just a truly special fighter. Perez was certainly the latter but there were elements of the former. Perez had his share of legitimate challengers, men like Dai Dower, Oscar Suarez, and Leo Espinosa, but he lacked for the rivals of the decades which preceded and followed him. He made the most of it regardless, displaying a naked aggression and two fisted power rarely seen in any class and making a case, alongside Middleweight Carlos Monzon, as Argentina’s finest prizefighter. One can only wonder how much more impressive his resume, and already staggering numbers, might have been had he elected for a professional career straight out of the 1948 Games. Those are four youthful years worth pondering. Perez was inducted into the IBHOF in 1995.
5) Frankie Genaro (1920-34)
Record: 83-20-8, 20 KO (22 No Decisions)
NBA Titlist 1928-29, 3 Defenses; 1929-31, 8 Defenses
Flyweight Titlists/Champions Faced – 8: (Pancho Villa, Willie LaMorte, Fidel LaBarba, Newsboy Brown, Frenchy Belanger, Emile Pladner, Midget Wolgast, Victor Perez)
Genaro didn’t win them all but he could almost say he fought them all at Flyweight. Never weighing much more than 116 lbs., he added some of the finest Bantamweights and Featherweights of his day to the ledger as well. Born Frankie DiGennara in New York City in 1901, Genaro represented the U.S. at the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, Belgium and brought home the Gold before venturing into the paid ranks. Winning most of his contests, his biggest early break may have come in 1922 with a ten-round points win in his second of three fights with the great Pancho Villa. He’d equal the feat the following year in fifteen rounds, capturing the American Flyweight title, as part of a fifteen fight campaign in 1923 which featured a newspaper win over Bantamweight great Bud Taylor and only one newspaper loss. Weighing in as a Bantamweight, he’d add wins over the excellent Bushy Graham and Hall of Famer Kid Williams in 1924 and 25 before losing his American crown at 112 to LaBarba in a showdown of Olympic champions. He followed by dropping a decision to Newsboy Brown. It would be over two years before he claimed Gold again, when he avenged a loss to Frankie Belanger from a few months prior to claim the NBA share of the World title in 1928, squeezing a win over LaMorte between the two bouts. A shocking first round knockout loss to Pladner kicked off a shaky 1929, though it was immediately revenged, and the title regained, just six weeks later on a controversial disqualification. Genaro followed with a loss to the excellent Willie Davies in a non-title affair before returning to defense of his crown. As noted previously, no winner could be found in an attempted 1930 title unification with Wolgast and Genaro began inching towards his end when stopped in two by Victor Perez for his title. It was the first of six losses in Genaro’s final eleven contests.
Why He’s Here: Genaro can be a hard fighter to characterize amongst his most honored peers. At his best he was a great fighter but he could be inconsistent, losing to men he shouldn’t along way. And yet when one looks at his record, they find almost everyone who counted for a generation, maybe the greatest generation, at 112 lbs. He usually came up biggest with titles on the line indicating a gamer of highest order. He had tremendous speed and technique, outworking dangerous fare without much of a knockout punch to back his play, and a keen fighting mind. Even well past his prime, and after losing his NBA title, there he was schooling a young future Featherweight champion, Joey Archibald, in 1933. He was stopped only four times in 131 starts, 3 of those in the same final eleven which marked his quick decline. Genaro was inducted in the IBHOF in 1998.
4) Miguel Canto (1969-82)
Record: 61-9-4, 15 KO
Lineal World Champion/WBC Titlist 1975-79
Flyweight Titlists/Champions Faced – 5: (Betulio Gonzalez, Shoji Oguma, Antonio Avelar, Chan-Hee Park, Gabriel Bernal)
Canto turned pro at 21 and began what would be a four year climb through the ranks towards his first major title shot, honing a craft which rates him with some of the great defensive wizards of all-time. When Venice Borkhorsor vacated the crown in 1973, Canto was matched with Betulio Gonzalez for the vacant WBC belt and dropped a majority decision. It would the last title fight he’d lose for a long time. He defeated Gonzalez’s conqueror, Shoji Oguma, for the title and avenged the Gonzalez loss in his first defense, both wins in the early months of 1975 and added a non-title win over future 108 lb. titlist Lupe Madera. In 1976, he bested a recent WBA titlist in Hanagata and then finished his rivalry with Gonzalez by capturing a narrow split decision. Two wins against the tough Martin Vargas, and two more versus Oguma stood out in 1977 and 78 and he made his last of a then-record 14 consecutive defenses against the future champion Avelar in February 1979. One month later, his time as champion was done as Canto would travel to South Korea and drop the title on hostile turf to Chan-Hee Park. Returning to Korea for the rematch, Canto could only snare a draw. While he never regained the crown, he would add a win to his ledger over former 108 lb. titlist Sung-Jun Kim and split a pair with future champion Gabriel Bernal.
Why He’s Here: The Mexican ring genius amassed arguably the greatest of all title reigns at Flyweight. While his record of 14 consecutive defenses has since been broken twice by the still-active duo of Omar Narvaez (WBO, currently at 16) and Pongsaklek Wonjongkam (former Lineal/WBC, 17), neither has faced even the relative level of competition Canto did. Regrettably, neither has even faced each other while generating their numbers. Of his nine losses, three came in his first thirteen fights and four in his final five. In between, he ran off streaks of 25-0-1 and 24-0 between losses. Canto was inducted into the IBHOF in 1998.
3) Fidel LaBarba (1924-33)
Record: 72-15-7, 15 KO
World Champion 1927, 1 Defense
Flyweight Titlists/Champions Faced – 3: (Newsboy Brown, Frankie Genaro, Willie LaMorte)
Oscar De La Hoya was far from the first Los Angeles-based superstar birthed in the Olympics. Born in the Bronx but raised out west, LaBarba was still in high school when he traveled to Paris in 1924 and captured the Gold before returning to the States for one of the most compelling, and for its time richest, careers in boxing history. A fighter who faced future Welterweight great Jimmy McLarnin, Newsboy Brown, the excellent Georgie Rivers, and Hall of Famer Frankie Genaro over the course of a career would be lauded for their quality of competition. LaBarba knocked that out in seven of his first eleven contests, opening his tenure with a mark of 7-2-2, both losses coming on points to McLarnin along with a draw against the same and a draw with Brown. He would never lose at Flyweight again.
