In recent years, Manny Pacquiao has proven himself as the cream of the crop of the Asian Boxing Scene. However, even before he arrived, there were a number of world class Asian fighters around. Unfortunately, only hardcore boxing fanatics were exposed to them. Even today there’s more to the scene than Manny Pacquiao. Just ask Nonito Donaire, Chris John, Brian Viloria, and Hozumi Hasegawa, to name a few.
That said, one cannot deny the impact that Pacquiao has had in exposing the world to this particular boxing scene. I’m willing to bet that even after he rides off into the sunset, the impact he’s had will have laid some good groundwork for years to come. It’s now even more likely that the West will no longer ignore the little guys from the East knowing that one of them just may be the next Manny Pacquiao.
Since everyone is constantly throwing out their top 10 P4P lists, I decided to focus on compiling a list for a group that doesn’t always garner the attention it deserves. In honor of Asian pugilists, below I list the top ten Asian fighters as of July 8, 2009.
1. Manny Pacquiao (49-3-2, 37 KOs) – This one is a no-brainer. Pacquiao is a multi-division champion with a resume that can’t be questioned. His talent is unquestionable complimented by blazing hand speed and excellent power. His recent demolition victories over Ricky Hatton and Oscar De La Hoya in higher weight classes have been extremely impressive. And of course his wins over Morales (twice), Marquez, and Barrera (twice) make for a ridiculously great resume. A potential super fight against Puerto Rico’s Miguel Cotto may be looming.
2. Nonito Donaire (21-1, 14 KOs) – Donaire has a ton of talent, hits pretty hard with both hands, boasts fast hands, and is a very good counter-puncher. A few years ago he was given a title shot out of nowhere and smashed Vic Darchinyan with a big left hook while controlling most of the first four rounds of their bout. He had some promotional issues and disappeared for a bit. He’s since come back and looked slightly rusty in his return bout against Moruti Mthalane, but looked great in dropping Raul Martinez several times before closing out the show in the fourth round. Next up is a date against fellow countryman Rafael Concepcion on Top Rank’s August 15th “Pinoy Power” card. Hopefully, he’ll soon land a rematch against Vic Darchinyan or another big fight against a relevant fighter.
3. Hozumi Hasegawa (26-2, 10 KOs) – Hasegawa has very good hand and foot speed and is mostly known for being an excellent boxer despite racking up some early KOs in his last couple of fights over fighters who had never been stopped before. He has two big victories over former bantamweight champion, Thai Veeraphol Sahaprom, a win over Italian Simone Maludrottu (Euro Champion), and a decision win over Mexican Genaro Garcia, all very good wins. However, Hasegawa needs a big fight now. He’s too good to be fighting the level of opposition he’s faced recently.
4. Chris John (42-0-2, 22 KOs) – Despite his controversial win against Juan Manuel Marquez, John is a very solid fighter. He isn’t overly fast and doesn’t hit hard. However, he throws a lot of punches, is technically sound, and uses his range very well. Due to an unexpected illness, he recently pulled out of a rematch with Rocky Juarez after scoring a draw in their first fight, a fight most felt he won. While he’s not the most talented fighter in the world, John will be tough to beat at 126.
5. Oleydong Sithsamerchai (31-0, 12 KOs) – Sithsamerchai is another talented fighter with a load of hand and foot speed. He has to heavily rely on using both of those attributes because his power is very limited. He’s the type of fighter that prefers to hit and not be hit, and he applied that strategy well in the biggest win of his career against Japan based Thai, Eagle Den Junlaphan (formerly known as Eagle Kyowa). In that bout he was able to clearly outpoint the stronger Junlaphan and walk away with the WBC Strawweight strap. In his most recent fight, he notched a respectable title defense against Indonesian Muhammad Rachman.
6. Daisuke Naito (35-2-3, 22 KOs) – Naito is a solid boxer who throws a lot of punches. He’s not really much of a puncher but has pretty good hand and foot speed coupled with above average stamina. He won the WBC Flyweight title from the longtime flyweight champ, Thai Pongsaklek Wonjongkam, in a clear win but was held to a draw in the rematch. Since that victory he’s had a few struggles and seems to be getting hit more and more often with each passing bout. Now a 34 year old flyweight, the end of Naito’s reign is very likely right around the corner. He’ll probably be matched against Koki Kameda soon.
7. Toshiaki Nishioka (34-4-3, 21 KOs) – Nishioka came through with a big KO victory recently against Mexican Jhonny Gonzalez to capture the WBC Super Bantamweight title. He now has several wins in a row after his wars with former bantamweight champion, Thai Veraphool Sahaprom. Nishioka has pretty fast hands and can box well. He’s not usually much of a puncher, but Gonzalez’s questionable chin allowed for his power to look devastating. Nevertheless, his last three wins came against very solid fighters. Who knows how much longer he’ll be around, but one thing is for sure, he’s going to be one tough nut to crack.
8. Koki Kameda (20-0, 13 KOs) – Kameda is a good fighter with good hand speed, respectable power, and proven toughness. He was thrust into a title shot very early (12th pro fight) in his career and came out victorious against Juan Landaeta. However, due to the closeness of the fight, he granted Landaeta an immediate rematch and won easily. Oddly enough that was his only title defense. He had a tough time making the 108 lb limit so he vacated his title and moved up to the flyweight division. Since his move up in weight he’s been very active albeit against subpar opposition. Kameda will more than likely step up in class within the next year or so.
9. Brian Viloria (25-2, 15 KOs) – Viloria has really good hand speed and power. His problems throughout his career have mainly revolved around his workrate, and he hasn’t looked motivated at times. He looked destined to be on his way out after losses to Mexicans Omar Nino and Edgar Sosa in fights he was expected to win. Luckily for him he got one more opportunity to prove himself and he took advantage of it. After several confidence builder type fights, Viloria earned a shot against another Mexican, Ulises Solis. It was a good back and forth affair, but in the end Solis got caught late and lost via an eleventh round KO. It was a huge victory for Viloria which he can now use as a major confidence builder to help him live up to the great potential many have always felt he’s had.
10. Denkaosan Kaovichit (47-1-1, 20 KOs) – Kaovichit fought Puerto Rican Eric Morel several years ago and was stopped in eleven rounds. He did well early in the bout before finally fading. He went back into obscurity for several years before landing another tough fight against Japan’s Takefumi Sakata. The bout was a war and he walked away with a draw in a fight most people felt he’d won. In the rematch, however, he left no doubt and knocked Sakata out in two rounds to capture the WBA Flyweight title. Kaovichit isn’t the most talented fighter out there, but he has a ton of heart, and that attribute alone will always make him a dangerous opponent for anyone.
Just Missing the Cut: Pongsaklek Wonjongkam (72-3-1, 38 KOs), Donnie Nietes (24-1-3, 14 KOs), Takahiro Aoh (17-1-1 (8 KOs)
