Bouts we want in 2016-Light Flyweight version

1/15/2016

During the next year we're expecting to see the Light Flyweight division become the “must watch” weight class. Given that it's often been an over-looked weight class we're really hoping that 2016 can be a year where fans do get excited and do start to give the division the attention that it deserves, and of course we also hope to see some great match ups. Ahead of any major announcements we've thought of 5 fights that we want to see this coming year in what is the second part of out "Bouts we want..." series, following on from the Minimumweight version here.

Ryoichi Taguchi Vs Randy Petalcorin
On paper the most logical match up sees WBA “regular” champion Ryoichi Taguchi (23-2-1, 10) defending his belt against interim champion Randy Petalcorin (23-1-1, 18). The bout is a really straight forward to make one with the two men having a real reason to fight and in theory both would have a lot to gain from a win and both would likely view the bout as one they should be really considering for the coming year, making it probably the most likely to happen, especially given that neither man can afford another year without facing a major opponent, which both men had last yesar unfortunately.

Not only is this one a good on one in regards to clearing up the WBA title picture but it's also one that should be great in the ring. Taguchi is a criminally under-rated boxer, with a very solid skill set, genuine toughness and developing confidence whilst Petalcorin is a powerful, fast and accurate fighter who needs to prove that he really is world class. The styles should be fun to see together and the chance to score a statement win should bring the best from both, making this a real humdinger.

Donnie Nietes Vs Rey Loreto
Whilst the Taguchi/Petalcorion fight makes a lot of sense for both men sometimes fights don't need to make “sense” for us to to want them. One such example is an all-Filipino bout between WBO kingpin Donnie Nietes (37-1-4, 21) and hard hitting countryman Rey Loreto (20-13, 12). On paper this is a major mismatch, however as we all know Loreto is the division's dangerman and is criminally under-rated.

Nietes is the longest reigning active champion in the division however the 33 year old has had a long and draining career and has shown some chinks during his 4 year reign. Loreto on the other hand is just coming into his prime, at 25, and has really improved since a less than stellar 0-4 start to his professional career. With wins over Wisanu Kokietgym, Pornsawan Porpramook and Nkosinathi Joyi Loreto is dangerous and could well upset Nietes in what would be a brilliant boxer Vs puncher match up.

Sadly however it seems unlikely we'll get this one given that Nietes has been ordered to face Moises Fuentes and then seems likely to move to the Flyweight division.

Akira Yaegashi Vs Ryo Miyazaki
The best fights are the ones where styles gel, and one such bout has been mooted for several years and appears to have taken a huge step towards reality in recent weeks. That bout would put the newly crowned IBF champion Akira Yaegashi (23-5, 12) against fellow action fighter Ryo Miyazaki (24-1-3, 15). Whilst there are “better” bouts in the sport, such as Naoya Inoue Vs Roman Gonzalez, we don't think any other bout has “sure fire excitement” written over it as much as this one.

Yaegashi looked sensational winning the IBF crown late last year, with a win over Javier Mendoza, but still can't refrain himself from brawling whilst Miyazaki is, at heart, a brawler. Given that both men like a fight, both have lapses defensively and both like to let their hands go we really can't see any outcome other than a win for the fans, if this one is made. Interestingly it is being spoken about as potential match up for March and Miyazaki has publicly called out his fellow Japanese warrior. Fingers crossed!

Jonathan Taconing Vs Felix Alvarado
Over the last few year's we've been hoping to see Jonathan Taconing (22-2-1, 18) get a world title fight, sadly however he has been avoided like the plague. It'd be nice to see him finally getting a shot at a champion but if that doesn't happen we'd love to see him face Nicaraguan warrior Felix Alvarado (22-2, 19). The two men should again make for a stylistically fun fight and it should be a bit of a fire fight, despite the fact neither has been stopped.

With 37 stoppage wins between them, from 47 bouts, we know power shots would be the order of the day and neither would be thinking about hearing the final bell. We also know that both feel thy been controversially beaten and and we don't see either man fighting for a decision. This really could be something very special to watch and, like the Yaegashi/Miyazaki bout, has “sure fire excitement” written all over it.

Whilst the bout should be great it should also act as a very serious world title eliminator with the winner well deserving of a world title fight later in the year.

Yu Kimura Vs Ken Shiro
There are a number of other bouts at 108lbs that could be made over the next 12 months though arguably the one that most interests us would see one of our favour fighters Ken Shiro (6-0, 3) step up to face recently crowned WBC champion Yu Kimura (18-2-1, 3). The bout would be one filled with skills and speed and, on paper at least, the easiest root for Ken Shiro to claim a world title, though of course wouldn't be a gimme for the youngster.

