The Top 20 Junior Bantamweights of All-Time

By Cliff Rold

The Other Nine, Pt. 7

Follow the sweet science long enough and even a passing fan will hear, with sounds of awe, about an ‘original eight,’ about a bygone era when the sport’s weight classes were limited to just that number with (usually) just that many World champions.

The era didn’t last very long. 

As early as the 1920s, prizefighting saw extra prizes added by way of Jr. Divisions at Featherweight, Lightweight and Welterweight.  Over the course of time, the total number has grown to a modern seventeen weight classes.  Sometimes derided as bastard divisions, most didn’t begin with particular esteem.  As the years and indeed decades have passed, all have built their own legacies in blood and all have produced greatness in the ring.

Through the course of “The Other Nine,” the best of each of the in-between classes will be given their due, examining how the champions of each performed against and in comparison to each other.

Junior Bantamweight

Many U.S. fans over the years have scratched their heads wondering why there are five weight classes from 118 to the floor of the scale where there used to be two.  A look at the rosters of champions those weight classes have produced, and the thrilled crowds in countries like Japan, Korea, Thailand, and various ports of Latin America explains a lot.  There is talent down the scale and plenty of interest worldwide.

Talent is why it is unremarkable sometimes in its almost thirty years of existence, Jr. Flyweight (or 115 lbs.) has overshadowed and outclassed its more established patron classes at 112 and 118 lbs.  As noted at CyberBoxingZone.com:

The 115-lb. division was included as part of NY's Walker Law of 1920, but our research does not reveal any claimants to that title. The WBC resurrected the 115-poud class in 1980, with Venezuelan Rafael "Patono" Orono winning the title. Orono lost to Chul Ho Kim, then regained it from Kim in 1982, then lost to Payao Poontarat. The WBA's title started in 1981 with Gustavo Ballas, who lost to Rafael Pedroza, who lost to Jiro Watanabe in 1982. Poontarat fought Watanabe in July 1984 for the lineal title.

Between all this action, the IBF also entered the division title mix in 1983 and was joined by the young WBO in 1989 to fully flesh out what is the modern title picture.  Just shy of sixty men have laid claim to one of the four major titles in class and some exceptional talent among them fell just short of this list.  They deserve mention.

America’s Robert Quiroga held the IBF title in the early 1990s and made five defenses, among them a win over Kid Akeem Anifowoshe, 1991’s Ring Fight of the Year and still probably the best fight ever held in the division.  Another American, Mark “Too Sharp” Johnson, had arguably the best win of his career at 115 and likely would have made the cut but for outside ring issues stemming from a domestic violence charge which kept him from the ring for almost two years in his prime. 

Gerry Penalosa has had a bit of a career resurgence in recent years at 118 and 122 lbs., but won his first title at 115 and suffers only for having lost to a pair of quality professionals twice apiece.  In the most recent vintage, skilled Mexican Martin Castillo flirted with pound-for-pound acclaim for a little while but stoppage losses and a lack of depth in terms of what count here as quality wins hampered his cause.

Perhaps the biggest omission, Thailand’s Samson 3K Battery (a.k.a insert sponsor here), retired 43-0 with 36 KO and wins over young versions of Genaro Garcia and Cruz Carbajal, future Flyweight titlist Hugo Soto, and an old former  Rolando Pascua.  He just missed the cut because he never held a major title (though he did hold something called the World Boxing Federation crown from his fifth bout forward).  It is worth noting that in all his many wins, he never faced or defeated a current or former Jr. Bantamweight titleholder from the WBC, WBA, IBF or WBO.  

All of these men could easily have been on this list given different standards and all merit attention if for no other reason than to point out that, even in less than three decades, a division as full of quality as 115 has been can give all plenty to debate about.

The Top Twenty

20) Johnny Bredahl – 2.5 Points: Denmark’s Bredahl wasn’t much of a puncher, but he was capable enough to capture titles at 115 and 118 lbs...Career mark of 56-2, 26 KO…WBO Jr. Bantamweight titlist 1992-94…three defenses…vacated the belt to move up to Bantamweight where he was stopped by Wayne McCullough but managed a narrow majority decision loss to Paulie Ayala…faced only one Jr. Bantamweight titlist, Jose Quirino, posting a unanimous decision win.

