Selected upcoming fights in the lower weight classes

Due to the criminal lack of exposure given to the lower weight classes I thought I would flag up some upcoming fights below the bantamweight division.

31st August WBA ‘super’ World super flyweight title
Hugo Cazares vs Tomonobu Shimizu
Cazares is the top man at the weight and this is a bit of a mismatch. Shimizu has home advantage although that should count for nothing as Cazares has travelled to both win and retain his titles in the past. Shimizu has fought at World level before losing to both Naito and Wonjongkam so will not overawed by the occasion but will probably come up short in terms of quality.

15th September Interim WBO flyweight title
Giovanni Segura vs Julio Cesar Miranda
P4P top 10 star Segura has moved back up to flyweight where he started his career after his 2nd win over fellow ATG of the lower weight classes in Ivan Calderon. Miranda is coming off a loss to WBO ‘proper champion’ Brian Viloria. Miranda has been stopped once in his career but it was very early on and has proved his chin since. Segura definitely has the power to stop Miranda though if he can’t he should have the speed and skills to outbox the pretty beat up Miranda to a wide UD setting up a tasty looking fight Brian Viloria.

23rd September IBF flyweight title
Moruti Mthalane vs Andrea Sarritzu
This is Mthalane’s 3rd defence of the title he won in a good fight against Julio Cesar Miranda nearly 2 years ago. His first 2 defences were against shamefully poor opposition this is a more suitable opponent for the man once stopped by P4P star Nonito Donaire. Sarritzu has fought at a good level before with a loss and a draw against Omar Navaraez. Sarritzu is a boxer who likes to keep his opponent at range and use his jab and good footwork but is guilty of switching off at times. Mthalane should win this he is very good at getting past a good jab with his head movement and good body punching and getting inside where he does his best work and Sarritzu has absolutely no game. Not sure what to make of Mthalane tbh he doesn’t seem to be looking for the better fights although I do think this is a mandatory defence.

24th September WBC light flyweight title
Adrian Hernandez vs Gideon Buthelezi
This is a bit of a mismatch Hernandez is a class above Buthelezi who holds the IBO belt he won in his homeland of South Africa. Neither is a massive puncher although Hernandez carries the edge on that front and with both being sparked out in the past although Hernandez was stopped by the very capable Oscar Ibarra. I can’t see anything other than a Hernandez win and probably by stoppage.

1st October WBA light flyweight title
Roman Gonzalez vs Gilberto Keb Baas
Gonzalez is a star of the lower weight classes and is very heavy handed. He can box and is very good working behind his jab although it doesn’t last. He loves to have a scrap. This will be Baas’s 61st fight and it shows. Having lost twice to Adrian Hernandez that’s the fight he wants again but it won’t happen. Gonzalez should stop him and he will probably go on to Hernandez in what is a very good looking match up early next year.

8th October WBO light flyweight title
Donnie Nietes vs Roman Garcia Hirales
This looks a real good fight on paper both throw a lot of punches and both can punch I don’t see it going the distance. Nietes is a very good fighter who has travelled to Mexico to defend his minimumweight title on 3 separate occasions. He’s making the step up to light flyweight now and has only had one fight at the weight against the stepping stone Armando Vazquez which ended in the first round. Hirales is a natural light flyweight which may give him the edge but if he performs like he did in his first fight with Jesus Geles which he lost by a SD he will be in trouble. He redeemed himself 2 months later stopping Geles in the 4th round in a rematch. Hirales fights with a rhythm that if you can either knock him out of or stop him getting into by keeping him at range he looks very easy to beat. Nietes isn’t that type though so I’m not going with the favourite for this one in Nietes, I’m backing Hirales to win by late stoppage.

