Comments Thread For: Lightweight 2013: Good Enough Where Greatness Was

[BIGPOPPAPUMP]

by Cliff Rold - It’s not (usually) fair to call them down times. Let them instead be called the spaces between.

Weight divisions in boxing have their runs of unbelievable greatness, the right combination of talent and matches to indelibly mark an era as ‘special.’ Between those runs, there are the spaces between. Often they too are full of fantastic fights, enthusiastic fans, and they can even produce a great fighter or two, but there is just something a little…

…off.

We are in one of those times at Lightweight right now.

Arguably the biggest draw remaining in the division, Scotland’s Ricky Burns (36-2, 11 KO), defends his WBO Lightweight belt for the fourth time against game veteran Raymundo Beltran (28-6, 17 KO) this Saturday on Wealth TV (3 PM EST/12 PM PST). Beltran is a good story. This is a good fight.

And that’s good enough.

Good fights are the salve while awaiting the reloading of a Lightweight division experiencing its first real space between in over a decade.

It hasn’t been that long ago but it already feels that way. Lightweight from 2000-10 was one of the special times. As the decade dawned, Floyd Mayweather was yet to move up five pounds from Jr. Lightweight. It would be an upset on the same day, if not same card, as Shane Mosley-Oscar De La Hoya I, that kicked the era off.

In the final live fight aired on ABC to date, Jose Luis Castillo bested the excellent Stevie Johnston to capture the WBC Lightweight belt. Gradually the pieces came together. Mayweather rose, defeating Castillo, in 2002. Jr. Lightweight titlists Acelino Freitas, Diego Corrales, and Joel Casamayor would arrive after Floyd had moved up the scale again. With Castillo they formed a superb round robin of sorts, only Freitas and Castillo failing to clash. [Click Here To Read More]

[The Comic DON]

Nice read, I'm actually looking forward to Ricky's reign upon the lightweight division. Hopefully him and Vazquez can find away into the ring next year and finally prove who is the best of the division.

[JayCho]

Good post however, ironically the LW division is probably the most competitive division in the UK. Hopefully the likes of crolla,mitchell,matthews,coyle,rees can get up there with Burns upto world level, all of them are great domestic fighters, now its time for them to step up!

[alza1988]

Burns is quality for Scottish boxing buzzing for Sat

[TwoPieceBiscuit]

Burns? That little ***g0t ducked Broner. Cant respect that pus$y

[soul_survivor]

A very good piece, I almost agree 100%, in fact, I was going to post a similar thread just a few days back but then didn't have the times.

I do slightly disagree with the time scale though, I personally believe the lightweight division hasn't been great since the late 80s or early 90s. It's been very good throughout the late 90s and the early 00s, with great fighters like Mosley, Pacquiao, Marquez and Mayweather coming through it but none of them have ruled the division and none of them are lightweight greats (specifically based on the division alone). What we had with guys like Casamayor, Corrales, Diaz, Katsidis and Castillo was a group of limited boxers with huge heart, great warrior abilities but lacking the skill set, in some cases chins and in others the all round ability to be regarded as great.

You can't have a great division without great fighters imo

[Jamon1980]

Miguel Vazquez is one of the best boxers in the world right now, the reason the lightweight division is slow at the moment is because every one is too afraid to fight Vazquez. Adrien Broner wanted no part of fighting Vazquez because he knows that Vazquez would expose his weaknesses and smash his unbeaten record. That's why he vacated the lightweight division, to avoid Vazquez.

[King_]

Denis Shafikov will run this division. Book it. Can't wait for his next fight/step up

[Pony Boy]

How can burns be ranked #1 in the lightweight division when this is going to be his third title defense? Miguel Vasquez should be #1 because his defended his title five times and against tougher opposition than Burns, and has defeated undefeated fighters. Besides Beltran is ranked 5 or 6? IMO Omar Figueroa should be ranked higher than Beltran.

[Humean]

Miguel Vazquez is one of the best boxers in the world right now, the reason the lightweight division is slow at the moment is because every one is too afraid to fight Vazquez. Adrien Broner wanted no part of fighting Vazquez because he knows that Vazquez would expose his weaknesses and smash his unbeaten record. That's why he vacated the lightweight division, to avoid Vazquez.

Fighters tend not to be afraid to fight other fighters, that is entirely a myth of the boxing fans. Few want to fight Vazquez because the money is not good and the money is unlikely ever to be good because Vazquez is a dull fighter.

How can burns be ranked #1 in the lightweight division when this is going to be his third title defense? Miguel Vasquez should be #1 because his defended his title five times and against tougher opposition than Burns, and has defeated undefeated fighters. Besides Beltran is ranked 5 or 6? IMO Omar Figueroa should be ranked higher than Beltran.

Very debatable that Vasquez has fought tougher. Burns has beaten one former Lightweight champion, or 2 if you want to count interim champs. Not one of Vasquez's defences were against opponents that had held any portion of the world championship, in any form, at lightweight. Add to this that Burns was a super-featherweight world champion and it is not hard to understand why Burns could be considered above Vasquez at Lightweight.