The biggest issue with this bout is that Kimura will likely need to fight in a mandatory defense, probably against Taconing, however if he can avoid that, or delay it, then we could be in for a really cracking all-Japanese world title fight between a veteran and a real youngster looking to break through. Really intriguing even if the bout doesn't really scream major “excitement”.

Whilst we have mentioned 5 bouts here, there are of course numerous other bouts, such ones featuring Kosei Tanaka, would also be also be entertaining and the division really does look amazing at the moment and we really are hoping that it can deliver on the promise that it has.

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Divisional overview- The Light Flyweight division

2/23/2015

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The Long Term Champion

Donnie Nietes (34-1-4, 20)
The clear stalwart at Light Flyweight is a Donnie Nietes. The Filipino has really been quietly going about his business whilst also managing to forge one of the most impressive resumes of any active fighter in the lower classes. All the while others have passed in and out of the division with out creating much of a legacy.

The 32 year old WBO champion is the longest reigning active champion in the division by a long way and has held the title for more than 4 years whilst notching up 5 title defenses. Whilst on paper it doesn't sound like a lot they have been impressive defenses including 2 against Moises Fuentes and others against Felipe Salguero and Sammy Gutierrez.

In the ring Nietes is a highly skilled, defensively sound boxer who thrives against fighters bringing the fight to him. Although a counter puncher by trade Nietes has shown an ability to force the fight when he needs to, as he did against Carlos Velarde last time out.

It seems likely that Nietes will, some day soon, head towards the Flyweight division though it's also clear that he still has unfinished business at 108lbs and he'll likely be here for another fight or two as he continues to develop his legacy in the division.

The Banger

Jonathan Taconing (20-2-1, 17)
The Light Flyweight division isn't really associated with big punchers. Even historically it's not known for it's true bangers. At the moment however the division has a really vicious puncher in the form of 28 year old contender Jonathan Taconing who has an amazing stoppage rate of 73.91%, and has stopped his last 7.

Taconing's opponents haven't been great overall but he has notched a few notable scalps, including Vergilio Silvano, who he stopped in 11 rounds last year, and Warlito Parrenas, who he stopped back in 2010.

Blessed with devastating power, serious toughness and an insanely aggressive manner Taconing is one of the lower weights real danger men and he's also become an avoided fighter with no one giving him a shot at the big time since he was controversially beaten by Kompayak Porpramook back in 2012.

Although an avoided fighter Taconing has impressed and the WBC have got him set for a final eliminator with a world title fight against Pedro Guevara up for grabs for the winner. Being honest a bout between Taconing and Guevara could be a runner for the FOTY, if it gets made.

The Warrior

Ryo Miyazaki (22-1-3, 13)
Boxing has a number of insanely fun to watch fighters and luckily for the Light Flyweight division, it has one of them in in Osakan fighter Ryo Miyazaki, a former WBA champion at Minimumweight. As a fighter Miyazaki is flawed and limited but he is a fighter and brings excitement into the ring as well as the willingness to go to war and the toughness to often come out on top in a war.

Better known as “Kazuto Ioka's best friend” Miyazaki is a world class warrior who has done more than most. He has claimed Japanese and OPBF titles at Light Flyweight as well as the WBA Minimumweight title and is now on the hunt for a Light Flyweight title fight.

Although his resume isn't a who's who he does hold notable wins over the likes of Junichi Ebisuoka, Jerson Mancio, Pornsawan Porpranook, Carlos Verlarde and Jesus Silvestre. The one big mark against him however is his shock upset loss to a then unknown Fahlan Sakkreerin in late 2013, since then however he has rebuilt with back to back stoppage wins.

At the moment the road map for Miyazaki isn't clear though it's expected that he will be moving towards a WBA title fight with Ryoichi Taguchi later this year. That would certainly be a great fight to watch given the styles and abilities of the two men.

The Recently Crowned Prince

Ryoichi Taguchi (21-2-1, 8)
The Light Flyweight division has a lot of new title holders title holders at the moment. For many the most under-rated of those is Japan's Ryoichi Taguchi who has shown a lot to like in his career, even if he's only really come to the attention of fans in recent years. In fact Taguchi was a man who came to the attention of fans in his loss to Naoya Inoue, a loss the proved how tough and game Taguchi was.

In terms of his best win Taguchi beat the then WBA champion Alberto Rossel last year and added Rossel's scalp to those of Yu Kimura, Yuki Chinen and Florante Condes, all of whom are really good fighters.

