Here’s a look at boxing’s biggest, best stars and the letter grade they’ve earned over the last year. In this first installment, we’ll look at the stars in the smallest weight classes, minimumweight through featherweight (105 lbs. – 126 lbs.)
Yuriorkis Gamboa (Featherweight)
“El Ciclon de Guant?namo” may not be long for the featherweight class, but if he does move up in weight, he will be going out with a pretty solid year. The mega-talented former Olympic gold medalist from Cuba blew through two tough Mexican challengers? Jorge Solis (TKO 4) and Daniel Ponce de Leon (TD 8). The only drawback was that neither was really a top shelf, career-defining opponent.
Grade: A
Orlando Salido (Featherweight)
The blue collar Mexican battler pulled off the major upset by beating WBO titlist, Juan Manuel Lopez in the champion’s own home territory of Puerto Rico. Salido followed that victory up with a defense against a pedestrian challenger in Japan’s Kenichi Yamaguchi and a non-title stoppage of Weng Haya.
Grade: A
Juan Manuel Lopez (Featherweight)
Puerto Rico’s Lopez was considered to be the next big thing in Boricua boxing, but was upset and stopped by Orlando Salido in an embarrassing home battering. “Juanma” would come back six months later and score a TKO 2 victory over an overmatched Mike Oliver.
Grade: D+
Nonito Donaire (Bantamweight-Junior Featherweight)
The Filipino Flash started 2011 off with a real bang by absolutely flattening two-belt bantamweight champ, Fernando Montiel in two rounds. Then Donaire got entangled in promotional disputes that saw him sit out eight months. Once he got back into the ring, he beat Argentina’s mega-defensive Omar Narvaez in a dull twelve round decision that left Donaire and the fans absolutely frustrated.
Grade: A-
Abner Mares (Bantamweight)
Mares scored two decision wins over tough Joseph Agbeko, becoming IBF bantamweight champ in the process. While their first bout was plagued with controversy stemming from questionable officiating, the rematch left no doubt as to who was the better fighter. Mares now sits at the top of the 118 lb. class, entertaining reasonable challenges.
Grade: A
