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Can The Little Man With Big Appeal Bring Needed Attention To Fighters Under 122 Pounds?
I have to say that it confuses me as to how guys like Ricardo Mayorga and Fernando Vargas can remain in the spotlight. Both are tough guys and take hellacious beatings, but when you lay it on the line, what have they done productive over the last few years? Mayorga’s last worthy win was over Vernon Forrest in 2003 and other then Javier Castillejo, Vargas hasn’t had a good win since Quartey in 2000. That’s over six years ago!
Yes, both Vargas and Mayorga gave Felix Trinidad and Oscar De La Hoya the chance to showcase their skills but that’s nothing to consider a career highlight. Yet, it seems as though the talk of those two meeting later this year has become somewhat of a hot topic.
In the meantime, a guy who is on a 25 fight winning streak, with his last eight by TKO or KO. His last 10 opponents have a combined record of 305-49. Seven of the 10 are former or current belt holders in one form or another and three are former world champions. To top it off, he somehow manages to look cool in a cowboy hat while sucking on a lollipop!
Why then has it been so hard for Jorge Arce to break into the mainstream? Why is it that only he and a small handful of other fighters in the divisions under 122 lbs are names known by the average fan, while almost all the other fighters under 122 pounds go virtually unnoticed?
When it comes to the little guys, all we ever hear is the occasional blurb or quick overview. On occasion, one of the top guys are put into the spotlight for a quick moment or two then fade just as quickly. The fact is that we should be focusing more on these under sized warriors rather then only an occasional moment or two.
When is the last time that we saw a dull flyweight bout? The minimumweight guys throw so many punches Compubox can barely keep up. Yet, ask the casual fan to name a fighter under 122 pounds and usually the only names you will hear are Rafael Marquez, Vic Darchinyan, Ivan Calderon and Jorge Arce.
Meanwhile, there are dozens of great fighters down there. Guys like Eagle Kyowa, Masamori Yokuyama, Omar Romero and Pongsaklek Wonjongkam to name a few, burn up the ring when ever they step into it. Wonjongkam has an unbeaten streak of 50+ fights. How many guys above 140 even have 50 fights, let alone a 50 fight win streak against the best their perspective divisions have to offer?
Just as a fighter under 122 starts to get some big recognition, the criticism starts to flow out. Many are starting to criticize Arce for not fighting Darchinyan or Marquez. Even though both are in separate divisions outside of what Arce currently resides in. Marquez is one division up at bantamweight and Vic is one below at flyweight.
So, forget the 25 fight win streak. Forget the fact that he has stopped his last eight opponents. Throw out the fact that he is a former world titlist and interim champion. The only thing that matters is that he hasn’t faced Darchinyan and Marquez yet.
Yet, Joe Calzaghe has only fought one semi-marquee quality opponent in the form of over rated Jeff Lacey and is making a title defense against Peter Manfredo, a fighter who’s biggest claim to fame is his loss on a reality TV show. I don’t see the same critics complaining that Calzaghe hasn’t dropped down to fight Taylor or chased Hopkins up at light heavyweight. If someone can explain the logic in that please straighten me out because I want to understand the difference.
Or maybe Arce’s mistake is that he hasn’t lost enough over the past few years? A few beatings by the other top guys in the division should land him a nice payday against another perennial loser. Why not? It has worked so far for Vargas and Mayorga.
At least for the moment Arce has the attention of the public and experts; his performances are hard to ignore. Every fight is a barn burner, so he gives you little choice in the matter but to notice him. Hopefully, a big fight with Darchinyan or Marquez materializes soon before the casual public loses interest in him.
Right now, these guys need all the interest they can get. For years now they have been getting a fraction of the pay while giving twice the effort. More recognition means more fans. More fans mean more ticket sales. More ticket sales mean bigger purses. The paydays fighters, even champions under 122 pounds, recieve when compared to the higher divisions is almost criminal. Yet, with all the quality fighters in the lower divisions, there are literally dozens of great matchups.
If promoters took the time to market these guys a little more, they would be better known and the more of them that the average fan sees, the more popular they will get for sure. These guys put out enough punches to satisfy even the harshest skeptics of the lower divisions. I can guarantee these guys can give us more PPV worthy fights then the ones that we are often forced to endure now. It would be nice to see something live up to it’s hype more than one out of ten times. This could only be a win/win situation for everyone.
Over the years, interest in the little guys has been sporadic at best but right now, there is plenty to keep us interested. Some of us out there just need a little extra encouragement to get that interest peaked enough to take notice of more than just one fighter. Right now, there is a lollipop toting cowboy doing his best to make sure that happens. I for one hope he is successful.