In the ring Taguchi is a hard working fighter who has a lovely variety of shots, guts, aggression and freakish size for a man at 108lbs. His reach and height alone make him a tricky opponent and his experience of being in with a number of top domestic fighters will certainly help him bow that he's fighting at the top level.

Taguchi's next move is unknown though it's though he will be defending his belt either in April or May with Ryo Miyazaki and Alex Diaz both being rumoured as possible foes for the Watanabe gym fighter.

The Myth, The Man, The Questions

Ali Raymi (24-0, 24)
Yemeni fighter Ali Raymi has become a bit of an internet sensation and his record is, clearly, one of the most perfect in the sport. Sadly for Raymi he is without a win of international renown and has been on the back end of jibes by the international boxing community.

Exciting to watch and blessed with one of the most aggressive mindsets in boxing Raymi is a colourful character who seems able to get the type of attention that the division generally lacks. Sadly however for many fans he is little more than a myth.

In the ring Raymi is all about offense with his attack often depending, almost entirely, on body shots which come in massive volume. It's hard to say how damaging these really are given his competition thus far but they have stopped all of his opponents up to now, something that very few fighters have managed.

From what we understand Raymi's next bout comes against another unbeaten Yemeni fighter, Hani Ansi, in March. The bout pits two very colourful fighters against each other and the winner probably does need to be taken semi-seriously however the lower will almost certainly be seen as a joke.

The Thai Teen

Stamp Kiatniwat (12-0, 5)
The real young gun of the division is Thailand's promising Stamp Kiatniwat who, despite only being a teenager, is tipped to be a major star in the future. Not only is he tipped as something special but he is matched like he's something special and is being pushed hard despite his age.

Stamp made his debut back in 2013 and hie early opponents were the usual selection of novices and limited imports. Last year however he stepped it up massively and took on former world champion Kwanthai Sithmorseng. The win Kwanthai wasn't easy, Kwanthai of course wanted to so defeat the youngster, but the win really showed just how talented the youngster was.

Although a talented boxer-mover we have seen Stamp troubled with his recent win over Espinos Sabu being particularly tough. This bout showed that the youngster needed time to develop from a boy into a man. Once he does that we suspect we'll see him in bigger and better fights against strong opposition.

At the moment there is no opponent lined up for Stamp's next bout though we have a feeling he'll return to action in April or May, probably against a Filipino or Indonesian foe.

Others
The interim Champion
The Philippines have several other notable fighters in this division including WBA interim champion Randy Petalcorin who is a much touted southpaw with venomous power and an exciting style. “Razor” is exciting fighter though one who hasn't yet scored a major win with his best scalp to date being against Walter Tello. Hopefully this year we will find out a lot more about the 23 year old southpaw and find out if he has the ability to claim a “real” world title.

The contender
Milan Melindo will be the next Asian fighter to fight for a Light Flyweight title when he steps up to take on IBF champion Javier Mendoza on April 25th. Melindo is a fabously talented fighter but one who seems to struggle when he steps up a level and he has struggled with both Jean Piero Perez and Martin Tecuapetla in recent bouts. He's talented but lacks the power and consistency to be genuinely world class.

The notable none Asian (I)
Having just mentioned the IBF champion it makes sense to talk about him a little bit. The heavy handed Javier Mendoza is a wonderfully fun fighter to watch with serious power, aggression and pressure. He's not the most technically capable nor the fastest but it may well take a very good fighter to beat him. Melindo, in our eyes, lacks the style to get the job done in Mexico but it will be fun when the two collide.

The notable non Asian (II)
Mexico's Pedro Guevara may well be the best fighter in the division and yet the 25 year old is generally over-looked by many in the division. Part of the reason he is over-looked is that he lost his first step up bout, coming up short against John Riel Casimero, however since then he has scored 4 straight wins including notable victories over Raul Garcia, Mario Rodriguez and most recently Akira Yaegashi. This kid is extremely talented and appears to have all the tools to be a star.

Images courtesy of:
WBO Boxing (Nietes)
Suljosblog (Taconing)
http://jpba.gr.jp/ (Miyazaki)
Watanbegym (Taguchi)
Essam Sanbani (Raymi)
bangkokgurentai (Kiatniwat)

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Bouts we want in 2016-Light Flyweight version

Divisional overview- The Light Flyweight division

The Long Term Champion

The Banger

The Warrior

The Recently Crowned Prince

The Myth, The Man, The Questions

The Thai Teen

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