Against Genaro in 1925, and in front of over 25,000 Los Angeles fans, he was crowned the American Flyweight champion over ten rounds. He would add the NBA’s recognition as World champion in 1926 with a third points win over Rivers in a bout which saw both men come off the floor over ten frames. Less than a year later, in 1927, LaBarba made only his second Madison Square Garden appearance, defeating Elky Clark to claim the undisputed crown. With his body already regularly reaching into the Bantamweight division, it would be LaBarba’s last notable Flyweight fight. He dropped two straight on points to Johnny Vacca at Bantamweight following Clark but added a win over stalwart contender of the time Memphis Pal Moore and a revenge decision over Vacca before 1927 was out. He vacated the title after the third Vacca fight, retiring to attend Stanford University.
Why He’s Here: On his best day, LaBarba could have, might have, defeated any Flyweight in history and he proved it by facing the elite almost from the day he began. LaBarba of course wasn’t gone to class long, returning to the ring in 1928 and campaigning from Bantamweight to Jr. Lightweight over the remainder of his career. While he never won another World title, he garnered tries at both Featherweight and Jr. Lightweight and managed wins over outstanding fighters like Kid Chocolate, Bud Taylor, Bushy Graham, and Tommy Paul along the way. A narrow loss to Chocolate for the 130 lb. honors in 1932 prevented him from becoming the first man ever to bridge the gap from 112 to 130 lbs. in terms of title honors, a feat accomplished in the modern era by Manny Pacquiao.
LaBarba did all of this without a notable punch. He got by with a plenty of everything else: great speed, footwork, defense, ring intelligence and a granite chin which kept him afoot through all of his 94 career bouts. He didn’t have the lengthy stay at Flyweight many others on this list did, growing out of the division by his 21st birthday, but the level of work he got done was unreal and LaBarba helped define in many ways the idea of what we now call pound-for-pound. LaBarba was inducted into the IBHOF in 1996.
2) Pancho Villa (1919-26)
Record: 79-5-4, 25 KO (20 No Decisions)
World Champion 1923-25, 4 Defenses
Flyweight Titlists/Champions Faced – 2: (Frankie Genaro, Jimmy Wilde)
Born Francisco Guilledo in 1901 in the Philippines, Villa was the first Asian-born world champion in the sport. A whirlwind of aggression, Villa wasn’t a huge puncher but he couldn’t be taken lightly either and few men could keep his pace. Turning professional in Manila in 1919 would win his first 18 contests into 1920. The latter year provided him his first and most faced rival, American future Jr. Lightweight champion Mike Ballerino. In ten tries, Ballerino could never do better than a draw. His success abroad caught attention in the States and in 1922, as part of a seventeen bout campaign on the year, Villa made his U.S. debut in New Jersey against future Bantamweight champion Abe Goldstein, picking up the newspaper decision. A no-decision and loss to Genaro followed shortly after but Villa rebounded to win the American Flyweight title against future-Bantamweight champion Johnny Buff. He added another win over Goldstein before the year was out before again dropping a points nod to Genaro in early 1923 for the American crown.
Villa had bigger prizes ahead. Luring long time king Jimmy Wilde out of an over two-year retirement, Villa sent the Welshman back to the rocking chair with a seventh round knockout on June 18, 1923 in front of over 20,000 at the Polo Grounds in New York. Over the next couple years, he would defend only four times, notably never against Genaro, while engaging in tough contests against notable Bantams like Abe Friedman, Bud Taylor and Kid Williams, often while still below the 112 lb. line and almost always victorious be it by newspaper decision or official points verdict. In 1924, Villa was suspended by the New York State Athletic Commission for failing to make a defense against Genaro and the third fight of his 1925 campaign made it impossible to ever do so.
Entering a heavy favorite, Villa gave up six pounds (115 vs. 121) for a July 4th bout with rising and still growing future Welterweight champion Jimmy McLarnin. Suffering from a dental infection and the pain of a tooth extracted the day of the fight, Villa was outworked on points and the infection grew worse. Complications led to his death just ten days later, still the Flyweight champion, still only 24 years old.
Why He’s Here: While there are votes today for Manny Pacquiao, and votes still for the great Flash Elorde, it may be that some ninety years have not removed Villa from his perch as the greatest Filipino or Asian fighter in boxing history. In six years, he faced more legitimate World Champions and Hall of Fame greats than most modern men do in twenty.
Remarkably, weighing in as a Flyweight, he could also be argued as one the great Bantamweights, unafraid to give up pounds on the scale for the extra pounds in his pocket. That his life was cut so tragically short leaves the mind to wander with what if scenarios. Given the rigors of the time, 24 was older then than it is now but he certainly had some quality years left in him. What if he could have figured out Genaro? What would a battle with LaBarba or even the Bantamweight version of Tony Canzoneri looked like? And then of course there is the question of how he might have fared had he come along just a little earlier and found a prime Wilde.
In the end the separation between number one and number two is the ultimate in splitting hairs. Villa was inducted to the IBHOF in 1994.
1) Jimmy Wilde (1892-1969)
Record: 132-3-2, 100 KO (13 No Decisions)
World Champion 1916-23, 6 Defenses
Flyweight Titlists/Champions Faced - 5: (Tancy Lee, Joe Symonds, Sid Smith, Young Zulu Kid, Pancho Villa)
Wilde or Villa, almost a century after their clash, remains the question. Here the answer favors the Welsh titan. Standing 5’2 and weighing less than 100 lbs. for much of his career, to say Wilde was near unbeatable in his prime is an understatement if only because he was unbeatable before he even got there. While some note him fighting for coin years before, Wilde’s official professional debut is listed between 1910 and 1911 and he would contest 94 bouts before suffering his first defeat in 1915. Along the way, he collected various titles (the 98 lb. British crown, British and Welsh Paperweight crowns, and the European Flyweight crown) before suffering a 17th round knockout at the hands of Tancy Lee in London January 25, 1915 for a share of the World title. The Lee loss came after a decision over the excellent Joe Symonds and a knockout of Smith.
Defeat did not sit well with Wilde. In twenty starts between the first Lee fight and the June 26, 1916 rematch, Wilde averaged more than a fight a month. Stepping to scratch twenty times, he scored nineteen knockouts including two more over Smith and a 12th round stoppage of Symonds. Returning to the scene of the crime, Wilde entered the National Sporting Club a second time against Lee and exited with an eleventh round stoppage. Six months later, he secured universal recognition as the world champion by besting Young Zulu Kid and unifying his American share of the world title into all of Wilde’s other trophies. Wilde would spend the rest of his career bouncing between Flyweight battle and contesting against Bantamweights while giving up sometimes as much as fourteen pounds, even snaring a win against Bantamweight great Joe Lynch along the way.