19) Hideki Todaka – 2.5 Points: Japan’s Todaka fought only for a decade but got some quality work done…career mark of 21-4, 10 KO…WBA titlist 1999-2000…two successful defenses…Todaka faced three other titlists (Jesus Kiki Rojas, Yokthai Sithoar, Leo Gamez), drawing with and winning a unanimous decision over Rojas for the belt…added an eleventh round stop of Sithoar in defense…stopped by Gamez in seven to lose the crown…while not credited here, he later avenged the Gamez loss in title action one division higher.

18) Danny Romero – 2.75 Points: New Mexico’s Romero once looked like a potential American Superstar in the smaller weights, but ultimately found a plateau just short of the highest peaks with titles at 112 and 115 lbs…career mark of 45-5-2, 38 KO…IBF title 1996-97…two successful defenses…faced two titlists (Harold Grey, Johnny Tapia), stopping Grey in two and dropping a unanimous decision to Tapia…the Tapia bout was the first unification clash to come off in the division’s history and remains one of the biggest money bouts to occur at 115, especially in the U.S…Romero would contest the remainder of his career after Tapia at 118 and 122 but fall short in multiple title tries

17) Alimi Goitia – 3 Points: Venezuela’s Goitia was a big puncher who didn’t come to meet scheduled round limits...career mark of 16-4, 13 KO…WBA titlist 1995-96…three successful defenses…faced four fellow titlists (Hyung Chul Lee, Satoshi Iida, Yokthai Sithoar, Crisitian Mijares)…stopped Lee twice to win and defend his title and stopped Iida in defense once before succumbing to a knockout loss against Sithoar and what to date appears a career ending loss to Mijares in an ill-fated 2005 comeback.

16) Luis Perez – 3.25 Points*: The exciting Nicaraguan Perez still plies his trade at 122 lbs. but made his most memorable bones so far at 115...career mark of 25-3, 16 KO…With greater promotional attention and activity, Perez may have capitalized better on IBF title reign from 2003-07…three successful defenses…faced two fellow titlists (Felix Machado, Dimitri Kirilov)…narrowly edged Machado via split decision in their first violent battle in early 2003 and dominated the rematch eleven months later…would sit for over a year before defending again against Luis Bolano in 2005 and then sit for more than a year again…was highly fortunate to get decision against Kirilov…moved up to win and lose IBF belt at Bantamweight.

15) Rafael Orono – 3.25 Points: The skilled Venezuelan was the first man to hold a title in the division...career mark of 31-7-2, 16 KO…WBC titlist 1980-81 and 82-83…six total defenses…Knocked off Seung Hoon Lee via split decision in 15 to capture first title…faced four total titlists (Chul Ho Kim, Payao Poontarat, Khaosai Galaxy, Sugar Baby Rojas) going 1-4…lost and regained title from Kim via knockout…dropped a split decision to Poontarat on hostile turf in Thailand and succumbed in five to Galaxy in the same land…points loss to Rojas came in penultimate outing, one of five straight defeats which ended Orono’s nine year professional tenure.

14) Ellyas Pical – 3.63 Points: Indonesia’s Pical was the IBF beltholder at 115…career mark 20-5-1, 11 KO…held the belt three times 1985-86, 86-87, and 87-89…five total defenses…faced five titlists (Ju Do Chun, Cesar Polanco, Galaxy, Tae-Il Chang, Juan Polo Perez) at a mark of 3-3…stopped Chun in eight to win first title and avenged a split decision loss to Polanco in three…was stripped for facing WBA titlist Galaxy, who stopped him in 14, and then regained the IBF belt from Chang, who won it in the interim…longest of three reigns ended by Perez via unanimous decision in Pical’s only trip the U.S.

