Bob Mee compiles his 10 super-bantamweights of all time

Wilfredo Gomez (Puerto Rico)

44-3-1-KO42

A WBC champion from 1977-83, Gomez was a wonderful boxer with smart, educated moves and punching power that took him to 18 world 122lb title wins - every single one of them inside the distance. He also won world championships at feather and super-feather but was at his dazzling peak as a super-bantam. He was only 20 when he became champion.


Daniel Zaragoza (Mexico)


55-8-3-KO28

Zaragoza was a WBC champion in three spells between 1988 and 1997, by which time he was almost 40. A crafty, knowing southpaw that wasn't spectacular, but was tough, accomplished and underrated. He boxed in more super-bantamweight world title fights than anyone - 20.


Manny Pacquiao (Philippines)

57-6-2-KO38

Pacquiao went on to super-stardom in higher weight divisions but held the IBF super-bantamweight title on the way up. He was unbeaten in five championship bouts at the weight, though a unification battle with the late Agapito Sanchez ended in a technical draw after the WBO champion gave him nightmares in an ugly brawl in 2001.


Jeff Fenech (Australia)

29-3-1-KO22

Fenech was a star, a three-weight champion who eventually fought for world titles in five weight divisions. A compact, all-round fighting machine who won the WBC super-bantamweight crown by knocking out Thai star Samart Payakarun in four rounds in Sydney in 1987. He won three championship bouts then outgrew the weight.


Marco Antonio Barrera (Mexico)

67-7-KO44

Barrera was just 21 when he won the WBO super-bantamweight title - and he went on to have 18 championship fights at the weight, none better than one he lost, the first, magnificent 12-round battle with arch-rival Erik Morales. It was a privilege to be ringside - the Sky team were not alone in thinking Barrera won - and they went on to box twice more further up the weights, with Barrera winning both. As a featherweight, he also beat Naseem Hamed on another spectacular night in Las Vegas.


Erik Morales (Mexico)

52-9-KO36

'El Terrible's' win over Barrera at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas in 2000 is remembered as one of the greatest fights of the modern era. Later on he was also good enough to outbox and outfight Pacquiao in the first of their meetings. At his peak, he had everything, skills, a phenomenal work-rate and one-punch knockout power. Morales won 10 out of 10 world title fights at 122lbs.


Wilfredo Vazquez Sr (Puerto Rico)

56-9-2-KO41

Another three-weight world champion, Vazquez won 10 of 11 championship battles at super-bantam, though he arrived in the division at the relatively late age of 31. His WBA championship reign between 1992 and 1995 began with a three round thrashing of Raul 'Jibaro' Perez and also included a victory over one of the best bantamweight champions Orlando Canizales.


Israel Vazquez (Mexico)

44-5-KO32

The battles between Israel Vazquez and Mexican rival Rafael Marquez have gone down in folklore, with Vazquez coming out on top 2-1 in super-bantamweight title fights (Marquez evened the score in a non-title bout.) Vazquez also beat world class men like Oscar Larios, Jhonny Gonzalez and Ivan Hernandez in a total of nine championship bouts at 122lbs between 2004 and 2008. He held the WBC and IBF belts.


Guillermo Rigondeaux (Cuba)

16-0-KO10

A boxing genius who had the capacity to make good fighters look like novices, Rigondeaux was a brilliant amateur, winning Olympic gold in Sydney in 2000 and Athens in 2004 as well as two world championships. As a professional, after defecting in 2007, he found he was too good for his own good and found it hard to get work. As of now, he's won all 16 bouts, seven of them world title fights. Nobody can go on for ever, and Rigondeaux has looked more vulnerable of late but at 35 has not lost for 12 years.


Celestino Caballero (Panama)

37-6-KO24

Tall, skilful, with a sharp punch but so under-valued that his WBA title reign did not begin until he was 30. Caballero went on to win nine out of nine super-bantamweight title fights between 2006 and 2009, including a four round demolition of previously impressive IBF champion Steve Molitor.