Wilde’s reign of terror on the littlest men would come to an end in the early 1920s. Giving up almost ten pounds, he was stopped in 1921 by Bantamweight great Pete Herman in 17 rounds. Announcing his retirement after a win over Young Jennings later in the year, Wilde would elect to come back in 1923 to defend his rights to the Flyweight crown against Villa and it might have been better to stay away. Wilde could last only seven rounds before time, and the title, finally passed him by.
Why He’s Here: Given the number of fights he had, there are obviously lots of stiffs on Wilde’s record. There is also a representative class of much of the early history of the Flyweight division. It is not very often in sport that things are gotten right the first time, but in this case Wilde’s pioneering validation of the Flyweights is an exception. That two of his three losses took seventeen rounds to get done says all anyone need know of his toughness and, oh my, the power. That two of those losses came in his final three of some 150 bouts says even more.
It wouldn’t be a stretch to call Wilde, relative to his size, the greatest puncher who ever lived. He’s certainly in the hunt if he isn’t in the top spot. Like John L. Sullivan at Heavyweight or “The Nonpareil” Jack Dempsey at Middleweight, Wilde is the break point where a modern era truly begins and, unlike those men, it is not hard to imagine him just as dominant today as he was in his own time. Given the multiple divisions and belts of this era, Wilde could easily have won titles in five weight divisions. An inaugural member of the IBHOF in 1990, Wilde remains the face of the Flyweights almost 100 years after his debut.
He was and is the greatest little man of them all.
Semantics
The results here are compiled in two parts which tweaks the format used for the review of the nine Jr. Divisions conducted earlier this year.
First, a points-based comparison assigns points in part based on:
Number of fellow champions faced (total) then divided into a competition score to flatten the field due to the fluctuation in titles recognized.
Lineal World Titles
Sanctioning Body Titles
Title Defenses
2 Points per KO; -2 per KOBY; 1 per UD against fellow titlists
Quality Wins (Points Assigned based on opponent accomplishments; i.e. lineal champions can count for 1, a single sanctioning body champion based on their sanctioning body total, discretionary points for established champions from other weight classes)
Quality Losses (Losses to champion opponents -1 point; selective non-title losses)
Draws (.5 points)
From this, a baseline is established and the top fifty fighters are identified. Further analysis focuses on the context of wins and losses, the relative dominance displayed in a fighters prime, and the strength of one’s era versus the competition faced, to get to a final top twenty-five.
Note: The websites of the Cyber Boxing Zone, International Boxing Research Organization, and BoxRec.com were all heavily consulted in compiling this effort.
For any new boxing fan, the time is not long before a fellow fan points out a magic number which grows more mythologized with time: eight. As in boxing’s original eight weight classes. The number represents in the mind of many a time when the sport was compressed into fields which couldn’t help but be talented, couldn’t help but draw crowds, because there were so few places on the scale to go. They were divisions marked by single champions ever challenged by a depth of contenders today’s seventeen weight classes rarely know.
Reflection and research reveals this was not always the case, but it was true often enough to bestow a mystique on boxing’s ‘original eight weight classes’ which carries through to the modern day. As good as they can be, as great as some of their competitors have been and still are, weight classes prefixed by a “Jr.” designation will always be seen some as bastard spawn which took something away from the game no matter what they added.
Even with classes taking up space in between the old markers, the eight continue to provide memories and spilled blood today. Over the course of this series, homage is paid to boxing’s original eight by identifying the best of their lot through the years.
Flyweight
25) Guty Espadas (1971-84)
24) Yoshio Shirai (1943-55)
23) Jackie Paterson (1938-51)
22) Rinty Monaghan (1934-49)
21) Sot Chitalada (1983-92)
20) Mark Johnson (1990-2006)
19) Yuri Arbachakov (1990-97)
18) Chartchai Chionoi (1959-75)
17) Peter Kane (1934-51)
16) Newsboy Brown (1922-33)
15) Pone Kingpetch (1954-66)
14) Hiroyuki Ebihara (1959-69)
13) Betulio Gonzalez (1968-88)
12) Santos Laciar (1976-90)
11) Fighting Harada (1960-70)
10) Horacio Accavallo (1956-67)
Record: 75-2-6, 34 KO
WBA Titlist 1966-67, 3 Defenses
Flyweight Champions/Titlists Faced – 3: (Salvatore Burruni, Hiroyuki Ebihara, Efren Torres)
One of the greats of the 1960s, the southpaw Accavallo never lost in his native Argentina. Of course, fighting mostly in Argentina meant a lot of non-descript opposition but he squeezed in a fair share of quality. Accavallo won two of three non-title affair against Burruni, all of them going the distance, with wins in Burruni’s native Italy and his own Buenos Aires. In 1966, he traveled to Japan to narrowly outpoint Katsuyoshi Takayama for the vacant WBA belt and then brought one of Japan’s best home three fights later, posting a unanimous decision over Ebihara in his first defense. A couple of years before Efren Torres would begin his epic rivalry against Chartchai Chionoi, Accavallo gave him his first shot at gold, retaining via unanimous decision. In a shocker, Accavallo would follow the Torres win with a non-title sixth round TKO loss in Japan. It would be, in his 81st professional start, the only stoppage defeat in his career which would hold only two more starts. In his farewell bout, Accavallo would retain his crown for the second time against Ebihara, a debated split decision in Buenos Aires which convinced Accavallo to hang up his gloves just shy of his 34th birthday.
Why He’s Here: Accavallo was a brilliant boxer-puncher who stood out in a tremendously talented era in the Flyweight division. His numbers are clearly phenomenal but he lacks just slightly in comparison to other greats on this list for not facing more of the top men of his time. The men in front of him on this list did not and while most picked up more losses than Accavallo, they also had a greater depth of defining victories to call their own.
