By Jake Donovan

Part three of this ongoing series examines the champions and the recognized best in the bantamweight, super bantamweight, featherweight and super bantamweight divisions.

Three of the four have suffered through longtime vacancies at the top. The one division that crowns a king – super bantamweight – remains a strangehold at the top and a logjam among its leading contenders, all of whom are more bark than bite when it comes to meeting each other in the ring.

Needless to say, this section could very well rank as the most pessimistic among the lot.

To recap, the writers gracious enough to participate are (in alphabetical order):

Adam Abramowitz, Founder/Editor-In-Chief, SaturdayNightBoxing.com
Ryan Bivins, Feature Writer, BadLeftHook.com
Jake Donovan, Managing Editor, BoxingScene.com
David P. Greisman, Senior Writer, BoxingScene.com
Steve Kim, News Editor, BoxingScene.com
Takahiro Onaga, Founder/Editor-In-Chief, AsianBoxing.info
Dan Rafael, Senior Writer, ESPN.com
Cliff Rold, Feature Writer/Ratings Chairman, BoxingScene.com
Lem Satterfield, Reporter, RingTV.com
Alexey Sukachev, Eastern European Editor, BoxingScene.com

BANTAMWEIGHT (up to 118 lb.)

Who’s the champ?

Even Bernard Hopkins hadn’t yet turned pro the last time anyone ruled the bantamweight roost. Bernardo Piñango enjoyed such honors for about nine months before abandoning the division in March 1987 to pursue what became an unsuccessful run at the super bantamweight crown.

There have been plenty of GREAT bantamweights since then. Orlando Canizales (whose brother, Gaby – oddly enough - was the last lineal bantamweight champ before losing to Piñango), Rafael Marquez, Johnny Tapia, Wladimir Sidirenko and Anselmo Moreno all come to mind on such a subject.

Tapia and Marquez enjoyed lineal championship reigns outside of bantamweight. Nobody has enjoyed one since Piñango left, a 27-year span that has seen the major belts in the division change hands more than 75 times. The same stretch of time has also featured seven U.S. Presidential elections and – as mentioned earlier – the entire length of Hopkins’ 26-year career PLUS another 19 months.

Who’s the best?

The strange thing about the bantamweight division is that while it has forever lacked a true lineal champ, there always seems to be that one fighter everyone points to as the best.

For a while it was Canizales, in fact over the course of his record-breaking title reign, though one that sadly never included a unification bout.

Then it was Mbelulo Botile, who was eventually knocked out by Tim Austin, who in turn was knocked out by Rafael Marquez. Fernando Montiel was the de facto leader until he was knocked out by Nonito Donaire, who was the man until he moved up in weight a year later.

These days, the definitive top bantamweight in the world is Shinsuke Yamanaka (nine votes). The unbeaten bantamweight titlist from Japan – who is also the top-ranked bantamweight according to BoxingScene.com - announced his arrival with an 11th round knockout of Chrstian Esquivel in Nov. ’11. He has since enjoyed seven successful title defenses, including two in a career-best 2012 campaign that saw a decisive points win over Vic Darchinyan and a highlight reel knockout of Tomas Rojas to commemorate the one year anniversary of his title reign.

Tomoki Kameda (one vote) was the only other fighter in the division to receive consideration. The youngest of the three fighting Kameda brothers made history for his family when he outpointed Paulus Ambunda last August to claim a bantamweight belt. The feat marked the first time three brothers have won major titles.

Kameda has recently begun his U.S. tour, scoring a head-turning knockout win over former titlist Pungluang Sor Singyu in July followed by a strangely scored split decision win over Alejandro Hernandez in October.

How can the best become the champ?

If Yamanaka isn’t going to travel outside of Japan – and money suggests he has no reason to – then his handlers will have to find a way to entice the top bantamweights to come to him.

For the moment, Juan Carlos Payano is the #2 ranked bantamweight according to BoxingScene.com. The unbeaten Dominican boxer is currently under Mike Tyson’s Iron Mike Productions promotional banner, a relationship that led to his enjoying a career-high payday in a career-best win, dethroning longtime titlist Anselmo Moreno (now #3 in the B-Scene bantamweight ratings) in their cut-shortened bout this past September.

As long as Payano has Tyson in his corner, he will have access to the likes of Fox Sports 1, beIn Espanol and any other network with which the former undisputed heavyweight king can form a working relationship.

The best case scenario: Given IMP’s deep pockets, perhaps there’s enough money to lure Yamanaka to the United States.

The worst case is that another 27 years (or more) goes by without the World championship filled.

SUPER BANTAMWEIGHT (up to 122 lb.)

Who’s the champ?

Unbeaten two-time Olympic Gold medalist Guillermo Rigondeaux earned the honors with a decisive 12-round points win over Nonito Donaire last April. Two championship defenses have followed, with another one in queue on New Year’s Eve in Japan.

Who’s the best?

That would once again be Guillermo Rigondeaux (10 votes), one of six World lineal champs (and one of eight overall fighters) to receive all ten votes for his weight class. Regardless of what you think of his fighting style, there’s no denying the supreme boxing talent he possesses.

Want proof? The other titlists in this weight class – Carl Frampton, Leo Santa Cruz and Scott Quigg – are all unbeaten and would easily make for a strong top three in any other division. Yet none of the three were remotely considered when asked if a better super bantamweight than Rigondeaux exists.

Donaire learned that lesson the hard way, receiving a boxing lesson just two days after accepting the 2012 Fighter of the Year award at the annual banquet hosted by the Boxing Writers Association of America. What’s scary is that the feat came just 12 fights into Rigondeaux’ career, having won his first major belt (excluding interim titles) in his 9th pro fight, dominating Rico Ramos in their Jan. ’12 bout.