Bernard Dunne (Ireland)

28-2-KO15

With an amateur record of 119-11 the Clondalkin native had a skilful boxing brain, Bernard washed away any bad memories of that shattering defeat against a 19 year old Kiko Martinez, two years previous, by knocking out the former unified Super Bantamweight champion Panamanian Southpaw Ricardo Cardoba in 11 rounds, registering Cardoba's only KO defeat of his career to claim the WBA World Super Bantamweight title.

The fight was one of the best witnessed on Irish soil, and a real up and down battle, made even more famous as the Irish Rugby team had completed the Grand Slam in the 6 nations on the same day.

It's a relatively new division, which is why it's a bit jarring (at first) to see so many contemporary fighters.

Here's Cliff Rold's list from a few years back:

1. Wilfredo Gomez
2. Marco Antonio Barrera
3. Erik Morales
4. Wilfedo Vasquez
5. Tracy Harris Patterson
6. Israel Vasquez
7. Ji-Won Kim
8. Celestino Caballero
9. Victor Callejas
10. Kennedy McKinney

15. Jeff Fenech
16. Manny Pacquiao
19. Daniel Zaragoza

Rold's is probably focussed more on achievement at the weight. Mee's looks like it's based more on how capable a fighter they were.

Those Morales-Barrera fights man. It was great to live through those.

I am glad I lived through Morales vs Barrera. Also Pacquaio vs both and add JMM.

I always enjoy watching the smaller guys fight.

AdamT wrote:I am glad I lived through Morales vs Barrera. Also Pacquaio vs both and add JMM.

I always enjoy watching the smaller guys fight.

Pacquiao was a menace to Morales-Barrera fans (I was a Barrera man).

There were some quality fights in the lower weights around back then (Tapia-Romero and Paulie Ayala-Bones Adams etc.).

Funny I was a Barrera man also. My best mate at the time was a huge Morales fan. I liked to go the opposite way, for the banter. He was also a huge Bhop fan and I remember telling him Trinidad will end him. That worked out well

I was a massive McCullough fan. I also loved Prince Naseem. The only time I didn't support him was against McCullough. I did want him to beat Barrera, but wasn't too upset when he lost. Was a bit shocked mind you. 17 years old and reading local tabloids, would have you believe a local fighter was invincible. Anyway people can judge Naseem how they want, but he was a fascinating fighter at his peak. Great showman.

Daniel Zaragoza number 2.....

Moving on..

AdamT wrote:Funny I was a Barrera man also. My best mate at the time was a huge Morales fan. I liked to go the opposite way, for the banter. He was also a huge Bhop fan and I remember telling him Trinidad will end him. That worked out well

I was a massive McCullough fan. I also loved Prince Naseem. The only time I didn't support him was against McCullough. I did want him to beat Barrera, but wasn't too upset when he lost. Was a bit shocked mind you. 17 years old and reading local tabloids, would have you believe a local fighter was invincible. Anyway people can judge Naseem how they want, but he was a fascinating fighter at his peak. Great showman.

I always wanted Barrera to win against Morales - can't remember who I sided with against Hamed! I was definitely pulling for McCullough, though. His stand against Morales was something else.

Hamed was great to watch through the Johnson, Billy Hardy years but he lost the plot when he went to the US. He became more and more dislikeable the more he fought from the Kelley fight on.

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:Daniel Zaragoza number 2.....

Moving on..

Don't think it's in order (hence the lack of numbers).

Gomez is number 1..............and he's at the top.....

"Don't you have a go at my Bob Mee you naughty boy"...

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:Gomez is number 1..............and he's at the top.....

"Don't you have a go at my Bob Mee you naughty boy"...

Come on now, you don't need to show out (an Americanism just for you) because you struggle to understand a lot of things. Humility is a good thing - embrace it.