9) Masao Ohba (1966-73)
Record: 35-2-1, 16 KO
WBA Titlist 1970-73, 5 Defenses
Flyweight Titlists/Champions Faced – 5: (Bernabe Villacampo, Berkrerk Chartvanchai, Betulio Gonzalez, Susumu Hangata, Chartchai Chinoi)
Like the great Featherweight Salvador Sanchez or fellow Flyweight great Pancho Villa, Japan’s Ohba is a case of a great fighter cut short of what could have been more. Killed in a tragic car accident just weeks after his fifth title defense, Ohba was only 23 years old and yet had left already an indelible mark on Flyweight history. Wildly exciting with the ability to get his man out of there or outwork them the full route behind a schooled left jab, Ohba left the victor in 25 of his first 28 contests to earn a crack at Charvanchai. He made good, handing the Thai only his second loss, and first by stoppage. He maintained his winning ways through to the end of his career. He made his first defense with a decision against Betulio Gonzalez in 1971 and avenged one of his two career defeats against Susumu Hanagata in 1972. Later in the same year, he won a war with contender Orlando Amores in arguably his most memorable brawl, a savage five round affair. Two fights later, he left one last battle for the world, stopping the blood and guts Chionoi in thirteen.
Why He’s Here: Ohba left the scene so early it’s hard to say what would have happened. Would he have flamed out early as so many in the lowest classes do or gone on to disrupt the history which unfolded. The 1970s produced an excellent Flyweight class which included Shoji Oguma, Venice Borkhorsor, and Miguel Canto among others. Would Ohba have had the chance to unify the crown and, if he had, could any of those men have become what they eventually were? It’s the sort of tantalizing question which only the imagination can answer. Without those answers, there was still enough on his ledger to suggest genuine greatness and Ohba’s exclusion from the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) to date is hard to fathom.
8) Midget Wolgast (1925-40)
Record: 136-35-16, 17 KO (19 No Decisions, 1 No Contest)
NYSAC Titlist 1930-35, 3 Defenses
Flyweight Titlists/Champions Faced – 7: (Izzy Schwartz, Johnny McCoy, Pinky Silverberg, Willie LaMorte, Newsboy Brown, Frankie Genaro, Small Montana)
Wolgast, standing just over 5’3, was one of the ring’s greatest defensive geniuses with a chin to go with it. He was stopped only five times in 215 bouts. Three of those in came in his last seven bouts and one in his first ten. Born Joseph Robert Loscalzo, Wolgast was the son of a fighter and took on a ring name which suggested greatness as soon as he stepped between the ropes. Wolgast lived up to the billing, winning or contesting in more battles against top competition than this small space could ever provide justice to. A best attempt is made to define some of the career highlights. Wolgast garnered his first major title try under the then-powerful New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) banner, outpointing the outstanding Black Bill over fifteen rounds in March 1930. He would fight eleven more times, that year, losing only in a non-title points affair to Newsboy Brown and defeating Silverberg, LaMorte, and the tough Speedy Dado en route to a Madison Square Garden unification with National Boxing Association (NBA) champion Frankie Genaro. Their contest was ruled a draw, maintaining a disputed World title scene which held for a decade from 1927-37. Wolgast would rarely venture below the Flyweight line again, pursuing bigger game over the years and extending Bantamweight champion Lou Salica, future three division king Henry Armstrong, and tough Lightweight Lou Feldman the distance in losing efforts. While the NYSAC stripped Wolgast in 1934, Small Montana still staked a claim to the belt in 1935 with a points win in Wolgast’s final, ill-advised Flyweight encounter. He would avenge the loss above the Flyweight limit later in the year.
Why He’s Here: Wolgast’s standing here could have been slightly improved by a unified crown and more impressive title run, but it’s hard to say given the men ahead of him. It’s also hard to say he could have improved on a ring tenure as deep and impressive as what he amassed. Looking only at the various Flyweight title claimants he faced, only Brown and Genaro whom he faced one time each could officially keep him from the winner’s circle at least once. Schwartz did as well, but only because of no-contest rules in place in parts of the U.S. in the 1920s; the newspaper decision favored Wolgast. Wolgast was inducted into the IBHOF in 2001.
7) Benny Lynch (1931-38)
Record: 81-12-15, 34 KO
World Champion 1937-38, 1 Defense
NBA/BBBofC Titlist 1936-37, 1 Defense
Flyweight Titlists/Champions Faced – 3: (Jackie Brown, Small Montana, Peter Kane)
Lynch was the arguably the greatest fighter ever produced by Scotland and it would be hard to find much argument at that. While brief in years, Lynch’s career was marked by thrilling wars, subtle defense, and some massive crowds. It was Lynch who would end any dispute about who the champion at 112 lbs. was after a decade of leathered debate. He began his ascent in 1935 with a second round destruction of the veteran Brown to snare recognition from the NBA and British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) as champion. He fought eight non-title bouts in his next nine, losing only once on points, to set up a unification showdown with Montana, the NYSAC title claimant. At famed Wembley, Lynch would win over fifteen in January 1937 and make his most famed defense in October of the same. In front of some 40,000 screaming Scotsman at Shawfield Park in October of 1937, Lynch outdueled Peter Kane in one of the all-time Flyweight classics, stopping the Brit in thirteen. Kane would never make Flyweight again, weighing in near 120 lbs. for the Kane rematch, a March 1938 draw, and losing the title on the scales even as he defeated the talented Jackie Jurich by twelfth round stoppage a few months later. Lynch would fight only twice more, losing both and being stopped for the only time in his career to bid the ring farewell. He was just 25 years old and would die penniless six years later battling alcoholism and malnutrition.
Why He’s Here: Lynch is one of the most storied names in Flyweight history for a reason as the memories of his fights carried over time. So too does a lack of depth on his record. While there are spots of genuine excellence, Lynch missed quite a few of the top names of his time and occasionally suffered losses to men who, historically, couldn’t shine his ring boots. Still, from a 1932 mark of 25-6-7 to the Montana fight where he entered 73-8-14, he was all but unbeatable. Even past his best and vexed by the scale, the fact he was still able to beat a serious contender like Jurich spoke volumes about the warrior Lynch was. Benny Lynch was inducted into the IBHOF in 1998.