28th October WBC Flyweight title
Pongsaklek Wonjongkam vs Edgar Sosa
Most publiclations make the man from Thailand the top fighter of the lower weights. He keeps himself very active with a number of bouts to seemingly keep him ticking over although they are horrible mismatches and seem pointless. Sosa is perfect for him he isn’t quick and doesn’t like to fight at range along with the fact he is wide open to uppercuts which just happens to be Wonjogkams best weapon. This should be a pretty routine defence for Wonjongkam although he is starting to show signs of aging as he’s been a pro for 17 years now. A big fight with the winner of the Viloria and Segura fight that should be made when Segura beats Miranda would be available but probably won’t happen. Unfortunately there isn’t enough money generated by the lower weights to get either to travel.

Think Wonjongkam should maybe fight Segura and try and win a title at SuperFlyweight and then retire.

He won't fight Segura at this stage of his career Segura is all wrong for him. High workrate, fast, big puncher who can box. Wonjongkam won't come to America and Segura won't Asia unless their is massive money on the table but because of the money the lower weights can generate it won't be enough so it won't happen.

Segura would win it imo. Wonjongkam is starting to show signs of ageing.

Yeah possibly but I think it's a near win win situation, money would be decent even if they don't quite get HEavyweight like money, but if Wonjongkam wins thats a good fight to his legacy if he loses, people will just say he was a tad past it and couldn't quite cut it anymore, still think he should try at a higher weight division and give it one big go.

A loss for Wonjongkam could be disastrous for his legacy, Segura would be the best fighter he's ever faced and were he to lose then it asks a lot of questions about the rest of his reign. Do think there is a massive difference between beating the tiny feather fisted albeit insanely skillful Calderon and beating a far bigger man and puncher in Wonjongkam.

It would be a great fight and one I would love to see but unfortunately politics will probably stop it happening. Wonjongkam is a national hero in Thailand and will always be so I'm not to sure he's bothered about his legacy as much as he is getting in as many fights as possible before he retires for the money. Some of his opponents have been of a disgraceful standard.

It is true but there's not an AWFUL lot of fights that can cause him too much trouble at the weight anymore. Also Ghosty if Joe Louis can get away with it why shouldn't Wonjongkam?

Louis gets away with it because he had a hard arduous career fighting the very best opposition available something Wonjongkam has yet to do plus his losses to Charles and Marciano were against legendary opposition after he had returned from retirement. Wonjongkam loses and it's because he loses to a better fighter not because he's past his best, too many ready made excuses for a loss nowadays.

Yeah, it was a partial joke the Louis comment, but I feel people are too critical on modern day fighters having any form of an excuse and people jump down there throats and call them a hype job or whatnot far too quickly.

There are very rarely legitimate reasons for losing, Wonjongkam would have no excuse for losing to Segura unlike say Calderon who was massively disadvantaged once he lost his speed and reflexes because he was so much smaller than the men he was facing.

I would have more reason to cut PW some slack if he'd fought some of the good fighters who have fought in his division rather than the general rubbish he has.

I know he appears to be somewhat of a Lucien Bute of the Flyweight division at the moment, but he has been a pro for 17 years and has kev says, he has shown signs of slowing, although of course not shot but seems to be a bit past it, and that is a genuine reason of losing in my opinion. I'm unsure Segura prime vs prime 1v1 could be very close...

He hasn't had the tough fights for that to be an excuse, if he'd been fighting the likes of Montiel, Donaire and Darchinyan when they were champions in his division you can see a reason for it, instead he's just gone for the easy fights so has zero excuse if he loses to Segura.

I don't think it's making excuses saying Wonjongkam is starting to show signs he is getting past it although I wouldn't say he's shot.

I would pick Segura to beat any version of him we've seen though.

Prime versus prime, I could lean towards Segura but can't count Wonjongkam out...

Much like Calzaghe he could have made a fight with someone of Seguras calibre many many years ago but was happy to stay in the comfort zone of defending his WBC title, the only good fighter he's fought is Naito whom he split a series with 2-1-1.

I wouldn't count Wonjongkam out but I feel Segura is the better boxer and can do more. If it get rough that suits Segura and likewise if he needs to box. Wonjongkam would struggle with the pace Segura would set and his workrate along with his heavy hands.

