From
http://www.maxboxing.com/Mulcahey/Mulcahey1201a04.aspby Martin Mulcahey
The Barrera vs. Morales trilogy proved one thing yet again - Mexican boxers are special. Why? It is hard to quantify, but the fine blend of skill, heart, pride, and never say die attitude combine to create many of boxing's finest practitioners. The legacy forged by Mexican greats like Julio Cesar Chavez, Ruben Olivares, Ricardo Lopez, Salvador Sanchez, and Carlos Zarate are certainly exhibited by the current generation of Mexican pugilists, which begs the question: Who are the 20 best active Mexican boxers?
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I have tried, undoubtedly not to everyone's satisfaction, to rate the boxers in a logical order based on current form and past accomplishments. The lone qualification for making the list is that the boxer be born in Mexico (sorry Fernando Vargas). Tighten your sombrero as we take a stroll down boxing's toughest street - Mexico's Bash Boulevard.
1. Marco Antonio Barrera (59-4, 41 KOs) - Winning two out of three fights from Morales puts Barrera atop Mexico's fistic Mount Rushmore. The latest Morales win, combined with the 12 round destruction of Paulie Ayala, suggests the Pacquiao fight was an off night, which the Barrera camp claims had much to do with pre-fight distractions of his preparations for that bout. Take a look at Barrera's last ten fights. No other boxer has faced a more consistently challenging list of opposition. The question now might be where Barrera ranks on the all time Mexican boxer list? Does he crack the top five, just behind Julio Cesar Chavez, Ruben Olivares, Miguel Canto, Ricardo Lopez, and Salvador Sanchez? For now we have to ask, what now? A move back down to 126 for a rematch with the winner of the Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez rematch must top every boxing fan's wish list for 2005. It's something Barrera will not shy away from given his recent opposition. Heck, I would settle for a fourth fight with Morales.
2. Erik Morales (47-2, 34 KOs) - Wherever you rate Barrera, Morales must follow directly behind him; that is how closely and bitterly their rivalry has been contested. Nothing in the third fight with Barrera signals a slowing or dulling of Morales' impressive array of skills. Look for Morales to rattle off three wins, probably ripping an alphabet title from Yodsanan Nanthachai or the Robbie Peden vs. Nate Campbell winner in the process. Perhaps, his management can even undercut Barrera, and secure a fight with Manny Pacquiao in hopes of further exciting fans for a fourth fight with Barrera. It is hard to say, but at 28 years of age it looks like Morales has topped out on his climb up the weight classes. Erik should stay at junior lightweight, where I am sure he will find good opposition willing to eat or starve their way into an HBO money fight against 'El Terrible'.
3. Jose Luis Castillo (50-6-1, 45 KOs) - Consider that Castillo is the only man to beat Floyd Mayweather Jr. Okay, technically Castillo was only the people's choice winner in the Mayweather fight, but Jose did reassert himself as the dominant force at lightweight with a 12 round bludgeoning of Juan Lazcano, and continues to test himself against top notch talent when he takes on Cuba's Joel Casamayor this weekend. The way Castillo has handled slick boxers Stevie Johnston and Mayweather does not bode well for Casamayor. A win for Castillo should entrench Jose in everyone's pound for pound top 10. Historically, Castillo will probably be viewed much like countryman, and 100 fight winner, Jose Luis Ramirez. An excellent brawler who was overshadowed by the brighter lights of Barrera and Morales. Too bad, there is much to appreciate in Castillo's uncompromising pressure tactics.
4. Juan Manuel Marquez (43-2-1, 33 KOs) - The bad news is that everyone remembers how Marquez was knocked down three times in his fight with Manny Pacquiao. The good news for Marquez came in the eleven rounds that followed the knockdowns, where he consistently outboxed Pacquiao. From a technical standpoint, Marquez is boxing's most complete fighter. He is a textbook boxer who is seemingly never off balance, and ready to strike with a hook or counter. A February rematch with Pacquiao should settle who the better fighter between the two is, as well as some of the questions, and excuses, that arose after their initial battle. Juan is not an old looking 31, but he needs to beat Pacquiao to earn the paydays his skills merit.