6) Pascual Perez (1952-64)
Record: 84-7-1, 57 KO
World Champion 1954-60, 9 Defenses
Flyweight Titlists/Champions Faced – 3: (Yoshio Shirai, Pone Kingpetch, Efren Torres)
Standing 4’11 is usually not a recipe for being a bad ass but Perez defied such categorization. The 1948 Olympic Gold Medalist from Argentina built one of the finest legacies ever at 112 and he didn’t waste time in doing so once he got started. In December 1952, Perez made his professional debut at age 26, more than four years removed from the U.K. Games. Perez ran off 23 straight wins, 22 by knockout, before a non-title draw with Flyweight Champion Yoshio Shirai in July of 1954. The result was enough to earn him a crack at the crown and in November, 1954 he headed to Japan and wrested the title away from Shirai by unanimous decision. With less than two years as a professional, he was the king at 112 lbs. and would stay that way for just shy of six years, making only nine defenses but also winning numerous non-title starts. Perez would not suffer a pro defeat until January 1959 when, entering 51-0-1, he would fall to upstart Sadao Yaoita by a ten-round decision in Yaoita’s Japanese homeland. Perez did not let the blemish slide, returning to Japan later in the year for November showdown. Perez came off the floor in the second round to stop Yaoita in the thirteenth. It would be his last great night as champion. In his very next bout, then age 34, Perez would lose his crown on a split decision to Kingpetch and in the return, making his first start in the U.S., Perez would suffer his first knockout loss in eight rounds. Perez was done as champion but not as a fighter. From 1961-63, Perez would win 28 in a row before journeyman Leo Zulueta stopped the streak with a split decision and began the drawing of the curtain, the first of four losses in six contests which included a knockout loss to a rising future champion Efren Torres.
Why He’s Here: As is often the case, boxing trades off between deep eras of relative parity and dominant champions. It’s a chicken and egg question as to whether the dominance reflects a weaker era or just a truly special fighter. Perez was certainly the latter but there were elements of the former. Perez had his share of legitimate challengers, men like Dai Dower, Oscar Suarez, and Leo Espinosa, but he lacked for the rivals of the decades which preceded and followed him. He made the most of it regardless, displaying a naked aggression and two fisted power rarely seen in any class and making a case, alongside Middleweight Carlos Monzon, as Argentina’s finest prizefighter. One can only wonder how much more impressive his resume, and already staggering numbers, might have been had he elected for a professional career straight out of the 1948 Games. Those are four youthful years worth pondering. Perez was inducted into the IBHOF in 1995.
5) Frankie Genaro (1920-34)
Record: 83-20-8, 20 KO (22 No Decisions)
NBA Titlist 1928-29, 3 Defenses; 1929-31, 8 Defenses
Flyweight Titlists/Champions Faced – 8: (Pancho Villa, Willie LaMorte, Fidel LaBarba, Newsboy Brown, Frenchy Belanger, Emile Pladner, Midget Wolgast, Victor Perez)
Genaro didn’t win them all but he could almost say he fought them all at Flyweight. Never weighing much more than 116 lbs., he added some of the finest Bantamweights and Featherweights of his day to the ledger as well. Born Frankie DiGennara in New York City in 1901, Genaro represented the U.S. at the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, Belgium and brought home the Gold before venturing into the paid ranks. Winning most of his contests, his biggest early break may have come in 1922 with a ten-round points win in his second of three fights with the great Pancho Villa. He’d equal the feat the following year in fifteen rounds, capturing the American Flyweight title, as part of a fifteen fight campaign in 1923 which featured a newspaper win over Bantamweight great Bud Taylor and only one newspaper loss. Weighing in as a Bantamweight, he’d add wins over the excellent Bushy Graham and Hall of Famer Kid Williams in 1924 and 25 before losing his American crown at 112 to LaBarba in a showdown of Olympic champions. He followed by dropping a decision to Newsboy Brown. It would be over two years before he claimed Gold again, when he avenged a loss to Frankie Belanger from a few months prior to claim the NBA share of the World title in 1928, squeezing a win over LaMorte between the two bouts. A shocking first round knockout loss to Pladner kicked off a shaky 1929, though it was immediately revenged, and the title regained, just six weeks later on a controversial disqualification. Genaro followed with a loss to the excellent Willie Davies in a non-title affair before returning to defense of his crown. As noted previously, no winner could be found in an attempted 1930 title unification with Wolgast and Genaro began inching towards his end when stopped in two by Victor Perez for his title. It was the first of six losses in Genaro’s final eleven contests.
Why He’s Here: Genaro can be a hard fighter to characterize amongst his most honored peers. At his best he was a great fighter but he could be inconsistent, losing to men he shouldn’t along way. And yet when one looks at his record, they find almost everyone who counted for a generation, maybe the greatest generation, at 112 lbs. He usually came up biggest with titles on the line indicating a gamer of highest order. He had tremendous speed and technique, outworking dangerous fare without much of a knockout punch to back his play, and a keen fighting mind. Even well past his prime, and after losing his NBA title, there he was schooling a young future Featherweight champion, Joey Archibald, in 1933. He was stopped only four times in 131 starts, 3 of those in the same final eleven which marked his quick decline. Genaro was inducted in the IBHOF in 1998.
4) Miguel Canto (1969-82)
Record: 61-9-4, 15 KO
Lineal World Champion/WBC Titlist 1975-79
Flyweight Titlists/Champions Faced – 5: (Betulio Gonzalez, Shoji Oguma, Antonio Avelar, Chan-Hee Park, Gabriel Bernal)
Canto turned pro at 21 and began what would be a four year climb through the ranks towards his first major title shot, honing a craft which rates him with some of the great defensive wizards of all-time. When Venice Borkhorsor vacated the crown in 1973, Canto was matched with Betulio Gonzalez for the vacant WBC belt and dropped a majority decision. It would the last title fight he’d lose for a long time. He defeated Gonzalez’s conqueror, Shoji Oguma, for the title and avenged the Gonzalez loss in his first defense, both wins in the early months of 1975 and added a non-title win over future 108 lb. titlist Lupe Madera. In 1976, he bested a recent WBA titlist in Hanagata and then finished his rivalry with Gonzalez by capturing a narrow split decision. Two wins against the tough Martin Vargas, and two more versus Oguma stood out in 1977 and 78 and he made his last of a then-record 14 consecutive defenses against the future champion Avelar in February 1979. One month later, his time as champion was done as Canto would travel to South Korea and drop the title on hostile turf to Chan-Hee Park. Returning to Korea for the rematch, Canto could only snare a draw. While he never regained the crown, he would add a win to his ledger over former 108 lb. titlist Sung-Jun Kim and split a pair with future champion Gabriel Bernal.
Why He’s Here: The Mexican ring genius amassed arguably the greatest of all title reigns at Flyweight. While his record of 14 consecutive defenses has since been broken twice by the still-active duo of Omar Narvaez (WBO, currently at 16) and Pongsaklek Wonjongkam (former Lineal/WBC, 17), neither has faced even the relative level of competition Canto did. Regrettably, neither has even faced each other while generating their numbers. Of his nine losses, three came in his first thirteen fights and four in his final five. In between, he ran off streaks of 25-0-1 and 24-0 between losses. Canto was inducted into the IBHOF in 1998.