13) Alexander Munoz – 5 Points*: The serious puncher from Venezuela bounced back from being shot during his first title reign (outside the ring) and overcame two losses to Martin Castillo in building an admirable resume…career mark of 32-3, 27 KO…WBA titlist 2002-04, 07-08…five total defenses…faced five total titlists (Celes Kobayashi, Martin Castillo, Nobuo Nashiro, Katsushige Kawashima, Mijares) with a mark of 3-3…stopped Kobayashi in eight, the 22nd of 23 straight knockouts to start career, to capture first belt…lost a wide decision to Castillo in first 2004 bout but came close to vengeance in a brutal split decision rematch Castillo never seemed to bounce back from…bested the man who took the crown from Castillo, easily decisioning the young Nashiro and adding a full rout defense against Kawashima in one of 2008’s best fights…failed in unification effort against then-WBC titlist Mijares in his next fight and has not returned since.

12) Sugar Baby Rojas – 5.4 Points: Colombian but fighting out of Miami, Rojas was never stopped in a career which moved all the way to Lightweight…career mark of 37-8-1, 22 KO…WBC and lineal titlist 1987-88…one successful defense…faced five total titlists (Orono, Santos Laciar, Gustavo Ballas, Gilberto Roman, Jose Ruiz) six times…outpointed Orono on the road to, and Laciar for, the title…stopped Ballas in four in his only defense…lost crown in first of two unanimous decision losses to Roman and dropped another decision to Ruiz in the first WBO title fight in class…would never capture another crown despite shots at 122 and 126 lbs.

11) Hiroshi Kawashima – 6 Points: Japan’s Kawashima could get his man out of there and overcame two early career stoppage losses…WBC and lineal titlist 1994-97…six successful defenses…faced three titlists (Jose Luis Bueno, Carlos Salazar, Gerry Penalosa) four times…a close unanimous decision for the crown against Bueno became a wider mark in the rematch and Salazar also fell short on the cards in defense…title reign and career ended in a split decision loss to Penalosa while Kawashima was just 26 years old.

10) Cristian Mijares – 6 Points*

Titlists/Champions Faced – 4: (Goitia, Kawashima, Munoz, Darchinyan)

As of this writing, the still-active Mexican stylist Mijares has dropped two straight but it doesn’t obscure what he got done in a strong run from 2006-08, including a lengthy unbeaten streak which began in 2002.  He looks like he might be gone from Jr. Bantamweight for good but in the years he spent there, Mijares became only the second man to unify belts in class.  He stopped the comebacking Goitia in 2005 and drew with sturdy veteran Luis Maldonado before facing Kawashima for the interim WBC belt in September 2006.  Two fights later, recognized as outright titlist in the wake of the retirement of Masamori Tokuyama, he would become the only man to stop Kawashima; both wins notably came on the road in Japan.  A career making rout of Jorge Arce followed, capturing U.S. attention.  A defense three fights later against former U.S. Olympian Jose Navarro increased his exposure and led to a unification showdown with Munoz in May 2008.  Working behind a quick jab and with expert counterpunching, Mijares picked up his second title belt and aimed for a third in November 2008.  Favored over former Flyweight titlist Vic Darchinyan, Mijares was soundly thrashed in nine rounds, hitting the floor in the first and final rounds.  The future for Mijares remains up in the air having lost his first outing of 2009 for the interim WBA Bantamweight crown via decision to Nehomar Cermeno.   

9) Johnny Tapia – 6 Points

Titlists/Champions Faced – 1 (Romero)

New Mexico’s “Mi Vida Loca” was one of the most exciting technicians in recent vintage.  Blessed with incredible speed, reflexes, and a fighter’s mentality, it’s hard to find a fan who can say a bad thing about watching Tapia at his best.  Notably, Tapia never lost at 115, posting a mark of 46-0-2.  Battling drugs and demons before, during and still after his career, Tapia won his first title, then vacant, by stopping a 16-1 Henry Martinez in eleven rounds.  Over his next fourteen bouts, he would defend ten times against tough outs like Arthur Johnson, Hugo Soto, and Giovanni Andrade.  The eleventh defense was the one which made him the rare U.S. star so low on the scale, a hometown bragging rights unification with Romero contested in Las Vegas.  Tapia put on a clinic over the power puncher in a highly publicized HBO encounter in July 1997 and would soon move up the scale after two defenses of his unified belts.  Titles at 118 (where he defeated former lineal 115 lb. champion Nana Konadu for the WBA belt) and 126 lbs. waited for his taking and, someday soon, so too will likely enshrinement in the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF).

