Light flyweight is the best division in boxing (and the World Boxing Super Series should definitely do it next)
We were spoiled by the Sauerland Bros.
While intermittent fight scheduling and fighter pull-outs would usually see a tournament struggle and suffer, Kalle and Nisse Sauerland have adapted to both problems and put forth tournaments in divisions so deep we the fans were still treated to absolute classic fights.
Be it cruiserweight, bantamweight or light welterweight, the moving parts didn’t hinder the final outcome: terrific finals, star-making performances, and the best fighting the best more often than not.
Despite not being a businessman, I cannot think how difficult it must be to put these tournaments on. Before Sky Sports got involved there was apathy from big broadcasters and some confusion from fans where they would actually be able to see these fights. Online pay-per-views, free YouTube broadcasts, some localized television deals, it was a bit all over the place. But fans persevered and Team Sauerland did their best to keep everyone in the loop. Again, a great job done with lots of moving parts.
But is their a division with the depth to provide an incredible tournament, the fanbase to pack out arenas and the low purses to make it financially viable for Kalle and Co?
Actually, there is. And it’s the best division in boxing right now.
But a deep roster alone would not necessarily be an incentive for the WBSS to stage a tournament featuring light flyweights. Let’s take a look at some other info and see why this could be viable for the Sauderland brothers.
Keeping costs low and favourable TV deals
Information for Japanese purses are scarce, but looking at the information that is readily available, we can see that sub-featherweight purses are low even in the current boxing climate.
Bearing in mind that the $175,000 bid to stage straw-weight great Wanheng Menayothin’s first title fight against Oswaldo Novia is a truly astronomical cost to stage a fight in boxing’s lowest divisions, you start to get an idea of how low a price these fighters command.
When IBF and WBA champ Hekkie Budler was due to defend against hard-punching Nicaraguan Felix Alvarado, the winning purse bid was a measly $25,000! Budler vacated his IBF title rather than defend for that sum, but this doesn’t mean this is an outlier.
Take a look at HBO’s instant-classic ‘Superfly’ cards: Artem Dalakian made just $25,000 for a vacant WBA flyweight title fight against Brian Viloria. Even more established fighters such as Juan Francisco Estrada ($100,000 for his first fight with Srisaket Sor Rungvisai) Carlos Cuadras ($25,000 to fight devastating puncher and world amateur champ McWilliams Arroyo, who got the same) and Naoya Inoue ($182,000 to fight Antonio Nieves, who received $35,000) should suggest that for the even less well known light flyweights the initial costs will be low and the grand prize would be too tempting an offer for even established world champions to pass up on.
Also, favourable relationships between the Japanese networks that the top two in the division compete on—Kenshiro and Kyoguchi—mean that a deal would likely be easy to make should they both make the final. As for U.S TV, DAZN has already featured WBO champ Elwin Soto, and the World Boxing Super Series has done deals with DAZN and Sky Sports in the past.
With the COVID-19 pandemic essentially shutting down boxing worldwide, the fighters themselves then, are ready to go and might be willing to jump straight into the fire and make up for lost time, especially with the proud and competitive bunch down at light flyweight
Let’s see who they are. But first, let’s see how they compare to the deepest roster the WBSS has assembled to date.
108lbs and the deepest roster today
If you look at the cruiserweight division when the first tournament was announced, it was rich with excellent talent of all shapes, sizes and styles. Picking eight fighters at random from the top twenty would have seen the World Boxing Super Series off to a great start.
Let’s look at who they picked and who missed out:
Actual Roster: Oleksandr Usyk (WBO champ, winner, Olympic gold medalist and transcendent talent)
Murat Gassiev (IBF champ, finalist, humongous puncher with underrated skills)
Marco Huck (battle-tested former WBO champ)
Yunier Dorticos (WBA, big punching Cuban)
Mairis Briedis (WBC champ, heavy-handed boxer-puncher who held a knockout win over WBA heavyweight titlist Manuel Charr)
Krzysztof Włodarczyk (former WBC champ, high level of competition)
Dmitri Kudryashov (arguably the hardest puncher in boxing, a glass cannon from Russia with nuclear power)
I count four of the hardest punchers in boxing, two pound-for-pound level talents, two former champs, and four reigning champions (Denis Lebedev’s WBA was not on the line when he lost to Gassiev and Dorticos came in with some form of WBA strap).