3) Fidel LaBarba (1924-33)
Record: 72-15-7, 15 KO
World Champion 1927, 1 Defense
Flyweight Titlists/Champions Faced – 3: (Newsboy Brown, Frankie Genaro, Willie LaMorte)
Oscar De La Hoya was far from the first Los Angeles-based superstar birthed in the Olympics. Born in the Bronx but raised out west, LaBarba was still in high school when he traveled to Paris in 1924 and captured the Gold before returning to the States for one of the most compelling, and for its time richest, careers in boxing history. A fighter who faced future Welterweight great Jimmy McLarnin, Newsboy Brown, the excellent Georgie Rivers, and Hall of Famer Frankie Genaro over the course of a career would be lauded for their quality of competition. LaBarba knocked that out in seven of his first eleven contests, opening his tenure with a mark of 7-2-2, both losses coming on points to McLarnin along with a draw against the same and a draw with Brown. He would never lose at Flyweight again.
Against Genaro in 1925, and in front of over 25,000 Los Angeles fans, he was crowned the American Flyweight champion over ten rounds. He would add the NBA’s recognition as World champion in 1926 with a third points win over Rivers in a bout which saw both men come off the floor over ten frames. Less than a year later, in 1927, LaBarba made only his second Madison Square Garden appearance, defeating Elky Clark to claim the undisputed crown. With his body already regularly reaching into the Bantamweight division, it would be LaBarba’s last notable Flyweight fight. He dropped two straight on points to Johnny Vacca at Bantamweight following Clark but added a win over stalwart contender of the time Memphis Pal Moore and a revenge decision over Vacca before 1927 was out. He vacated the title after the third Vacca fight, retiring to attend Stanford University.
Why He’s Here: On his best day, LaBarba could have, might have, defeated any Flyweight in history and he proved it by facing the elite almost from the day he began. LaBarba of course wasn’t gone to class long, returning to the ring in 1928 and campaigning from Bantamweight to Jr. Lightweight over the remainder of his career. While he never won another World title, he garnered tries at both Featherweight and Jr. Lightweight and managed wins over outstanding fighters like Kid Chocolate, Bud Taylor, Bushy Graham, and Tommy Paul along the way. A narrow loss to Chocolate for the 130 lb. honors in 1932 prevented him from becoming the first man ever to bridge the gap from 112 to 130 lbs. in terms of title honors, a feat accomplished in the modern era by Manny Pacquiao.
LaBarba did all of this without a notable punch. He got by with a plenty of everything else: great speed, footwork, defense, ring intelligence and a granite chin which kept him afoot through all of his 94 career bouts. He didn’t have the lengthy stay at Flyweight many others on this list did, growing out of the division by his 21st birthday, but the level of work he got done was unreal and LaBarba helped define in many ways the idea of what we now call pound-for-pound. LaBarba was inducted into the IBHOF in 1996.
2) Pancho Villa (1919-26)
Record: 79-5-4, 25 KO (20 No Decisions)
World Champion 1923-25, 4 Defenses
Flyweight Titlists/Champions Faced – 2: (Frankie Genaro, Jimmy Wilde)
Born Francisco Guilledo in 1901 in the Philippines, Villa was the first Asian-born world champion in the sport. A whirlwind of aggression, Villa wasn’t a huge puncher but he couldn’t be taken lightly either and few men could keep his pace. Turning professional in Manila in 1919 would win his first 18 contests into 1920. The latter year provided him his first and most faced rival, American future Jr. Lightweight champion Mike Ballerino. In ten tries, Ballerino could never do better than a draw. His success abroad caught attention in the States and in 1922, as part of a seventeen bout campaign on the year, Villa made his U.S. debut in New Jersey against future Bantamweight champion Abe Goldstein, picking up the newspaper decision. A no-decision and loss to Genaro followed shortly after but Villa rebounded to win the American Flyweight title against future-Bantamweight champion Johnny Buff. He added another win over Goldstein before the year was out before again dropping a points nod to Genaro in early 1923 for the American crown.
Villa had bigger prizes ahead. Luring long time king Jimmy Wilde out of an over two-year retirement, Villa sent the Welshman back to the rocking chair with a seventh round knockout on June 18, 1923 in front of over 20,000 at the Polo Grounds in New York. Over the next couple years, he would defend only four times, notably never against Genaro, while engaging in tough contests against notable Bantams like Abe Friedman, Bud Taylor and Kid Williams, often while still below the 112 lb. line and almost always victorious be it by newspaper decision or official points verdict. In 1924, Villa was suspended by the New York State Athletic Commission for failing to make a defense against Genaro and the third fight of his 1925 campaign made it impossible to ever do so.
Entering a heavy favorite, Villa gave up six pounds (115 vs. 121) for a July 4th bout with rising and still growing future Welterweight champion Jimmy McLarnin. Suffering from a dental infection and the pain of a tooth extracted the day of the fight, Villa was outworked on points and the infection grew worse. Complications led to his death just ten days later, still the Flyweight champion, still only 24 years old.
Why He’s Here: While there are votes today for Manny Pacquiao, and votes still for the great Flash Elorde, it may be that some ninety years have not removed Villa from his perch as the greatest Filipino or Asian fighter in boxing history. In six years, he faced more legitimate World Champions and Hall of Fame greats than most modern men do in twenty.
Remarkably, weighing in as a Flyweight, he could also be argued as one the great Bantamweights, unafraid to give up pounds on the scale for the extra pounds in his pocket. That his life was cut so tragically short leaves the mind to wander with what if scenarios. Given the rigors of the time, 24 was older then than it is now but he certainly had some quality years left in him. What if he could have figured out Genaro? What would a battle with LaBarba or even the Bantamweight version of Tony Canzoneri looked like? And then of course there is the question of how he might have fared had he come along just a little earlier and found a prime Wilde.
In the end the separation between number one and number two is the ultimate in splitting hairs. Villa was inducted to the IBHOF in 1994.
