BoxRec

I'm a big fan of the little men, who unfortunately get ignored even by many serious boxing fans. So to do my little part to promote a division with an extremely impressive array of fighters, I've made out my Top 50. Before anyone asks, I DID NOT include fighters who mainly competed in current divisions below Flyweight, hence no Ricardo Lopez or Jung Koo Chang. I did however include 2 fighters who competed in now defunct weight classes.

My Top 50 Flyweights Of All Time

1.Jimmy Wilde
2.Pascual Perez
3.Jimmy Barry
4.Pancho Villa
5.Frankie Genaro
6.Horacio Accavallo
7.Santos Laciar
8.Miguel Canto
9.Benny Lynch
10.Emile Pladner
11.Hiroyuki Ebihara
12.Fidel LaBarba
13.Newsboy Brown
14.Rinty Monaghan
15.Masao Ohba
16.Yuri Arbachakov
17.Pone Kingpetch
18.Betulio Gonzalez
19.Chartchai Chionoi
20.Yoshio Shirai
21.Midget Wolgast
22.Jackie Paterson
23.Johnny Hill
24.Salvatore Burrini
25.Jackie Brown
26.Peter Kane
27.Sot Chitalada
28.Fidel Bassa
29.Chatchai Sasakul
30.Ponsaklek Wonjongkam
31.Saen Sor Ploenchit
32.Frenchy Belanger
33.Willie Davies
34.Dado Marino
35.Muangchai Kittikasem
36.Black Bill
37.Little Dado
38.Jackie Jurich
39.Vic Darchinyan
40.Johnny Coulon
41.Terry Allen
42.Izzy Schwartz
43.Venice Borkhorsor
44.Small Montana
45.Percy Jones
46.Irene Pacheco
47.Mark Johnson
48.Joe Symonds
49.Shoji Oguma
50.Erbito Salavarria

I'd have found a place for Hilario Zapata.

I personally have Rinty around the top 12. His career in my opinion is one of those what if's. He could have been more than the Euro champ and world champ for just 2-3yrs. His career seems somewhat unfulfilled. Quite possibly, the greatest Irish fighter of all time. Would have been interesting had he fought away from his native Ireland and against greater opponents earlier, he could have beat alot of the contenders. So much talent and ability.

I like that you made the Flyweight list Seamus.
Looks solid.
Question; What do you think of Jimmy McClarnins flweight days.
Jimmy was a great fighter and he campaigned awhile at Fly even beating Labarba a couple times.

Seamus wrote:I'm a big fan of the little men, who unfortunately get ignored even by many serious boxing fans. So to do my little part to promote a division with an extremely impressive array of fighters, I've made out my Top 50. Before anyone asks, I DID NOT include fighters who mainly competed in current divisions below Flyweight, hence no Ricardo Lopez or Jung Koo Chang. I did however include 2 fighters who competed in now defunct weight classes.

My Top 50 Flyweights Of All Time

1.Jimmy Wilde
2.Pascual Perez
3.Jimmy Barry
4.Pancho Villa
5.Frankie Genaro
6.Horacio Accavallo
7.Santos Laciar
8.Miguel Canto
9.Benny Lynch
10.Emile Pladner
11.Hiroyuki Ebihara
12.Fidel LaBarba
13.Newsboy Brown
14.Rinty Monaghan
15.Masao Ohba
16.Yuri Arbachakov
17.Pone Kingpetch
18.Betulio Gonzalez
19.Chartchai Chionoi
20.Yoshio Shirai
21.Midget Wolgast
22.Jackie Paterson
23.Johnny Hill
24.Salvatore Burrini
25.Jackie Brown
26.Peter Kane
27.Sot Chitalada
28.Fidel Bassa
29.Chatchai Sasakul
30.Ponsaklek Wonjongkam
31.Saen Sor Ploenchit
32.Frenchy Belanger
33.Willie Davies
34.Dado Marino
35.Muangchai Kittikasem
36.Black Bill
37.Little Dado
38.Jackie Jurich
39.Vic Darchinyan
40.Johnny Coulon
41.Terry Allen
42.Izzy Schwartz
43.Venice Borkhorsor
44.Small Montana
45.Percy Jones
46.Irene Pacheco
47.Mark Johnson
48.Joe Symonds
49.Shoji Oguma
50.Erbito Salavarria

Amazing work. Can you tell us more about the fighters? I think Jung- Koo Chang, Michael Lopez belong and Michael Carbajal should make the cut.

Regarding comments. I chose to rate the Light Flyweights and Strawweights seperately, just as I would with JMW's, JWW's etc. It seems that most BoxRec posters believe we already have too many weight classes, and while I don't entirely disagree, I acknowledge the fact that these new divisions have produced some outstanding fighters. In just 32 years, the Light Flyweight division has included as it's various champions Yoko Gushiken, Hilario Zapata, Jung Koo Chang, Myung Woo Yuh, Muangchai Kittikasem, Humberto Gonzalez, Michael Carbajal, Ricardo Lopez and Jorge Arce. Not exactly a watered down pool of talent.

As for various fighters mentioned.

Mark Johnson. Perhaps I could have rated him higher, since I believe he was 36-1 at FLW, but in the end I felt he was lacking a real name opponent.
Miguel Canto. He was a great fighter, but I don't know who I'd put him above in my top 7
Vic Darchinyan.He's a dominant exciting fighter and I see him going even higher in the future.
Hilario Zapata. Thought about rating him but I felt he too lacked a defining win at FLW. He's a very underrated fighter though.
Rinty Monaghan. That comment was a pleasant surprise HH, as I almost expected someone to say I rated him too highly.
Jimmy McLarnin. I believe he went 18-0-2 at FLW, and I feel that his 10 rd win over Fidel LaBarba is typically overlooked because it was only LaBarba's 5th pro fight, but 7 months later Fidel took the World Title from all time great Frankie Genaro which I think says alot. Still in the end I didn't feel McLarnin proved as much as the others at FLW.

Thanks

Great list Seamus. Don't see any major problems. I would also raise Mark Johnson a bit. He was a terrific fighter. I think I would move Canto up a little. Genaro might be a few places too high. I actually would rate La Barba ahead of him as well.
Kingpetch is a hard guy to rate. He had some losses but he did beat Perez and Harada. I do think #16 is a bit high.
Overall great list.
It's nice to see a non-heavyweight thread once in a while.

And my Top 10 Light Flyweights Of All Time.

1.Michael Carbajal
2.Humberto Gonzalez
3.Jung Koo Chang
4.Saman Sorjaturong
5.Yoko Gushiken
6.Hilario Zapata
7.Myung Woo Yuh
8.Jorge Arce
9.Luis Estaba
10.Hugo Cazares

Why because I put Carbajal and Gonzalez ahead of Chang and Yuh ???

No problem.

what about Danny Romero?I know he wasnt in the division for much time but that guy was easily the hardest hitting flyweight i ever saw!!
8)

Very good list, but IMO Burruni should be higher and I have Villa as the 2nd best FW ever...