The Golden Ages By Division 105-130

[marbleheadmaui]

I think a lot of the time when we look across the history of our beloved sport it is difficult to put accomplishments in perspective. Records and even legitimate titles (let alone those joke straps we have now) are hard to weight without some idea of what that particular era may have been like in terms of talent and competitive landscape. I am going to take a crack at choosing the finest era for each division.

The criteria is threefold. How good were the top guys, how deep was the talent pool and how often did the best fight the best? Here we go!

105-A relatively new division. I think from about 1995-2001 represented the zenith to this point. The two best 105's we've seen in Fintio Lopez and Rosendo Alvarez along with guys like Saman Sorjaturong (who would KO Chiquita Gonzales) and Kermin Guardia and Chana Porpaoin outdoes Iron Boy and his less deep peer group.

108-Another new one. From 1991-1997 or so we had Michael Carbajal, Humerto Gonzales, Sorjaturong, Myung Woo Yuh and Leo Gamez. Not as many fights among them as I'd like and it is possible we look back in a few years and say the 2006 and later era with Hugto Cazares, Iron Boy, Ulisses Solis, Brian Viloria, Edgar Sosa and Neslon Dieppa deserve a look. Maybe not as strong at the top, but a little deeper.

112-1917-1925 gives you arguably the two best 112's in history in Jimmy Wilde and Pancho Villa along with an excellent supporting cast in Panama Al Brown (a 5'11 fly!), Frankie Genaro and Fidel LaBarba. That's tought to beat. Honorable mention goes to the 1970-1975 period with Miguel Canto, Masao Obha, Charchai Chionoi, Efren Torres, Betulio Gonzales, Venice Bhorkasor and Shoji Oguma. THAT is depth in a division. But it isn't quite enough to overcome Villa and Wilde.

115-Another new division and a frustrating one. Clearly the period with the most talent and depth was from 1989-1995 or so. Probably four of the top five guys to ever fight in this division were Khaosia Galaxy, Gilberto Roman, Sung-Kil Moon and Johnny Tapia. Then add in Robert Quiroga and Hiroshi Kawashima and Danny Romero and that is one heck of a division. But that crew almost never fought one another AAAAAARGH!

118-This division has had some great eras. The late 1920's as much of that great flyweight group of the early 20's moved up and we may look back at Rafael Marquez and Hawsegawa and Agbeko and Mares and Vic and Nonito Donaire very, very fondly. But at least for now the choice is easy. 1964 or so through about 1971. Eder Jofre, Fighting Harada, Lionel Rose and Ruben Olivares with a supporting cast of Jose Medel, Chucho Castillo, Kaz Kanazawa, Takoa Sukarai, Jesus Pimintel and Rafael Herrera. Holy Moly! And there were probably a dozen fights among this group.

122-Another newish division and not one with an extraordinary history. The image of Bazooka Gomez looms large. But a more recent period jumps up, 1999-2004 or so. Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barerra, Wayne McCullough, Manny Pacquiao, Bones Adams, Paulie Ayala and Lehlo Ledwaba is an awfully good group. Wish the division hadn't been just a weigh-station for so many of these guys.

126-This is one of boxing's all-time loaded divisions. In the late 1940's we had perhaps the two greatest 126's of all time in Willie Pep and Sandy Saddler. Just behind them you has Chalky Wright and Sal Bartolo and Ray Famechon. Great group and many fights among them. From 1999-2003 it was Morales, MAB. Pacquioa, Naseem Hamed, Johnny Tapia, Juan Manuel Marquez. Great depth and again, several fights among them. Either of those would be a fine choice. But I'm going to pick the longest period of uninterrupted quality the division has seen, 1975-1985. Alexis Arguello, Ruben Olivares, Little Red Lopez, Salvador Sanchez, Barry McGuigan, Eusabio Pedroza, Ruben Castillo, Bazooka Gomez, Juan LaPorte, Rocky Lockridge and Azumah Nelson. That's what? EIGHT HOFers and the rest weren't chopped liver!

130-Another newbie with a brief ancient history. While the late 1970's of Arguello, Sammy Serrano, Bobby Chacon, Bazooka Limon, ben Villaflor and Alfredo Escalera was pretty doggone good? The period from 2000-2005, Floyd Mayweather, Joel Casamayor, Popo Freitas and Chico Corrales followed by the great feathers who had moved up together, Morales, MAB, Manny and JMM clearly eclipses that era. Think for a second how special it would have been had the first group been able to stay there while the second group moved in.

Where am I wrong and who did I miss?

[CutMeMick]

For the 105 you can also add "Nene" Sanchez...
For 112 I would def. side with the 1970's cast IMO, deeper and more fights amongst them.
As for the talent well for my likings Cantos the best of the lot so that ticks off all 3 points of the criteria in my book.

[Julius Rain]

How great are Pancho and Sanchez really? Both died at 23? Can we really call them greatest from their division?

We can add Isreal, Gonzalez, Larios, Marquez for batamweight of 2000's.

[marbleheadmaui]

How great are Pancho and Sanchez really? Both died at 23? Can we really call them greatest from their division?

We can add Isreal, Gonzalez, Larios, Marquez for batamweight of 2000's.

Villa died at 23 with 90+ wins, multiple wins over HOFers and champions. It seemed only Frankie Genaro had his number. How tough a guy was Genaro? A very close friend of mine used to drink in Genaro's bar in NYC when he was starting out as a cop. One day he was there and two guys with bats came in for Genaro, then 60+ years old. All 5'2, 120 pounds of Frankie Genaro leaped the bar punched the lead guy, took his bat, hit the second guy with it and chased both guys out of the bar. Losing to Frankie Genaro was no crime.

Sanchez was an absolute wonder. He came out of nowhere and DESTROYED HOFer Little Red Lopez twice. He damn near killed ATG Bazooka Gomez when Gomez was thought to be unbeatable. He stopped a young and gallant Azumah Nelson. But he also beat a group of featherweights (they'd be bantams today) that would school guys like Vic Darchynian. Patrick Ford, Ruben Castillo and Juan Laporte were great fighters in a brutally competitive era.