1) Jimmy Wilde (1892-1969)
Record: 132-3-2, 100 KO (13 No Decisions)
World Champion 1916-23, 6 Defenses
Flyweight Titlists/Champions Faced - 5: (Tancy Lee, Joe Symonds, Sid Smith, Young Zulu Kid, Pancho Villa)
Wilde or Villa, almost a century after their clash, remains the question. Here the answer favors the Welsh titan. Standing 5’2 and weighing less than 100 lbs. for much of his career, to say Wilde was near unbeatable in his prime is an understatement if only because he was unbeatable before he even got there. While some note him fighting for coin years before, Wilde’s official professional debut is listed between 1910 and 1911 and he would contest 94 bouts before suffering his first defeat in 1915. Along the way, he collected various titles (the 98 lb. British crown, British and Welsh Paperweight crowns, and the European Flyweight crown) before suffering a 17th round knockout at the hands of Tancy Lee in London January 25, 1915 for a share of the World title. The Lee loss came after a decision over the excellent Joe Symonds and a knockout of Smith.
Defeat did not sit well with Wilde. In twenty starts between the first Lee fight and the June 26, 1916 rematch, Wilde averaged more than a fight a month. Stepping to scratch twenty times, he scored nineteen knockouts including two more over Smith and a 12th round stoppage of Symonds. Returning to the scene of the crime, Wilde entered the National Sporting Club a second time against Lee and exited with an eleventh round stoppage. Six months later, he secured universal recognition as the world champion by besting Young Zulu Kid and unifying his American share of the world title into all of Wilde’s other trophies. Wilde would spend the rest of his career bouncing between Flyweight battle and contesting against Bantamweights while giving up sometimes as much as fourteen pounds, even snaring a win against Bantamweight great Joe Lynch along the way.
Wilde’s reign of terror on the littlest men would come to an end in the early 1920s. Giving up almost ten pounds, he was stopped in 1921 by Bantamweight great Pete Herman in 17 rounds. Announcing his retirement after a win over Young Jennings later in the year, Wilde would elect to come back in 1923 to defend his rights to the Flyweight crown against Villa and it might have been better to stay away. Wilde could last only seven rounds before time, and the title, finally passed him by.
Why He’s Here: Given the number of fights he had, there are obviously lots of stiffs on Wilde’s record. There is also a representative class of much of the early history of the Flyweight division. It is not very often in sport that things are gotten right the first time, but in this case Wilde’s pioneering validation of the Flyweights is an exception. That two of his three losses took seventeen rounds to get done says all anyone need know of his toughness and, oh my, the power. That two of those losses came in his final three of some 150 bouts says even more.
It wouldn’t be a stretch to call Wilde, relative to his size, the greatest puncher who ever lived. He’s certainly in the hunt if he isn’t in the top spot. Like John L. Sullivan at Heavyweight or “The Nonpareil” Jack Dempsey at Middleweight, Wilde is the break point where a modern era truly begins and, unlike those men, it is not hard to imagine him just as dominant today as he was in his own time. Given the multiple divisions and belts of this era, Wilde could easily have won titles in five weight divisions. An inaugural member of the IBHOF in 1990, Wilde remains the face of the Flyweights almost 100 years after his debut.
He was and is the greatest little man of them all.
Semantics
The results here are compiled in two parts which tweaks the format used for the review of the nine Jr. Divisions conducted earlier this year.
First, a points-based comparison assigns points in part based on:
Number of fellow champions faced (total) then divided into a competition score to flatten the field due to the fluctuation in titles recognized.
Lineal World Titles
Sanctioning Body Titles
Title Defenses
2 Points per KO; -2 per KOBY; 1 per UD against fellow titlists
Quality Wins (Points Assigned based on opponent accomplishments; i.e. lineal champions can count for 1, a single sanctioning body champion based on their sanctioning body total, discretionary points for established champions from other weight classes)
Quality Losses (Losses to champion opponents -1 point; selective non-title losses)
Draws (.5 points)
From this, a baseline is established and the top fifty fighters are identified. Further analysis focuses on the context of wins and losses, the relative dominance displayed in a fighters prime, and the strength of one’s era versus the competition faced, to get to a final top twenty-five.
Note: The websites of the Cyber Boxing Zone, International Boxing Research Organization, and BoxRec.com were all heavily consulted in compiling this effort.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Villoria confident of title defense vs. dangerous Mexican foe
source GMAnews.tv
Brian “The Hawaiian Punch" Viloria is confident that his more than two months of training would be enough to withstand the attacks of dangerous Jesus “Azul" Iribe of Mexico on August 29 (August 30 in Manila) at the Blaisdell Center, in Honolulu, Hawaii.
“I have trained for this fight like it is going to its full route," said Viloria, a Filipino-American boxer who grew up in Hawaii, in a phone patch interview on Tuesday from Oxnard, California.
“My preparation is for a hard 12-round fight," added Viloria to reporters gathered at the penthouse of the Solar Century building in Makati City.
This will be the first time that Viloria, 28, will be fighting in Hawaii since 2003 and the first time that he defends his International Boxing Federation (IBF) light flyweight title against the Culiacan, Sinaloa-native Iribe.
Viloria, who donned the US colors during the 2000 Olympics, said he has matured since losing his first world title in 2005 adding that preparation for a fight is more important than the fight itself.
“Before I took my fights for granted and because of that I took preparations lightly," said Viloria. “Now I prepare for my fight like it will be my last, I prepare myself physically and mentally."
Viloria's manager Gary Gittelsohn said that Hawaii boxing fans are excited about the fight.
“The venue is an 8,000-seater and we are confident that Viloria can fill it," said Gittelsohn, also in a phone patch interview from Los Angeles.
Viloria, the 1999 US Boxer of the Year, won the IBF crown last April 19 by knocking down Iribe's compatriot Mexican Uliseses Solis with a powerful right to the jaw in the 11th round at the Big Dome.
It was in 2005 that Viloria came into the Filipino consciousness by winning the WBC light flyweight title by knocking down Eric Ortiz. He defended the title once for his 19th straight win against Jose Antonio Aguirre in 2006 until Mexican Omar Nino Romero dethroned him in the same year.
Viloria also failed to regain the title in a rematch on November 18, 2006 at Las Vegas, Nevada. Ironically, Romero was stripped of the title because of doping.
In order to revitalize a sagging career, Viloria decided to fight Edgar Sosa for the vacant WBC crown but failed in his title bid.
Despite the lost, Viloria pushed on and even moved up to the super flyweight division and started training under former champion, Roberto Garcia, at La Colonia Gym in Oxnard, California.
In his debut in the division, the Hawaiian Punch scored a unanimous decision versus Jose Garcia Bernal (26-11-1) at the Alameda Swap Meet in Los Angeles, California on January 5, 2008.