No doubt he's taken an easier route than he had to but to disregard his reign is virtually the same as disregarding Naz's reign as soon as he stepped up to fight the elite he lost no shame in this of course but don't think you can disregard his entire reign just because of that. Although I take on board the general level of opponents Naz fought was higher than the caliber of Wonjogkams (Jesus I'm getting sick of writing that mans name) opponents.

The problem with PW is he has consistently chose not to fight the best at his weight. Like Ghosty said fights with the likes of Montiel, Donaire and Darchinyan have been their for him but he chose not to. With this being said he still made my top 15 flyweights.

Agreed, if he cared about his legacy he would have taken those fights. Think Montiel and Darchinyan would have been interesting. Though I see the Donaire fight as a bit of a blowout in honesty.

Naseem Hamed fought the best opposition available at the time in beating all four of the belt holders at one stage or another, the likes of Barrera, Morales and Marquez weren't really on the featherweight scene during his reign but again Hamed has no excuses for losing to Barrera, such was his talent he shouldn't have got himself into the position he did. It's a black mark against him that he lost to a fighter who in my opinion wasn't on his level which probably sounds like a ludicrous thing to say about MAB but it's fairly true.

!? You think Hamed was a level above MAB, unsure in terms of pure boxing talent yes perhaps, but flashy looking skills can make you look like that as opposed to being a more compact fighter like MAB... Also in terms of having a brain no... Hamed went for Ko's too much... Unsure it's so scattered to truly tell however...

I do think that Hamed had the ability to be a level above Barrera but unfortunately didn't prove it when it mattered and no he didn't go looking for KO's too much, it was only when he believed his own hype that he tried relying on his power rather than sticking to what had got him there in the first place.

That's more or less what I was talking about, on the back end of his career he seemed to be forcing the knockout instead of sticking to his... Different style shall we put it. I think it was Soto that he fought I was getting slightly frustrated with him also in parts against Ingle.

Soto was a horrible fight to watch but it was only in the Augie Sanchez fight that he started to show an evident change of tact although the combination to end that fight was a thing of pure beauty.

I never quite understood Hamed's power, he always seemed slightly off balance as though he wouldn't be able to add power in there, confusing, the punch that took away Sanchez was just unbelievable but again makes no real sense whatsoever watching it how he can generate that much power from the stance and position he's in, a true freak.

With Hamed he had such a strong lower body that he could get away with jumping in with his punches.

Anyway back to the article after a slight detour, apologies PBK.

Personally very interested to see how Segura does from here, got the two wins over Calderon and looks to have the capability of moving up through the weight classes to around Bantamweight but how he carries his power is key, without that he's not half the fighter.

Think he could carry to Bantam... Any higher get a feeling it may be a stretch too far, though I suppose it depends on how he fills out at Bantam....

Never really know with punch power how it's going translate to higher classes, always reminded of Wilfredo Gomez who went from a devastating puncher at Super Bantamweight to merely a decent puncher at featherweight.

Nigel Benn a destroyer at MW lacked that extra bite at SMW

Segura started his career at Flyweight then moved down so carrying his power up to bantamweight wouldn't appear to be a problem but you never know.

Definitely looking forward to seeing Segura.

Have you not seen much of him?

I've only seen him against Vargas and Calderon.

You will find a lot of his fights on youtube, WBVA has a lot of them as well although you would need to build up your ratio before you download them off that.

Ulises Solis defeated Jether Oliva by a unanimous decision. Their was a bit of an upset as Raul Garcia lost a split decision and his WBO minimumweight belt to Moises Fuentes.

Not had a chance to see these yet but I will post a link to the videos when they are on youtube.

Fight report for Solis-Oliva by Rich Mazon he covers the lower weights a lot and his reports are usually pretty good.

http://philboxing.com/news/story-59152.html

Fight report for both the Solis and Garcia fights from boxing scene. Unfortunately this is the best I can find for the Garcia fight.

http://www.boxingscene.com/archie-solis-beats-oliva-fuentes-shocks-raul-garcia--43101