By Anthony “Zute” George – The lightweight division is one of the most talented divisions in boxing history. The International Boxing Research Organization (IBRO) revamped its Top 20 all-time boxers in each weight class back in 2019. You would be hard-pressed to find a more star-studded division than the stars at 135 pounds. The top five were Roberto Duran, Benny Leonard, Joe Gans, Pernell Whitaker, and Henry Armstrong. Wow!

Before you say anything, the voters sent the ballots before the untimely death of Pernell Whitaker.

Other heavy hitters in the lightweight top 20 consisted of legends such as Ike Williams, Tony Canzoneri, and Barney Ross. In addition to those legends, modern days masters Alexis Arguello, Julio Cesar Chavez, Floyd Mayweather Jr., and Sugar Shane Mosley all found a home in the IBRO top 20. 

If a boxing observer looked at the current crop of lightweights, they would undoubtedly discover immensely talented pugilists at least ten to fifteen deep. A worthy addition to the division’s phenomenal history. 

Of course, most boxing fans and writers evaluate the current boxer while wearing Old Man Card colored glasses. Therefore, they might find my comment fallacious. I can hear it now, ‘what are you talking about, Zute? These lightweights are terrible compared to my day.’

If you take the OMC glasses off and forget what year it is, you will identify a profound lightweight division. I promise.

Indeed, if you put today’s lightweights up against the IBRO’s top 20 they will fall way short. I am not sure that is not fair to do, however. On the other hand, if you identify the top lightweights of any given year, I believe the current crop would be right there in terms of talent. 

For example, let us look at The Ring Magazine annual lightweight rankings of 1986. A year that many boxing historians cite as a very stacked division. The annual top ten looked like this:

Title Vacant

• 1. Edwin Rosario
• 2. Hector Camacho
• 3. Greg Haugen
• 4. Jimmy Paul
• 5. Livingstone Bramble
• 6. Jose Luis Ramirez
• 7. Terrence Alli
• 8. Meldrick Taylor
• 9. Pernell Whitaker
• 10. Cornelius Boza Edwards

Deep indeed. Whitaker is an all-time great. Rosario and Camacho are hall of famers. Guys like Jose Luis Ramirez and Meldrick Taylor are considered borderline by many. 

At the same time, Ring failed to name a champion at lightweight because nobody could distinguish themselves as a standout. Light heavyweight, junior middleweight, and junior featherweight were the only other divisions in 1986 that Ring failed to crown a champion. 

Let us now look at the Ring rankings for lightweights today. 

Champ: Devin Haney

• 1. Vasiliy Lomachenko
• 2. Gervonta Davis
• 3. Ryan Garcia
• 4. Isaac Cruz
• 5. George Kambosos
• 6. William Zepeda
• 7. Frank Martin
• 8. Michel Rivera
• 9. Gustavo Lemos
• 10. Joseph Diaz Jr. 

Even with the hall of famers from 1986, I need help seeing how anyone who looks at these rankings objectively can claim that 1986 was much superior. They are both loaded.

First, let us look at how the best of 1986  performed against each other at lightweight

Rosario faced Ramirez(twice), Camacho, and Bramble. He lost his lightweight title to the legendary Julio Cesar Chavez, who did not compete at lightweight until 1987. Chavez only had two other championship fights at lightweight. One of those fights was against Ramírez. 

Camacho faced Ramirez and Rosario. He failed to fight Jimmy Paul when most of the public wanted it and opted to move up to 140 after Rosario ‘upset’ Bramble for a portion of the lightweight title. A rematch with El Chapo for a lightweight unification showdown would have been grand. We did not get to see it. 

Meldrick Taylor did not compete enough at lightweight. As he went to the 140-pound division to compete for championships. 

Haugen was not considered a top lightweight when he faced Jimmy Paul. After Haugen proved everyone wrong, he battled a soon-to-be top lightweight in Vinny Paz twice, but could not get either of the other champions in the Ring. After two title defenses against Miguel Santana and Gert Bo Jacobsen-good fighters, but not guys worthy of the Ring’s annual top ten- Greg had to defend his title against Pernell Whitaker, in Whitaker’s backyard. His days at lightweight soon came to an end.

Whitaker went on to have one of the most celebrated reigns in lightweight in history. He dominated and unified against fighters who would find themselves in the lightweight annual top ten, at some point, from 1989-1991. Contrary to what the Old Man Card would have you believe; undisputed was not the norm then. Technically, the WBO existed during Whitaker’s reign, but nobody held them in high regard then. Indeed, the fact that Mauricio Aceves and Dingaan Thobela were called lightweight champions at the same time as Sweet Pea was not taken seriously by anyone. Pernell also defended against ATG Azumah Nelson, who was moving up in weight to challenge for the lightweight crown. Nelson went back down in weight after he lost. Pernell was that great.

At the same time, I would put the Ring’s current top ten against any ranked lightweight Pernell defended his title against.

Indeed, what matters most circa 2023 is that we get the intriguing fights  we go to bed dreaming about. 

Now, let us look at the fights we have had already from the Ring’s top lightweights. 

Tank has already fought Cruz. Haney beat Kambosos twice. Zepeda toppled Diaz. And that is about it. Indeed, we deserve better. The most frustrating aspect of boxing is when you have a crop of talented boxers that do not fight each other. Do not give up hope; however, the chapter is not yet closed.

It was just announced that Tank Davis and Ryan Garcia have agreed to meet in 2023. Fantastic. However, an official date or venue has yet to be released. Tank also has a date against Hector Luis Garcia in January. There is also a lot of hope that a showdown with Haney and Lomachenko will also be made, but nothing has been officially announced. Therefore, we should celebrate with caution regarding both fights. Especially the former. 

If these two fights pan out, they can surpass the abovementioned era. There was no fight on paper as big as Tank vs. Ryan circa 1986 until Whitaker left the division. The biggest fight in terms of hype back then was Camacho vs. Rosario. There is no question that if you leave your Old Man Card in your wallet, both Tank vs. Ryan and Haney vs. Lomachenko are bigger fights going in.

Now, the action produced in the ring is another topic. Both Ramirez vs. Rosario fights, Camacho’s brilliance against JLR and struggle with Rosario, Haugen’s upset of Paul, Haugen and Paz’s two showdowns, Chavez’s slug-fest with Rosario, and Whitaker’s dominance over Haugen. These were all great fights and/or performances that take a back seat to no era in lightweight history. This era still has ways to go to equal some of the fantastic fights and performances of that era. Indeed, a tough act to follow. 

At the same time, if it no longer takes a massive prestidigitation effort to get the best lightweights of today to fight each other, this era can surpass what we saw from the abovementioned era. 

Indeed, we are sitting on a potential golden era of the lightweight division. 

I did not even discuss the promise of some lightweights not yet in the Ring’s top ten. Jamaine Ortiz, Gary Cully, and Raymond Muratalla have immense potential. In addition, a  fellow by the name of Shakur Stevenson is now ranked by most of the sanctioning bodies. Indeed, Shakur has the best chance of bumping someone out of the IBRO ratings in about ten years. Stevenson has also proven he is willing to face the best of the division that he competes in. 

We certainly have the table set at lightweight with the finest china. How many boxers will sit down and eat at the table?

Stay tuned…

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