Honrable Mentions
Suk Kil Moon
From South Korea, former WBA bantamweight and WBC superflyweight champion.
Defeated Khaokor Galaxy (the twin brother of boxing legend Khaosai Galaxy and two-time WBA bantamweight champion) to win the bantamweight title.
Also holds wins over boxing greats Gilberto Roman, Hilario Zapata and Nana Yaw Konadu.
Chris John
From Indonesia, former WBA featherweight and WBA super featherweight champion. Suffered only one loss in his stellar career, winning 48 times. Signature win was a disputed one over all-time great Juan Manuel Marquez.
Made 18 successful title defenses of the featherweight title, second-most in the division’s history (after Eusebio Pedroza).
Many detractors, however, point out that he passed on opportunities to fight other top-ranked fighters and champions in the featherweight division because he did not want to fight outside of Indonesia, despite the fact that he fought in one of the marquee lighter-weight divisions.
Nonito Gonzalez Donaire Jr.
Nonito Donaire is from the Phillipines and is known as “The Filipino Flash” for his quick hand speed and punching power. Donaire is the current WBO super bantamweight champion and a former four-weight world champion.
He has won multiple titles in the flyweight, bantamweight, super bantamweight and featherweight divisions, in addition to an interim title at super flyweight.
Donaire returned to the junior featherweight division after losing his featherweight belt in devastating fashion–a sixth-round knockout at the hands of Nicholas Walters in October 2014.
He has since won three bouts in a row and still looking to regain his status as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. At the age of 33, however, his best days may be behind him.
Photo by AFP