What can change?

Honestly, not much.

Rigondeaux’ handlers have already vowed that he’s not moving up in weight anytime soon, despite the fact that his most lucrative options reside at featherweight. Even at age 34, the Cuban wunderkind doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon.

Frampton, Santa Cruz and Quigg have all suggested a willingness to take on Rigondeaux. Of course, they’ve all taken turns calling each other out. They’ve yet to face each other, nor do such bouts appear on the horizon anytime soon.

If any unification bouts are to take place in the near future, it stands to reason that none will include Rigondeaux. Even if they do, don’t expect a changing of the guard anytime soon.

FEATHERWEIGHT (up to 126 lb.)

Who’s the champ?

Next March will mark 10 years since Manny Pacquiao officially vacated the World featherweight crown, moving up in weight and losing a narrow decision to Erik Morales. It was the last time he would lose for another seven years, beating Morales twice and going on to collect belts in five more weight classes – including two more lineal championships.

As for featherweight? Still in search of a hero.

Who’s the best?

Nicholas Walters (seven votes) made a lasting impression with his knockout win over Nonito Donaire in October. Both fighters held different versions of the same alphabet title, the closest there has been to a unification bout since Juan Manuel Marquez outpointed Derrick Gainer more than a decade ago.

Trailing behind Walters was Vasyl Lomachenko (two votes), who in the span of eight months enjoyed his pro debut, came up short in a title fight and then won a vacant title. The two-time Olympic Gold medalist and now featherweight titlist made his first defense in November, outpointing Chonlatarn Piriyapinyo in Macau.

Jhonny Gonzalez (one vote) was the only other vote getter in the division. The two-time featherweight titlist (and three-time titlist overall in two weight classes) regained his belt last August, scoring a shocking 1st round stoppage of Abner Mares in 2013’s Upset of the Year. He has since made two defenses, the most recent coming in October with an 11th round mercy stoppage of badly faded former four-division champ Jorge Arce in what was a huge event in Mexico.

How do the best and the champ become one and the same?

After years of struggling to land on the radar, boxing politics actually now work in Walters’ favor. The unbeaten Jamaican is one of three titlists fighting under the Top Rank banner, the other two being Lomachenko and Evgeny Gradovich, who just fought to a disputed 12-round draw with Jayson Velez in a bout most believed the unbeaten ‘Ruso Mexicano’ (‘Mexican Russian’) deserved to win.

Promoter Bob Arum has promised a featherweight tournament of sorts, a series which unofficially began with a trio of 126 lb. title fights on the same Macau card this past May. American pay-cable giant HBO is all the way behind showcasing the division as long as meaningful fights are presented.

Walters is willing to take on anyone in the world. However, the fight that can lead him to true championship lineage is a showdown with Gonzalez, the one featherweight titlist not with Top Rank.

Sigh.

SUPER FEATHERWEIGHT (up to 130 lb.)

Who’s the champ?

Yet another division left in ruins by Pacquiao, whose split decision win over Juan Manuel Marquez in March ’08 was the last time a recognized lineal champion was crowned in this division. The reign barely lasted as long as it took for Pacquiao to climb through the ropes and out of the ring, as his very next fight – a mere three months later – marked his one-and-done deal at lightweight before forever moving up in weight.

The crown has since remained vacant, and never coming close to being filled.

Who’s the best?

Eight title defenses into his reign, Takashi Uchiyama (nine votes) is the runaway favorite. It says quite a bit about his recognized dominance, considering the 35-year old has not fought since last New Year’s Eve. His next ring appearance will come exactly 52 weeks later, fighting on the holiday for the fourth straight year.

The title reign began with a 12th round knockout of Juan Carlos Salgado way back in Jan. ’10. All but two of his nine total title fights have ended in knockout; the lone two fighters to avoid a stoppage were Michael Farenas (a three-round technical draw due to a cut from a clash of heads) and most recently Daiki Kaneko last New Year’s Eve.

High among  the best moments of a title reign approaching five years include his Knockout of the Year-level 10th round drilling of Jorge Solis on New Year’s Eve in 2011, the first time he fought on the last day of the year in beginning a tradition now on its fourth consecutive year. Also included among the lot is an eighth round stoppage of Takashi Miura (one vote) in Jan. ’11.

Miura has since won eight straight, including a title belt of his own with a 9th round stoppage win over Gamaliel Diaz last April. 

Perhaps a greater debate would have come of the division had Mikey Garcia remained more active. The unbeaten former two-division titlist entered the 130 lb. fray with a 9th round stoppage of Roman Martinez last November, coming right back to outpoint Juan Carlos Burgos less than three months later.

His lone fight since then has been with Top Rank, as he has spent most of the year attempting to sever ties with his promoter, although a resolution appears to be in sight. Even if Garcia returns to the ring anytime soon, it will come outside of the 130 lb. division, as he has already vacated his alphabet belt due to no longer being able to make weight.

How do the best and the champ become one and the same?

Takashi squared. A rematch between Uchiyama and Miura is the only way the vacancy will be filled. Both appeared on the same show last New Year’s Eve, but beyond that night and their own head-on collision nearly four years ago, such a fight has never really stood much of a chance of being made.

The only other fighter who could possibly enter the equation is Rances Barthelemy. Given his lackluster style, perhaps a road trip to Japan would be his most lucrative option. That’s IF he wasn’t signed with adviser Al Haymon, a union that guarantees him lofty paydays and televised showcases against marginal opposition at his disposal.

Next up: Part IV – Examining the 135 lb., 140 lb., 147 lb. and 154 lb. divisions

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com, as well as the Records Keeper for the Transnational Boxing Ratings Board and a member of Boxing Writers Association of America . Twitter: @JakeNDaBox