Let’s see who missed out:
Tony Bellew: WBC emeritus, opted to fight David Haye at heavyweight instead
Denis Lebedev: Hard-punching southpaw, renowned for his durability and still holding a version of the world title
Krzysztof Głowacki: One fight removed from being WBO champ, held a knockout victory over Huck, tournament alternate
Grigory Drozd: Former WBC champ, essentially retired at the time but a very-skilled fighter all the same
Ilunga Makabu : Puncher, previously lost to Bellew, as of 2020 riding an 8-fight winning streak, combined opponent record of 126-75-9, had beaten likes of Thabiso Mchunu, Dymtro Kucher and Eric Fields going into the tournament
Thabiso Mchunu: Slick and tiny boxer with wins over Eddie Chambers, Zack Mwekassa, Olanrewaju Durodola, losses to Makabu and Usyk.
Mateusz Masternak : Former European champ, losses to Tony Bellew and Youri Kalenga, wins over Jean Marc Mormeck, Eric Fields and Ismayl Sillakh
Andrew Tabiti : Undefeated American, not a deep resume but highly touted at the time, was a WBSS season two participant
So as you can see, the division was extremely deep, and if any of these four had been on the opposite side of the ring against Usyk, Gassiev, Briedis and Dorticos we would have likely been treated to really good fights.
This is arguably the level of depth and talent we see at light flyweight today.
Punchers, multi-faceted operators, an international talent pool and enough depth to support an excellent tournament so long as the main players are involved. And a few fighters who could be ready to fight their way into the upper echelon of the pound-for-pound lists.
Who are the main players, you might ask? Let’s take a look at them first.
The Left Side of the Bracket
Per World Boxing Super Series rules there are four ‘seeded’ fighters who pick their opponents on the unseeded side of the bracket for the quarter finals. The highest seed winners then faced the lowest seed winners in the semi-finals.
My own choices for the order of the seeded fighters here is arbitrary but I’m pretty certain that 108lb connoisseurs will agree with the first two seeds even if they might prefer to flip ‘em!
1st Seed: Ken Shiro (WBC Champ, 17-0, 10 KOs)
Baby-faced WBC champ Kenshiro Teraji is the marquee name at light flyweight. With seven title defences to his name and an ever-improving skill set, this tall champ has set his sights on breaking Yoko Gushiken’s title defence record before he moves up in weight.
Known for a superb jab (arguably the best pound-for-pound jab in boxing right now) and solid power, Ken Shiro mixes his shots up well to head and body, and is a fine ring general. Of his 10 knockouts, five have come in his world title bouts.
However, do not be fooled by his teenage face: he is 28 years old, and will need to get the big fights soon if he is to make the most out of his ability. With wins over Ganigan Lopez, Pedro Guevara, Milan Melindo, Jonathan Taconing and Randy Petalcorin, the champ already has a solid resume but the big fights have eluded him thus far.
A mooted fight with the second seed would be my hope for the final of this tournament, but even a fighter of Ken Shiro’s quality would have to wade through fire to get their first. That is the beauty of staging a tournament in this division!
Why the WBSS should consider him: Their prior foray into Japan (for the Naoya Inoue-Nonito Donaire season two final) was a huge success. The Japanese fans love their boxing, and Ken Shiro is a popular fighter. Also, the promoters are no strangers to Ken Shiro, as he featured on the same card as Naoya Inoue’s famous first-round knockout of Juan Carlos Payano! Skill wise, Ken Shiro is arguably an elite fighter, and great to watch as well.