8) Vic Darchinyan – 7.25 Points*

Titlists/Champions Faced – 2: (Kirilov, Mijares)

The power punching Australian-based Armenian spent the bulk of his career to date at Flyweight and appears imminent for another trip up the scale to Bantamweight.  So, while still active and eligible to rise or fall in these standings, Darchinyan’s body of work at Jr. Bantamweight may not change.  Whether it does or does not, there is no denying the strength of it so far.  Bouncing back from what could have been a devastating knockout loss in his last fight at 112, Darchinyan has gone 4-0-1 with three knockouts in his second weight class.  Those numbers only hint at the real accomplishment: with knockouts of Kirilov and Mijares in 2008, Darchinyan became the first to unify three major belts in the history of the division.  Add in a draw against solid contender Z Gorres which probably should have been a win before the titles added up, and a brutal dissection of former Jr. Flyweight king Jorge Arce in his first unified defense, and it is likely that this run will be seen as the peak of Darchinyan’s career.

7) Chul Ho Kim – 9 Points

Titlists/Champions Faced – 2: (Orono, Watanabe)

Korea’s Kim found himself hearing a lot of judge’s scorecards when fights were scheduled for four, six, and eight rounds.  However, once opponents were asked to go much farther than that, few could answer the call or the pace Kim set.  Five of the seven title fights Kim found himself in ended by knockout…four of them in his favor.  Brought along quickly, Kim got his shot at Orono’s WBC crown in only his seventeenth pro fight and made good, giving Orono his first loss in nine rounds.  In a title reign just short of two years, Kim would defend five times, giving future champion Jiro Watanabe his first loss in a fifteen round decision.  Ultimately, his reign would end where it started, the tables turned in a knockout loss to Orono.  One fight, and loss, later, at only twenty-two years old, Kim was onto different roads in life.  He’d traveled the fistic one well.

6) Fernando Montiel – 9.25 Points*

Titlists/Champions Faced – 4: (Pedro Alcazar, Mark Johnson, Ivan Hernandez, Martin Castillo)

While still active, the highest probability is that Mexico’s Montiel has seen his last bout at Jr. Flyweight.  His successful move up to 118 for an interim WBO title belt indicates a lasting future there or above.  From a promising run as WBO titlist at 112 in the early 2000s, through two title runs at 115, Montiel has shown flashes of brilliance mixed in with some badly timed duds.  His two losses both came on the HBO media platform and neither was a fight most would watch again voluntarily.  There is a greater body of work well worth a second look.  He won his first Jr. Flyweight title from undefeated Pedro Alcazar, a five round beating which contributed to Alcazar’s death shortly after the bout.  With some heralding him as Mexico’s next superstar, he fought tentatively three fights later and dropped his title and a majority decision to Mark Johnson, a great fighter in his last great win.  Undeterred, Montiel bounced back with three straight knockouts and regained his belt from the man who defeated Johnson in the interim, stopping undefeated Ivan Hernandez in seven.  He added another undefeated scalp in defense two fights later, narrowly outpointing the tough Pramuansak Posuwan.  A move to Bantamweight in 2006 resulted in a close but dull loss to WBO titlist Jhonny Gonzalez and Montiel hasn’t bored since.  He traveled to the Philippines to defeat Z Gorres by split decision and, in a minor classic, stopped Luis Melendez in a fight which saw both men on the floor in 2007.  Perhaps his finest win came in February 2008 on the pay-per-view undercard on Kelly Pavlik-Jermain Taylor II, a fourth round obliteration which ended the career of Martin Castillo.  Regardless of what he does from here out, it’s a strong ledger at 115 likely to define history’s take on Montiel. 

