20 years from now I think DLH will be remembered fondly as a six time champ who beat some excellent fighters and lost to some all time great fighters. He'll probably be appreciated even more as a promoter when people begin comparing him to the Don King's of the boxing world, as the man who put the money in the hands of the boxers and not just their pimps. When JC Chavez was still active, he wasn't universally embraced by the Mexcians (or Mexican-Americans) either. I remember the grumblings that he was aloof and preferred drinking brandy with Steve Wynn at the Mirage rather than getting drunk on beer with the locals the way Ruben Olivares did.
The little guys just don't get the respect. Superbantamweight/junior featherweight has Israel Vasquez, Rafael Marquez, Juan Manuel Lopez, Celestino Caballero and (don't forget) Daniel Ponce de Leon. What other weight division has a top 5 like that. I'm not even including guys like Richardo Cordoba, Jhonny Gonzales and Steve Molitor. It's so good, I don't see how our homegrown (Philippine) talents like Bernabe Conception and Rey Bautista have any chance at all.
Donny Lalonde, the original "Golden Boy", was a decent if one-dimensional fighter. Strangely, he wasn't that popular back home in Canada. Anyway, he's one of the few boxers who was able to save his money and now makes his home between Vancouver, Canada and Costa Rica.
I know exactly what you're saying KILLA.
Don't even ask me what I think about Fil-Ams cheering on Manny Pacquiao like he's one of their own, then they go around dissing Filipinos from the Philippines as FOBs
Donald Curry
Marlon Starling
Milton McCrory
Lloyd Honeygum
Bobby Chacon
Rolando Navarette
Cornelius Boza Edwards
Rafael Limon
Yaqui Lopez
Marvin Johnson
Victor Galindez
Greg Haugen
Orlando Canizales
Luisito Espinosa
Though I'm not sure, but I'm guessing that Curry, Galindez, Canizales and Espinosa might be candidates for the HOF.
After 2009? My short list would include Juan Manuel Lopez, Jorge Linares, Victor Ortiz, Edwin Valero and Miguel Cotto. Ortiz and Valero have to be tested still, but the talent and excitement is obvious. We have to see how Cotto comes back from his first defeat. Though, it anything, Cotto seems like he's going to be one of those great, talented and exciting but also flawed fighters. I did't include Margarito because he's already over 30 and I just don't think he's going to be able to take that kind of punishment much longer. As well, he appears very beatable against quick, slick boxers who don't feel the need to engage him.
This is a bad mistake for Donaire. There's a reason Filipino boxers go overseas to get high level training. The trainers here aren't very good. Look at the bouts with locals fighters here. Ever see a jab? Or any kind of head movement or purposeful footwork? Donaire should get someone who's a step up from his father, not an excellent boxer who has no experience as a trainer at the championship level.