2nd Seed: Hiroto Kyoguchi (WBA & Ring Magazine Champ, 14-0, 9 KOs)
Kyoguchi is the number-one ranked fighter in the division by holding The Ring belt but I’ve knocked him down to the second seed for a few reasons: He’s younger the Ken Shiro (by two years), has less fights overall, and has spent less time in the division. If anyone were to argue Kyoguchi should be first seed, I wouldn’t really argue!
A skilled fighter who pressures well and throws excellent combinations in the pocket, Kyoguchi is a four-year pro who won the IBF 105lb title only a year after making his debut.
Taking top honours in the light flyweight class with an impressive dissection over longtime belt holder Hekkie Budler (himself a former straw weight champion) Kyoguchi has made two defences since: an impressive one over unbeaten Thai boxer Satanmuanglek, and against countryman and domestic champ Tetsuya Hisada.
The fight with Hisada was arguably the toughest fight he’s had yet as light flyweight champ: caught both inside and exiting the pocket was concerning, but Kyoguchi showed championship mettle to get back into the fight and was excellent down the stretch.
Why the WBSS should consider him: See Ken Shiro and imagine how big an event a final between these two for all the belts would be. If they both make it. For his qualities as a fighter, Kyoguchi is one of the best combination punchers the division has seen since Roman Gonzalez left it in 2012.
Third Seed: Elwin Soto (WBO Champ 17-1, 12 KOs)
Not yet 24-years old, the skillful Mexican shot to prominence with an excellent win over Angel Acosta, who at that point was renowned as the hardest puncher in the division. The fight was very competitive and whilst the ending was not without controversy in some circles, the 12th round TKO got more exposure on social media than most light flyweight bouts do. DAZN’s highlights package is sitting just under 100,000 views on YouTube: Not mind-blowing, but let’s not forget this was a WBO light flyweight title fight.
Strangely for a young Mexican world champ, Soto had a lengthy amateur career, although he didn’t make much of an impression in the WSB, coming out with a losing record.
Stylistically, Soto is similar to a mini-Canelo: skillful, quick, and capable of masking his vicious body attacks with feints and shots upstairs.
His last—and to date only—world title defence came against tough Filipino Edward Heno. Southpaw Heno (14-0-5) toughed it out for the whole fight, scoring a flash knockdown and showing off an excellent lead uppercut and had a real argument to winning the fight.
Why the WBSS should consider him: Signed to Golden Boy, Soto could easily fight on a DAZN card, continuing the relationship between that online service and the WBSS. He’s young, he’s marketable, he’s great to watch and with the right push could become the star the light flyweight division needs.
Fourth Seed: Carlos Canizales (WBA champ, 22-0-1, 17 KOs)
Wait a minute, wait a minute, I know what you’re thinking: shouldn’t IBF champ Felix Alvarado be the fourth seed? Well, he isn’t but more on that later (it’s for a good reason, so trust me)
This superb little Venezuelan has quietly made a name for himself, fighting abroad for his last three bouts and picking up a trio of superb victories in the process.
15-0 Japanese 105lb champ Reiya Konishi was first, Canizalez winning a decision on his opponent’s home soil.
Chinese amateur standout Bin Lyu was next, Canizalez schooling him and destroying him in the final stanza in Kuala Lumpur on the undercard of Pacquiao vs. Matthysse. Canizales denied Lyu’s hopes of being the fastest pro to a world title (although in actuality he was 5-1 in the WSB and won a legit ‘exhibition’ against former world minimumweight champ Chao Zhong Xiong, so don’t let the 1-0 record fool you).
Lastly, Canizales outboxed Japanese warmonger and former WBO flyweight champion Sho Kimura, demonstrating real class on the backfoot.
The only blemish on his record is a draw against the excellent Ryoichi Taguchi.
Why the WBSS should consider him: Simply put, he is one of the very best fighters in the world at this weight. Our own Scott Graveson of Asian Boxing said of him: “One of the few WBA "regular" champions actually worth talking about”.