5) Gilberto Roman – 9.29 Points

Titlists/Champions Faced – 5: (Watanabe, Laciar, Rojas, Konadu, Sung-Kil Moon)

Two-time World Champion Roman is one of the outstanding Mexican warriors of the 1980s even if he is less heralded than some of his more notable countrymen.  Blessed with a schooled jab and exceptional speed, Roman was at home finding ways to win early or the full route.  A stoppage win of former lineal Flyweight champion Antonio Avelar in their second 1985 contest gave warning Roman was arriving and in 1986 he traveled to Japan to topple Watanabe by unanimous decision.  A strong first title reign featured a wide decision over former lineal Flyweight champion Frankie Cedeno but a draw with former WBA Flyweight titlist Santos Laciar foretold difficulties in the future.  Attempting his seventh defense, Roman was stopped in eleven in the Laciar rematch.  Two fights later, it was vengeance by proxy as Roman outpointed Laciar conqueror Rojas to recapture his throne.  His second reign would see a points rematch victory over Rojas in 1988 and a dominant decision win over Laciar to close their rivalry in 1989.  The end would begin against Ghana’s tough Nana Konadu, Roman dropped five times en route to a decision loss.  Two fights later, in 1990, he would end his career in the corner, worked over on the road in South Korea by the man who’d lifted Konadu’s claim in Moon.  Tragically, Roman would die in an auto accident three weeks after his last loss.  Roman stands out as a fighter deserving of more serious IBHOF consideration than he’s received thus far. 

4) Sung-Kil Moon – 9.66 Points

Titlists/Champions Faced – 4: (Konadu, Roman, Salazar, Bueno)

The second Korean to make the top ten, Moon was a buzzsaw whose fairly short pro career was underwritten with an impressive amateur background.  A 1984 Olympian, Moon won the World Amateur title in 1986 at Bantamweight before turning pro in 1987 and adding a WBA title at Bantamweight against Khaokor Galaxy (brother of Khaosai) in only his seventh pro fight.  Deposed by Galaxy in a return, Moon turned down the scale and two fights later traded five knockdowns with Konadu (three in his favor, two against) before an accidental headbutt led to the cards after nine rounds and saw the title change hands in January 1990.  Over nine defenses, six by knockout, Moon would overwhelm Roman, stop Konadu in four rounds of their return, escape future Bantamweight titlist Greg Richardson on a majority decision, end the career of former Jr. Flyweight titan Hilario Zapata in a single round, and narrowly outpoint future titlist Carlos Salazar.  The next close call on the cards would work against him, a split decision defeat in Seoul to Jose Luis Bueno which closed the curtain not only on Moon’s reign but his tenure in the squared circle.  Just months past his 30th birthday, Moon could look back on a paid tenure which saw him contest for a world title in a remarkable 15 of 22 bouts, almost seventy percent of his career.

3) Masamori Tokuyama – 11 Points

Titlists/Champions Faced – 4: (In-Joo Cho, Gerry Penalosa, Kawashima, Kirilov)

Ethnically North Korean, Tokuyama made his bones in Japan over two title reigns which dominated the top of class for most of the first half of the 2000s.  He wasn’t always exciting, but Tokuyama employed a ring intelligence sadly overlooked outside the land of the rising sun.  A rare stoppage of aged veteran Hiroki Ioka in 1998, remembered as the lone man to defeat great Jr. Flyweight Myung Wuh Yuh, signaled the ascent of Tokuyama after two early career points losses.  In 2000, he would outpoint Cho to begin his first lengthy reign, stopping Cho in five rounds in return action two fights later.  In two of his next four defenses, he would also outpoint the skilled Penalosa in 2001 and 02, first by unanimous decision and then in a close, debated split decision rematch.  To start his 2003 campaign, he posted a wide points win over the aggressive Katsushige Kawashima and began what would become a surprising rivalry.  He easily outpointed future titlist Kirilov and was expected to do the same again in a Kawashima rematch but was shockingly stopped in the first round.  Out of the ring for over a year, he returned for the rubber match, dominating Kawashima to prove his superiority.  One fight remained, another dominant points win, against U.S. Olympian Jose Navarro in February 2006 and then, at 31, Tokuyama walked away from the game still a reigning champion.  Tokuyama will be eligible for IBHOF consideration around 2011 should he remain retired.   He deserves a hard look.

