Pinoy Fighters Swarm Boxrec World Light Flyweight Ranking
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 03 May 2023
Reggie Suganob.
Seven Filipino fighters led by IBF mandatory challenger Regie Suganob make it to the top 25 Light Flyweight Boxers in the world as per latest ranking of the authoritative boxrec.com.
Such proliferation of Pinoy fighters has been achieved lately in the minimumweights and the bantamweights that have produced and hopefully produce more world champions as recognized by the major boxing sanctioning bodies and both Filipino boxing authorities and fans alike are expectant that with Suganob and others will also hit pay dirt in the 108 lbs class or the light flyweights.
It is a tall order with three Japanese fighters composed of current two title champion Kenshiro Teraji and former titlist Masamachi Yabuki and Hiroto Kyoguchi seem to be on a different level.
But Filipino fighters could target the two other world champions namely WBC titlist Jonathan La Bomba Gonzalez and IBF titleholder Sivenathi Notshinga who Suganob has earned the right to challenge after beating fellow Pinoy Mark Vicelles in their title eliminator last February.
Suganob challenge of Notsinga is yet to be finalized as to the date and venue, hopefully in a neutral ground and not in South Africa where Notshinga has beaten a Pinoy Christian Araneta and a Mexican to earn the the IBF title which became vacant when Nicaragua's Felix Alvarado failed to defend it within specified period. Incidentally Alvarado himself won the vacant IBF crown by stopping Filipino Randy Petalcorin in Manila in 2019.
Suganob is rated #4 by boxrec behind only Teraji, Yabuki and Gonzales and higher than Kyoguchi and Notshinga who are #5 and # 9 respectively and two other ex champions Hekkei Budler and Elwin Soto.
Joining Suganob in the boxrec top 25 are Araneta, Arvin Magramo, Joey Canoy, John Paul Gabunilas and Esneth Domingo who are rated numbers 14 to 18 in that order. Viceles is rated #25. Suganob is still unbeaten while the other Pinoys in the list as Vicelles and Magramo only have one with the rest with less than five losses on their slate.
Filipinos used to lord it over in the light flyweight in the early 2000s through Brian Viloria, Donnie Nietes, Johnriel Casimero and Milan Melindo. Nietes and Casimero were never unseated as world champions opting to move up to the higher weights after distinguished reigns.
Melindo was our last world light flyweight champion, holding two reigns as recent as the late 2020s but he was defeated in title defenses. He also attempted to regain world titles twice losing to Kosei Tanaka and Teraji.
Hopefully with Suganob winning the IBF crown from Notshinga will change our fortunes in this division which also brought titles and honor to the Philippines in the 1980s and 1990s.
The author Teodoro Medina Reynoso is a veteran boxing radio talk show host living in the Philippines. He can be reached at teddyreynoso@yahoo.com and by phone 09215309477.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Teodoro Medina Reynoso.
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