As fourth seed, if both Canizales and Kyoguchi were to get through to the final we would have a tantalising clash of styles and a ‘unification’ between the WBA ‘super’ and ‘regular’ champions. A joke, yes, but a great matchup all the same. And if the Sauerlands want to try their hand at a card in Venezuela—of if they want a Latin fighter to bolster a U.S card featuring Elwin Soto—then Canizales would be perfect for that.
The Right Side of the Bracket
As if you needed any more proof as to how stacked light flyweight is, the only fighter we will seed before getting onto our ‘possible inclusions’ for the other side of the bracket, is a world champ! The first time the World Boxing Super Series would feature world champions on both sides of their tournament bracket.
Felix Alvarado (IBF Champ, 35-2, 30 KOs)
Don’t be fooled by the side of the bracket he’s on: Nicaraguan puncher Alvarado would be the dark horse to win the whole tournament.
A rat-tail sporting throwback, 31-year old Alvarado is calculated pressure fighter possessing a mastery of every punch in the textbook—as well as the ability to flat out swing. He intelligently cuts off the ring, blending proactive upper body movement and reflexive head movement to get in position to unload his best punches to head and body. He also has a very stout chin, so his ability to force his game onto his opponents is really top notch.
Losing two title fights in his career (to Juan Carlos Reveco up at 112lbs and Kazuto Ioka at light fly) Alvarado was minted when he smashed the speedy southpaw Randy Petalcorin in seven rounds in 2018. The bout with Reveco was very competitive and Alvarado was deducted some points for fouls: there’s a good chance he deserved to win the fight. The only loss he’s ever had at light flyweight was the fight to Ioka, and Alvarado looked stiffer at that point of his career both offensively and defensively. Yet he still made a really good fist of it, just was not able to consistently impose his game on the excellent four-weight world champion.
Although he’s now inarguably in his prime, 2020 has been disappointing thus far: a unification fight with Kenshiro fell apart when Alvarado came down with sickness, and an April defence against South African standout Deejay Kriel was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
So why is the clearly formidable Alvarado on the second side of this tournament? Simply put, he is rewarded for this by getting the unification fight with WBC champ Kenshiro again, who walks out on the podium and picks Alvarado first: making clear his intentions and making up for lost time. Even if Ken Shiro opts to defend against highly-ranked WBC contender Hekkie Budler instead (more on him later) at least one of the champions would have to give Alvarado a unification fight: I for one think he would be chomping at the bit!
Why the WBSS should consider him: Simply put, Alvarado is a brilliant fighter who ranks amongst the very best this stacked division has to offer. He is also very exciting to watch: a technical and violent operator.
The next portion of this article will look at contenders that are simply ready for the competition: good, world level fighters who will make for an intriguing roster. After that, I will look at some prospects who are world ranked, seemingly poised to break out on the world stage, but quite possibly aren’t ready just yet. And finally, a couple of dark horses that if willing to fight at 108lbs would make for very interesting inclusions.
Ready To Go
Deejay Kriel (16-1-1, 8 KOs)
Kriel is not a big puncher but he makes up for it by putting spite behind his shots, most exemplified in his IBF 105lb title win over 14-0 Carlos Licona (which unfortunately I had to watch on a vertical mobile phone recording). Whilst the fight itself was not great, it showed that Boksburg native Kriel is a championship-calibre fighter.
Strangely enough, he also vacated the IBF when his mandatory defence was won with a bid of just $25,000. This shows again the paltry funds that get thrown around for title fights in boxing’s lightest divisions. Kriel also said he could not make the weight anymore and will campaign up at light flyweight going forward.
The IBF allowed Felix Alvarado to make a defence of his IBF belt against Kriel, but as previously mentioned this ended up getting cancelled.
Kriel is a decent fighter who tends to work behind a high guard. He is aggressive, and has tried to broaden his horizons and further fill his toolbox, travelling to the U.S to train with Kenny Adams and sparring with Lee Haskins and Andrew Selby in the U.K. Not cutting to straw weight might well take the training wheels off, and he’s already a strong guy down at 105lbs.