5. Jorge Arce (37-3-1, 27 KOs) - Forget Juan Manuel Marquez's loss to Freddie Norwood. Jorge Arce's kayo loss to Michael Carbajal in 1999 has done more to hide Mexican boxing talent than any other loss of recent vintage. Arce is good, damn good. Perhaps the Carbajal loss has made him better for the long run, since Jorge had to earn his title the hard way by knocking out Yo-Sam Choi in Korea. Amazingly, Arce is still only 25, and barring any weight making difficulties, he should beat anyone in his path at junior flyweight. Even a move up to 112 would not stop me from installing him as a favorite over any reigning champion.
6. Rafael Marquez (33-3, 30 KOs) - I want to rate Rafael higher, but inexplicable kayo losses to Genaro Garcia and Francisco Mateos prevent this. Also, remember that his first win over Mark Johnson was not of the most convincing variety. However, it is hard to argue against Marquez's performances since 2003, with eye pleasing kayos of Tim Austin, Heriberto Ruiz, and Mauricio Pastrana. The rise to prominence has coincided with Rafael's increased use of jabs and footwork, which put him in better position to unleash his ever present punching power. Too bad he and Veeraphol Sahaprom will never fight to settle who the best at bantamweight really is.
7. Antonio Margarito (30-4, 21 KOs) - Carries on in the fine Mexican tradition of maulers from south of the border, who are not afraid to stray south of the border with body shots either. Needs to stay away from Daniel Santos, who brings out the worst in all opponents. Otherwise, Margarito has been impressive, and came up the hard way, beating good opposition early in his career. Wins over the likes of Argentina's Sergio Martinez (who has not lost since), Six Heads Lewis, and David Kamau dot his undervalued resume. A hard worker who gets the most out of his ability, what more can you ask for in a boxer?
8. Oscar Larios (54-3-1, 35 KOs) - Oscar is following in the hallowed footsteps of Julio Cesar Chavez with an active non-title schedule, while saving his best performances for title defenses. Granted, last weekend's win over Nedal Hussein was not exciting, but Larios won with ease over an opponent that had Manny Pacquiao in trouble. If there should be any concern, it is that Larios has not halted an opponent in four straight bouts. Look for Larios to collect some good money with a couple of relatively easy defenses in Japan, before returning to America for a high profile fight against Joan Guzman or a rubbermatch with Israel Vazquez.
9. Fernando Montiel (29-1-1, 23 KOs) - If I were judging on technical aptitude, Montiel's skills would merit a top four finish. However, you have to give Fernando failing marks for the defensive attitude he took in his close loss to Mark Johnson. Montiel came on strong late in that fight, and showed he can mix it up when the occasion calls for it, but it was too little, too late. Has won three in a row since that loss, but beaten no one, if you catch my drift. Will now fight 19-0-1 countryman Ivan Hernandez, who came out of nowhere to knock out Mark Johnson two months ago. We will know more about both men, and where they really should be ranked after their bout on December 9th.
10. Jesus Chavez (40-3, 28 KOs) - Chavez's record suggests one thing. If you are not a hall of fame fighter (except for an early loss early in his career to Carlos Gerena that was later avenged) you will not defeat him. Only Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Erik Morales have defeated him, and both had a fair share of troublesome moments for the victors. At 32, he is not showing any signs of slowing down, but needs an alphabet title to earn the money his high volume punching performances deserve.
11. Juan Lazcano (33-3-1, 25 KOs) - I am still not sure what to make of Juan. He showed incredible heart in lasting twelve one sided rounds against Jose Luis Castillo, but is not as bad as that loss looked. Yet, Juan was undefeated in 19 fights between 1998 and 2004, and was not as good as those performances suggest since he received generous scorecards in two of those wins. A fight with the fighter rated at number 13 (Julio Diaz) would be ideal, and answer a lot of questions about both.