2) Jiro Watanabe – 14.83 Points

Titlists/Champions Faced – 5: (Kim, Ballas, Pedroza, Poontarat, Roman)

Japan’s Watanabe was a classy southpaw with power who, like many of the Asian warriors who populate this list, packed a lot into a fairly short career.  In a 28 bout mark, he would spend fully half his pro contests in world title action.  His first attempt at a WBC title in April 1981, in only his eleventh fight, saw him lose by a single point on two of three judge’s cards over fifteen in Chul Ho Kim’s native Korea.  Four wins would follow before he got a crack at the still new WBA belt, obtained in a dominant fifteen rounds over Rafael Pedroza.  In his next bout, he stopped the only other man who to then had held WBA honors, Gustavo Ballas, in nine followed by a stoppage that ended the career of former Flyweight champion Shoji Oguma.  A unification clash was signed with WBC titlist Payao Poontarat for July 1984 but the WBA elected to strip Watanabe for taking the bout.  Watanabe picked up a split decision and went forward with one belt but recognition as the true best in class.  A rematch knockout of Poontarat cleared up any doubts from their first bout and Watanabe would post three more defenses before a showdown with Roman which ended both his titled and professional days just a couple weeks after his 31st birthday.  Unfortunately, the later life of Watanabe has had its issues, with legal troubles dogging him since the late 1990s.  These bad turns do nothing to take away from what he got done in the early days of Jr. Flyweight history.

1) Khaosai Galaxy – 15.92 Points

Titlists/Champions Faced – 3: (Orono, Pical, Chang)

How might history have been different had Watanabe been allowed to fight for the unified crown?  It’s possible he may have next faced this man under WBA mandates and what a fight it might have been.  Affectionately recalled as the “Thai Tyson,” and born Sura Saenkham, Galaxy was a beast in the ring and a candidate for the top whenever the subject of greatest Asian fighters of all-time is discussed.  Turned pro in 1980, Galaxy would suffer a ten round points loss in his seventh bout and never look back.  In November 1984, he batter Luis Espinal for the belt stripped from Watanabe and the body count continued to rise from there.  Former WBA champion Rafael Orono didn’t make it past five.  Edgar Monserrat was dumped in two and an undefeated Israel Contreras in five.  Three-time IBF titlist Ellyas Pical made it further in 1987 but still fell in fourteen.  Another man whose title claims came from the IBF, Tae-Il Chang, could last only two frames in 1988.  Altogether, Galaxy would hold off attempts at his title 19 times, and only Kongtoranee Payakaroon, Kenji Matsumura, and his final challenger, Armando Castro, heard the results read rather than counted to them.  Galaxy retired after the Castro bout, aged 32, and never came back while riding a 43 bout win streak and still considered the peak of his class.  Like Wilfredo Gomez at 122 lbs., Galaxy gave 115 its first truly great fighter and in many ways validated its existence, thrilling fans in person and through word of mouth internationally for years.  He was inducted into the IBHOF in 1999 and continues on today in the Thai entertainment industry where he has appeared in films, music videos, and even released songs. 

Semantics

The results here are based on a numerical comparison, adjusted slightly from the previous weeks, which assigns points in part based on:

1. Number of fellow champions faced (total) then divided into a competition score to flatten the field due to the fluctuation in titles recognized.

2. Lineal World Titles (Noted; 1 Point)

3. Sanctioning Body Titles (Points Assigned based on  number of bodies; i.e. .5 pre-IBF; .25 post-WBO)

4. Title Defenses (Points assigned in correlation to title points)

5. 2 Points per KO; -2 per KOBY; 1 per UD against fellow titlists

6. 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)

7. Quality Losses (Losses to champion opponents -1 point; selective non-title losses)

8. Draws (.5 points)

*Still an active professional

Coming Soon: “The Other Nine, Pt. 7: The Junior Bantamweights”

Pt. 1 – Cruiserweight: https://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=18179

Pt. 2 – Super Middleweight: https://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=18376

Pt. 3 – Jr. Middleweight: https://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=18452

Pt. 4 – Jr. Welterweight: https://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=18632

Pt. 5 – Jr. Lightweight: https://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=18886

Pt. 6 – Jr. Featherweight: https://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=18984 

Cliff Rold is a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Advisory Panel and the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com