Why the WBSS should consider him: Already having held a world title, Kriel is a young, talented fighter who does his best work in the pocket. Ranked third by the IBF (no mandatory or second ranked contender as of 01/04/2020) he is the de facto number one contender to Alvarado’s belt. Unfortunately he is only ranked by the IBF and WBO (number five) so being on this side of the bracket may be problematic if he is selected by either the WBA or WBC titlists as their first opponent. Kriel might not be the most polished of fighters just right now, but he will bring a tireless style to any matchup. A fight with Elwin Soto makes sense: Average age of 23.5 would make this a fun fight between two very young world-class fighters.
Hekkie Budler (32-4, 10 KOs)
On the flip side, former two-weight champ Hekkie Budler is ancient for a tiny warrior at 31-years old (and would definitely be 32 if this tournament was to made in the near future as his birthday is in May). Not just that but he’s had 36 fights and not long ago received the worst beating of his career when surrendering his titles to Kyoguchi.
But count Budler out at your peril: He seemed all but done after losing his WBA straw weight title and failing again in an IBF title fight at light flyweight against Milan Melindo in 2017. The tough Filipino then dropped his belt in a unfication with excellent Japanese WBA champ Ryoichi Taguchi.
Taguchi opted to defend both of his belts against Budler. 9-1-1 in his last eleven with a loss to some kid called Naoya Inoue and a draw with Carlos Canizales, who sits pretty on the left side of the bracket here. What ensued was arguably one of the all-time great light flyweight title fights, with Budler bossing the fight early, and squeaking through late after being badly hurt and dropped by Taguchi. A major upset and a brilliant back-and-forth contest.
Why the WBSS should consider him: No.1 contender to Kenshiro’s WBC and a former two-weight world champ, Budler is a reliable workhorse. He would fill the Marco Huck role in this tournament: A well-known (by cruiserweight and light flyweight standards) veteran fighter who is trying to prove he still has it. Somewhat maligned in his early career for being horrible to watch, Budler at least tries to make a scrap out of every fight he’s in and will fight hard for 36 minutes. He is a persistent body puncher who throws a lot of punches. Like Usyk picking Huck first, Kenshiro opting for Budler over Alvarado would not be a huge surprise either.
Back to Asian Boxing for an excellent summary of Budler:
Budler is technically a flawed fighter but he has an amazing engine, fighting at a high tempo through 12 rounds, he throws from unorthodox angles, and refuses to back off. Although not powerful his work rate is a nightmare and he's very hard to get respect from, even if he's not iron chinned. In fact if we were to sum him up it would be "iron willed buzzsaw", and we genuinely love watching him.
The World Boxing Super Series would be hard-pressed to find someone else as experienced with this much output on the second tier of this tournament. Budler would not just fill out the roster, he’d likely be one of the best parts of it.
Daniel Matellon (11-0-2, 6 KOs)
32-year old Cuban Matellon recently picked up the ‘interim’ WBA strap (which would give us three WBA ‘world’ titles in this tournament which shows what a joke the organisation is, but whatever) and although he hasn’t faced the top opposition he had a lengthy amateur career and looks good on film.
In fact, stylistically he looks a lot like Bernard Hopkins. Whoa, I hear you say, he wouldn’t be much fun to watch in the tournament then! Well, not strictly true because Matellon resembles middleweight Hopkins: a well-balance boxer who likes to come forward and put punches together in bunches, with a solid jab and a sneaky right hand.
Whilst having hand speed comparable to his fellow Cuban Yuriorkis Gamboa, what he lacks is Hopkins’ all-round generalship skills and defensive nous. This would likely make him a more exciting inclusion into the tournament. I could easily see Carlos Canizales calling his name on the podium, and that would be a terrific fight indeed.
Why the WBSS should consider him: He’s Cuban, he’s talented, he’s good to watch, and he’s highly ranked with both the WBA (behind only Kyoguchi and Canizales) and WBO (11th). He’s based in Panama so a fight there against Canizales, or down in Venezuela, or a fight in America as a co-main event with Elwin Soto’s quarter final matchup? These are all solid options. Yunier Dorticos came in as a Cuban former amateur standout and made waves in the first tournament and has made the final in the second. Matellon could easily make a name for himself here.