12. Julio Gonzalez (36-3, 22 KOs) - Gonzalez is still a force at light heavyweight, lest people forget that Julio took a ten round decision from Glen Johnson last year. Losing to a prime Jones is forgivable, and following up on that loss with a victory over Dariusz Michalczewski was downright embarrassing for Roy Jones in retrospect. On the negative side, Gonzalez lost lopsidedly to Zsolt Erdei, who stills remains a mystery to Americans, in Germany. The fact that a Mexican is mixing it up, and holding his own, above the welterweight division is good news for boxing fans.
13. Julio Diaz (30-2, 22 KOs) - Will the real Julio Diaz please stand up. Is it the kid that was knocked out in one round by Juan Valenzuela, or the man that dominated Javier Jauregui? Most believe Diaz's other loss, to Angel Manfredy, should have went his way on the scorecards. Courtney Burton is the only other name of note on Julio's resume, so the jury is still out on this contender with an alphabet title.
14. Victor Burgos (36-13-3, 21 KOs) - You gotta love a kid that comes back from losing his first four fights, and seven of his first twelve, to put it all together for a successful run at an alphabet title. Burgos has not lost since 2000, but has a tendency to lose in streaks when he does. If recent history holds form, Burgos would kayo Rosendo Alvarez in a rematch of their draw, as he did to Alex Sanchez in 2003. The 30 year old should be more active to capitalize on his current hot streak.
15 - Israel Vasquez (36-3, 26 KOs) - Rebounded from a loss to Oscar Larios by dismantling Jose Luis Valbuena before knocking him out for the vacant IBF junior featherweight title. The previous wins by Israel over the brawling Larios suggest he can mix well with upper echelon boxers. A fight with fleet footed boxer Art Simonyan this month will show us how he deals with boxers. A win would suggest a bright future for the still maturing 26 year old.
16. Manuel Medina (64-14, 30 KOs) - Overlook Manuel Medina at your own peril. To featherweight champions, he is like that evil slasher movie character who cannot be killed, and returns for five or six sequels. Medina fought once this year to remain eligible for this list. Previous wins, after his career was given up for dead, show Manuel remains capable of launching one more improbable win if given a chance by a foolhardy manager.
17. Manuel Gomez (26-10-2, 19 KOs) - His name and record are plain, but a ten fight unbeaten streak that stretches back to 1998 suggests he is someone to be reckoned with. Gomez achieved prominence by knocking out Kofi Jantuah with one left hook in 2001, but has failed to follow up on that win. There is a log jam of boxers looking for a title shot at welterweight because Cory Spinks holds all the titles. Don't look for Gomez to get a shot before he slips into a mandatory challenger position with the WBC. Fighting 15-2 Roberto Garcia in this month is not a way to gain attention either. At 32 it is time for Gomez to take a chance.
18. Jose Antonio Aguirre (33-2-1, 20 KOs) - The long serving (seven defenses over four years) minimumweight champ was surprisingly outhustled by eleven fight novice Eagle Kyowa in January. He has since returned at junior flyweight, with three wins that include a good victory over Kermin Guardia last week. At 29, still looks to have gas left in the tank, and repeating his active 2004 schedule would help Jose in a title quest. A fight with countryman Jorge Arce would be a thrilling affair in the finest Mexican tradition.
19. Jose Martin Castillo (26-1, 16 KOs) - His lone loss came via cuts when he looked on the verge of taking control of his fight against Felix Machado. Jose is a boxer along the lines of Fernando Montiel, but showed a brawling side when he was forced to come from behind and kayo Hideyasu Ishihara. We will see if Castillo is for real when he takes of murderous punching Venezuelan Alexander Munoz this Friday on Telefutura.
20. Diego Morales 34-2 (25) - 24 year old boxer puncher makes the list after avenging his lone legitimate loss to Adonis Rivas (Diego was dominating Fernando Velardez before a bizarre disqualification loss). Lanky southpaw should show detractors that he merits attention for more than being the brother of Erik Morales this year. There has been some doubt about Diego because he has been brought along slowly, but 2005 looks like it will reveal the true Morales.
Just missing the cut, but considered, were Humberto Soto, Jhonny Gonzalez, Heriberto Ruiz, Daniel Ponce DeLeon, Isaac Bustos, Ivan Hernandez, and Juan Valenzuela.
