Top 5 Light Flyweights

[greeh]

With a combination of skill, size, and power, I believe Lopez would walk right through him. KO8. I'm not trying to diminish Chang, I've seen the tapes, he was very skilled. I just believe Lopez was that good.

If you have one, how does your Top 5 light flyweights list look like?

/greeh

[greeh]

Yes. I admit it. I rarely pay attention to the divisions below featherweight.

You are really missing out on something. Both the bantamweight and flyweight division have had loads of great fighters.

/greeh

[Boxing Bob]

If you have one, how does your Top 5 light flyweights list look like?

/greeh

1.Yuh
2.Gushiken
3.Chang
4.Gonzales
5.Carbajal

Hard list to make with Yuh,Gushiken, Chang and Zapata having really long runs as champions. While Gonzales and Carbajals reigns aren't as long, I think their opposition is a little better and both had reasonably long reigns. Just my opinion

[SCtrojansbaby]

If his resume is unmatched, which I don't agree with, can you please explain what makes it so much better than, for example, Jung-Koo Changs resume?

/greeh

Well for one he dominated Chang in their fight. And yes I know Chang retired but he was only out for a year and even had a warm up fight before fighting Gonzalez. I would also rate Carbajal better than any one Chang beat.

In my opinion it is one of the few divisions where there is a clear #1

[greeh]

Well for one he dominated Chang in their fight. And yes I know Chang retired but he was only out for a year and even had a warm up fight before fighting Gonzalez. I would also rate Carbajal better than any one Chang beat.

In my opinion it is one of the few divisions where there is a clear #1

Chang was still game and decent, but not prime when Gonzalez fought him. Chiquita practically caught him at the right time. He didn't exactly put up a masterclass performance or giving Chang the beating of his life either. Chang kept it competitive, but his partying lifestyle had took a toll on him and his constantly aggressive style. Chang's style demanded him be in top condition physically more than others, having sharp reflexes, fast legs and stamina to pressure his opponent the whole fight. His partying lifestyle didn't exactly help him to retain this, it only heavily damaged what made him special. The only reason Chang did return to the ring was due to his financial problems. He was broke and was practically living on the streets. This because his wife left him and took off to USA with all his money. And should we call Chang prime only because he had a warm-up before? It wasn't exactly against a top light flyweight. Don't be fooled to think that because he was competitive in his next bout against Sot Chitalada (Chang should've won IMO), who also was past prime and at a similar stage as Chang, that Chang was in his prime.

Chang wasn't the first and won't be the last teenage phenom that peaks early only to burn out much faster, even if they aren't old in age (Wilfred Benitez is a example). Chang was only 18 when he met Alfonso Lopez, a former titleholder at flyweight. Past his prime, but still decent, Lopez got destroyed by Chang in three rounds. After that he fought Hilario Zapata, the lanky Whitaker-esque technician who ruled the divison. Zapata won a SD but IMO, Chang should have got the victory. In the rematch 6 months later, Chang took his revenge on Zapata, who quit after three rounds. Chang was just 20 years old. Zapata was, IMO, a better fighter than Carbajal. Chang then went 3-0 against the rugged Mexican bomber German Torres (who should've won their second fight, Chang looked like **** in that fight, not prepared and with a possible leg injury), beat Sot Chitalada (future flyweight champion who's record only was 4-0, but was closer to his prime than many thinks because he had tons of experience with his Muay Thai background like many other Thai fighters). Chang also beat former linear world champion Amado Ursua, future strapholder and countryman Jong-Kwan Chung, future minimumweight champion Hideyuki Ohashi (twice), Isidoro Perez, Francisco Montiel (twice), Katsuo Tokashiki and future flyweight strapholder Hi-Sup Shin.

Chang's resume has IMO both the best win (Zapata) and is deeper than Gonzalez. Sure, Gonzalez won his series with 2-1 against another great fighter, Michael Carbajal. But in their second and third fight, i don't think Carbajal was a great fighter anymore. I don't mean that he wasn't good, he really was. But he fell in love with his power and got one dimensional, forgetting to setup his punches, and got outboxed. The best version of Carbajal in their series was in the first fight, which Chiquita lost.

That's just my take on it, if you don't agree please explain why and where you think I'm wrong. It's always fun to discuss.

/greeh

[Anthony342]

What was the fight where Carbajal said in the dressing room in an interview before the fight that he was going to "outbox the s#@* out of him" and it was on live TV so it was uncensored?

[greeh]

What was the fight where Carbajal said in the dressing room in an interview before the fight that he was going to "outbox the s#@* out of him" and it was on live TV so it was uncensored?

It was against Humberto Gonzalez, but i can't remember in which of them it was.

/greeh

[Anthony342]

Okay thanks. I believe I was watching an early De La Hoya fight when that came on. The lower weight classes don't get much exposure here in the US. They did for a while when boxing was a bigger sport, especially when there was an Olympian star like Carbajal. Hell, in the '90s and early 2000s even women boxers were getting some press and airtime.

Point is, more of us would know about featherweight and below if they were shown more. Every now and then we'll see a Barrera at bantamweight or Gamboa at feather, now at lightweight I believe, but they seem to be few and far between unfortunately, especially these days.

[greeh]

Okay thanks. I believe I was watching an early De La Hoya fight when that came on. The lower weight classes don't get much exposure here in the US. They did for a while when boxing was a bigger sport, especially when there was an Olympian star like Carbajal. Hell, in the '90s and early 2000s even women boxers were getting some press and airtime.

Point is, more of us would know about featherweight and below if they were shown more. Every now and then we'll see a Barrera at bantamweight or Gamboa at feather, now at lightweight I believe, but they seem to be few and far between unfortunately, especially these days.

No problems. Do you have a Top 5 light flyweights list?

/greeh