Edward Heno (14-1-5, 5 KOs)
As I said earlier when discussing his fight with Elwin Soto, don’t be fooled by Heno’s record. he is skilled, he is extremely tough, and he’s found his power in recent fights. He has an excellent lead uppercut (check out his knockout of 12-0 Cris Ganoza) and is already battle-tested having performed admirably in a world title fight and having gone the 12-round distance five times.
Why the WBSS should consider him: Value for money. Given the generally low purses 108lbers make, it is likely Heno will not demand a huge sum for his services. Yet what you’ll get back is an extremely gutsy performer. He is only ranked 10th by the WBO but make no bones about it, Heno is a world class fighter and would give a great fight to anyone on the left side of the bracket.
This would make for an excellent second bracket with four very intriguing opponent for the champs to take on. But the following six fighters would be wildcards: There would also be reasons to include them from a business standpoint (again, I am not a boxing promoter, this is all just hypothetical)
First, the prospects.
Too Much, Too Soon?
Jesse Rodriguez (11-0, 7 KOs)
Trained by Robert Garcia, 20-year old Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez is an unbeaten prospect from San Antonio, Texas.
Ranked third by the WBA and sixth by the WBO, this well-balanced southpaw mixes patience, sharp straight punches and excellent finishing ability. The level of opposition he’s faced so far is the only knock on him: he was matched much as any teenage prospect would be against literal sub .500 fighters. This has improved exponentially in his last three fights: his opposition in that time have a staggering combined record of 49-8-1 and he has stopped all three of them.
A two-time national junior champ and the 2015 World junior silver medalist, don’t be thrown by his age and inexperience as a pro: this is a precocious talent.
Why the WBSS should consider him: Talented American fighters in the lower divisions are generally hard to come by. Rodriguez has the looks and the skill to be a rare marketable fighter in the lower weight classes. Could he be poised for a breakout just as Andre Ward had in the Super Six all those years ago?
Thanongsak Simsri (14-0, 12 KOs)
Cheekily known as ‘Srisaket II’ in Thailand due to his power-punching style, teenage phenom Simsri exploded onto the Asian scene with a highly impressive eight-round decision win over undefeated Christian Bacolod of the Philippines. Still raw and young, and with his opponents having a combined record of 29-20-5 this tournament would likely come too soon for Simsri. He is ranked 12th by the WBA.
Why the WBSS should consider him: Fun to watch, highly-touted and you know what you’re getting with Thais: aggression, unbreakable will and fun fights. Dangerous Thais coming out of nowhere and pasting well-established fighters have been the norm for decades. Could Simsri be the next one?
Agustin Gauto (15-0, 10 KOs)
If you want an exciting young puncher—but Simsri isn’t quite experienced enough for you—undefeated Argentine prospect Agustin Gauto is a truly electrifying talent.
I made a comparison earlier on in this piece between Elwin Soto and Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez. Easy to make: quick, skillful Mexican fighters.
In Gauto’s case, there are moments where he genuinely resembles Canelo: a beautiful slip-and-counter game, excellent head movement, and the relaxed way he goes about dissecting his opponents. His shoulder roll and right hand counter is eerily reminiscent of Alvarez’s (rather than Floyd Mayweather’s) and he is equally capable of hitting hard with his left hand.
Judging by the footage he is one of the very best prospects in the division. It’s hard to tell with prospects fighting generally average regional competition, but with Gauto there are a few promising signs.
He is only 22 years old. The overall records of his opposition adds up to 110-37-6, which is more than respectable. And by destroying Kenny Cano in two rounds, he wasted a fighter who went the distance with the much more experienced Cuban Daniel Matellon.
Why the WBSS should consider him: Another fighter from the Americas, Gauto could well end up being one of the best fighters in the division. He is well known enough in Argentina that there are already YouTube compliations of his knockouts. Ranked no.2 by the WBO—and with no.1 Daniel Valladares recently moving down to straw weight—a fight with Elwin Soto would arguably be the best fight you could make with two fighters under 25 year old.