Viloria posted four more wins against Cesar Lopez (unanimous decision), Fred Heberto Valdez (3rd round KO), Juan Javier Lagos (UD) and Benjamin Garcia (2nd round KO).
After that Viloria went down to junior flyweight and defeated Solis. – Perry Legaspi, GMANews.TV
Brian “The Hawaiian Punch" Viloria is confident that his more than two months of training would be enough to withstand the attacks of dangerous Jesus “Azul" Iribe of Mexico on August 29 (August 30 in Manila) at the Blaisdell Center, in Honolulu, Hawaii.“I have trained for this fight like it is going to its full route," said Viloria, a Filipino-American boxer who grew up in Hawaii, in a phone patch interview on Tuesday from Oxnard, California.
“My preparation is for a hard 12-round fight," added Viloria to reporters gathered at the penthouse of the Solar Century building in Makati City.
This will be the first time that Viloria, 28, will be fighting in Hawaii since 2003 and the first time that he defends his International Boxing Federation (IBF) light flyweight title against the Culiacan, Sinaloa-native Iribe.
Viloria, who donned the US colors during the 2000 Olympics, said he has matured since losing his first world title in 2005 adding that preparation for a fight is more important than the fight itself.
“Before I took my fights for granted and because of that I took preparations lightly," said Viloria. “Now I prepare for my fight like it will be my last, I prepare myself physically and mentally."
Viloria's manager Gary Gittelsohn said that Hawaii boxing fans are excited about the fight.
“The venue is an 8,000-seater and we are confident that Viloria can fill it," said Gittelsohn, also in a phone patch interview from Los Angeles.
Viloria, the 1999 US Boxer of the Year, won the IBF crown last April 19 by knocking down Iribe's compatriot Mexican Uliseses Solis with a powerful right to the jaw in the 11th round at the Big Dome.
It was in 2005 that Viloria came into the Filipino consciousness by winning the WBC light flyweight title by knocking down Eric Ortiz. He defended the title once for his 19th straight win against Jose Antonio Aguirre in 2006 until Mexican Omar Nino Romero dethroned him in the same year.
Viloria also failed to regain the title in a rematch on November 18, 2006 at Las Vegas, Nevada. Ironically, Romero was stripped of the title because of doping.
In order to revitalize a sagging career, Viloria decided to fight Edgar Sosa for the vacant WBC crown but failed in his title bid.
Despite the lost, Viloria pushed on and even moved up to the super flyweight division and started training under former champion, Roberto Garcia, at La Colonia Gym in Oxnard, California.
In his debut in the division, the Hawaiian Punch scored a unanimous decision versus Jose Garcia Bernal (26-11-1) at the Alameda Swap Meet in Los Angeles, California on January 5, 2008.
Viloria posted four more wins against Cesar Lopez (unanimous decision), Fred Heberto Valdez (3rd round KO), Juan Javier Lagos (UD) and Benjamin Garcia (2nd round KO).
After that Viloria went down to junior flyweight and defeated Solis. – Perry Legaspi, GMANews.TV
Roger Mayweather Released, Lawsuit To Come
BoxingScene spoke with Floyd Mayweather Sr., brother of trainer Roger Mayweather, who was arrested on Sunday for assaulting female fighter Melissa St. Vil. Floyd Sr was not in Las Vegas when incident went down but family members filled him in when he returned back home.According to Floyd Sr., St. Vil was staying with Cornelius Lock [promoted by Mayweather Promotions and trained by Roger] in a condo owned by Roger Mayweather. Roger is the former trainer of St. Vil and the current trainer of Floyd Mayweather Jr. I hear there was already pre-existing tension, between Roger and St. Vil, due to their work related split. From what BoxingScene was told by Floyd Sr [and a few others], Roger wanted St. Vil out of the condo and that led to altercation. When she refused to leave, Roger was alleged to have used force while attempting to remove her from the condo and the two began to fight. Roger is alleged to have punched her multiple times to the face and body, and later began to choke her out. St. Vil tried to fight back, and even cracked a lamp over Roger's head.
Police arrived after St. Vil called 911. They found Roger still scuffling with St. Vil, who was coughing up blood. Mayweather was arrested and charged with coercion with force and battery-strangulation. He was booked into the Clark County Detention Center and later released on bond. From what multiple source told BoxingScene, St. Vil will be planning a civil lawsuit against Roger and pressing criminal charges.
Floyd Sr. did not want to comment too much on the incident, at least on the record, but he did tell BoxingScene that he learned a very long time ago to stay away from physical encounters on the street.
"I had a few fights of my own over the years with a couple of guys. I'll tell you this, I made way too much money in my career to start giving it all back," Mayweather Sr. said.
Roger Mayweather Arrested For Assaulting Female Fighter
Trainer Roger Mayweather could be in doubt to work Floyd Mayweather's corner on September 19 against Juan Manuel Marquez. Mayweather was arrested over the weekend when he attacked one of his former female fighters, Melissa St. Vil. Las Vegas Metro police report that Mayweather was arrested on charges of coercion with force and battery-strangulation and booked into the Clark County Detention Center.
He showed up at her home at Trotwood Lane in Las Vegas and attacked her over a dispute having to do with a training agreement. Police found St. Vil being held by Mayweather and coughing up blood from being choked. St. Vil was beat to her ribs several times and choked to near-unconsciousness. She managed to fight back with a lamp, causing injury to Mayweather's head.
Monday, August 3, 2009
The WBC Wants To Have a 15-Day Weigh-In Rule
The WBC has announced the introduction of an additional weight-in rule that is primarily designed to protect the often unconsidered undercard fighters at glittering championship extravaganzas.Currently, according to the WBC rules, boxers can't exceed 10% of their weight category one month before a bout, no more than 5% seven days before a fight, and 24-hours prior to when the opening bell - both must weight at the limit or a tad below the required poundage.
WBC President Jose Sulaiman says a 15-day weight check is going to be added to the overall process, and it's specifically intended to insure against attempts at drastic weight loss.
He explained: "15-days is about the time when the promoters sign the undercard [fights] with four and six round bouts. Today, nobody knows if these fighters are in good condition, or training, or not. They just go to the weigh-in ceremony and then fight. I have checked and found that many of these four and six rounders are not in good ring shape. That is when accidents can happen, so there must be a humanitarian step to weigh them in fifteen days before the fight."
Sulaiman says the permissable percentage above the weight category at fifteen says before a fight, will be assessed by medical experts. The WBC Governors will then vote on their recommendation for this new law at the WBC Convention November 1-7 in South Korea.
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