Judging by the tape this is a fighter poised for stardom, and if you put a gun to my head and told me to pick a fighter from this ‘prospect’ bracket to win the whole tournament it would be Gauto.
Wild Cards
Angel Acosta (22-2, 21 KOs)
Simply put, this Puerto Rican is one of the hardest punchers in boxing. Despite a loss to pound-for-pound star Kosei Tanaka, Acosta put forth a decent run as WBO light flyweight champ, knocking out four challengers before losing in a wild fight with Elwin Soto.
This comes down to whether Acosta can still make 108lbs. He moved up after his loss to Soto and won a WBO international trinket, and can likely challenge for the vacant WBO flyweight title now former foe Tanaka has moved up to super fly. But would he want to avenge his loss to Soto, which he protested at the time?
Why the WBSS should consider him: He is fun to watch, has already been on DAZN, and with his power has the ability to upset the apple cart at any stage of a fight.
Wanheng Menayothin (54-0, 18 KOs)
Whatever you think of the opposition he has faced, longtime WBC 105lb champ Wanheng knows how to win. It is unlikely he would move up—he would probably prefer defending his title against soft touches and furthering his numerically impressive record—but if he did want to take the chance he could cement himself not just as a name in the record books, but a legitimately great fighter.
Like so many Thai boxing champions, Wanheng is a former Muay Thai fighter. In western boxing, he won the WBC title in 2014 and has made 12 successful defenses. He likes to probe his way inside his opponent’s range, picking off shots with his gloves, and build his offence as the rounds go on. He’s a steady performer.
Don’t be fooled by his low knockout percentage: while Wanheng is not a concussive hitter, he has a sharp right hand and is an efficient finisher.
Could it be that like Donnie Nietes, 34-year old Wanheng will put himself out there and try and prove himself a truly elite fighter in the twilight of his career?
Why the WBSS should consider him: Simple: the hype that it would generate. Getting hype down in the lower divisions is difficult when even some of the hardcore fan base is apathetic to sub-bantamweight fighters, but using Wanheng’s record as a marketing tool would help. And if he were to lose, the winner would get props for beating a fighter with such an impressive record. The ‘0’ of Wanheng would arguably be as prestigious a prize as the ‘Muhammad Ali Trophy’!
Hasanboy Dusmatov (1-0)
The 2016 Olympic gold medalist at light flyweight, this Uzbek would brings elite skill to the tournament.
He would also be aiming to break the record for quickest pro to win a world title (currently held by Saensak Muangsurin and Vasyl Lomachenko, at three fights) although this writer puts Hasanboy at 15-0 including his World Series of Boxing record.
Not a big puncher, Dusmatov is still good to watch: He is an elite defensive fighter who can maintain the range and pace he wants, but nonetheless likes to fight off the front foot when he can. The 26-year old southpaw is excellent and taking an outside pivot to create space for his backhand and a really good aggressive counter-puncher. When going forward his head movement is top tier.
There was first a rumour that he would make his professional debut against Carlos Canizales, aiming to win the WBA title. He ended up fighting in November 2019 against a Mexican journeyman, scoring a sweet-looking body shot knockout. Evaluating his opponent—who has been knocked out every time he’s lost—this doesn’t seem to suggest that Dusmatov will suddenly add more pop to his punches now he’s turned pro.
Recent rumours point to him fighting Knockout CP Freshmart for the WBA straw weight belt, but I see no reason why he wouldn’t choose to compete at light fly going forward. He wouldn’t be small for the weight and has fought much of his career there.
The only concern would be his ability to go 12 rounds. Dusmatov has looked strong at the end of five in the WSB, and is a smart, Olympic-calibre athlete. This should not be a major concern, but has to be taken into account.
Why the WBSS should consider him: An elite amateur coming into the competition with a gold medal and further expanding the international reach of the tournament, Hasanboy Dusmatov is an excellent fighter who could be poised to come in and win the whole tournament.