Filipino Boxing: Champs, Contenders, Prospects

Just wanted to make a thread all about Filipino Boxing...

WORLD CHAMPIONS
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IBF World Flyweight Champion. Will make his first defense against Juan Carlos Reveco in a couple of months. Coming off a win to become just the third Filipino fighter to win world titles in at least three weight divisions. One of the greatest fighters the country has ever produced.
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IBF World Super Flyweight Champion. Has made two successful defenses against light opposition. A physical specimen at 115 lbs with great boxing skills and power. In a great division where he could make some noise. Naoya Inoue apparently wants to fight him on New Year's Eve in a unification fight. That would be fun.
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IBF World Light Flyweight Champion. Just had a war against Hekkie Budler. Has the heart of a champion. Very good technically and honestly has an underrated pop. Will look to unify once he heals from his cuts.

Contenders
*anybody who has fought for a world title/interim world title, fought in a world title eliminator, or beaten a world title contender*
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Coming off three world class wins, Tapales will look to campaign at 122 lbs. He lost his title on the scales in his previous fight and he could definitely mix it up with the top super bantams in the world. Don't let his 13 KOs fool you, this dude has power. He has a very fun style and has the heart to overcome his only weakness: he doesn't like body shots.
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I thought he won a close one with Horn but it is what it is. A legend that should probably be retired by now. Nonetheless, he is still a top fighter in the stacked welterweight division and could still present problems against the top 5 guys, although I can't see him beating any belt-holder but Horn.
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I don't know what he's doing back at featherweight but the guy is persistent, I'll give him that. A future hall-of-famer, Donaire still has a shot against these top guys (no matter how small, I can't count him out) although he is way passed his prime.
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Just dominated 2-division world champion John Riel Casimero in a shocker. Out-boxer the heavily-favored Casimero in a coming-out party. Coming into the fight he was known for his heavy hands but he showed a different dimension, showing that he's an all-around fighter. Now the mandatory to Jerwin Ancajas in what should be a solid tactical AND action fight.
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Very disappointing showing against Sultan. The Casimero we've grown to love, showing both speed and power, along with an action-packed style, was nowhere to be found. He struggled against a counter-punching Sultan, similar to how he struggled against Amnat before he knocked him out. Will still provide a competitive fight and will trouble some come-forward super flyweights but back to the drawing board for now.
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Just won a fight against Miguel Cartagena this past weekend, and he didn't look good, although he did get the stoppage. Focusing on winning another world title at flyweight and I think his best shot might be Sho Kimura. It'll still be tough at flyweight even though it's no longer as deep as it was but a washed Viloria is still a good fighter.
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Very good technically and has a nice a repertoire of punches. Has decent speed. I've been high on this kid for a long time and he's finally getting a world title shot against Valdez. I don't think he wins and could actually see him getting stopped but I think he could remain competitive as long as his chin holds up (he was dropped twice by Tomiyama and didn't look that hurt and came out of that with a close win).
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Ripe for a world title shot. Wants a fight against Melindo but Melindo chose a better opponent in Budler and wants to unify afterwards. Good speed and power but looked very lackluster in his last fight. There are questions about his work ethic, I've read.
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A tall super flyweight with power in both hands. A boxer-puncher of sorts. Can be lazy defensively but has shown defensive chops when focused. Athletic and will trouble many with his length. I'd love to see what he can do against a top 15 super flyweight in a step up.
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Has good power, speed, and can box his opponent if need be. Building up a decent resume with wins over Joey Canoy, Lito Dante, and Pai Pharob. Hasn't fought since last December.

JUST MISSED THE CUT (in no particular order): Mark John Yap 27-12 (13 KOs), Rey Loreto 23-14 (15 KOs), Joey Canoy 13-3-1 (6 KOs), Melvin Jerusalem 11-2 (7 KOs), Jonathan Taconing 25-3-1 (21 KOs), Mercito Gesta 31-1-2 (17 KOs), Jason Pagara 40-2-1 (25 KOs), Giemel Magramo 18-1 (14 KOs), Vic Saludar 15-3 (9 KOs)

 

Prospects
*anybody under 25 yrs. old who hasn't fought for a world title, fought in world title eliminator, beaten a world title contender*
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21 years old. Has been fighting cannon-fodder but the kid is extremely skilled. His defense hasn't been tested but he looks tremendous offensively and doesn't look reckless albeit against poor opposition. Very explosive. Hasn't fought since December of last year but has been training in the states the past few months. Hoping he fights soon in what I hope is a step-up. What to improve: level of opposition, activity
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22 years old. Has a very high potential and could knockout anybody with his power. What to improve: Defense, Patience, Fighting on the back foot/Footwork, level of opposition
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24 years old. Has power in both hands and is a great finisher. You do not want to get hit by this guy. What to improve on: Speed, wide-punches. Just knocked out Lusanda Komanisi, former IBO featherweight champ, in South Africa. Second-round one-punch knockout. His power is forreal and he showed tremendous maturity while fighting on foreign territory for the first time.
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21 years old. Looked very impressive dispatching undefeated prospect Christian Gonzalez. Duno showed tremendous power and the ability to fight backwards. Was still getting hit but he showed a great chin, similar to his only loss, to Mikhail Alexeev, in what was a war. Has good speed, a good repertoire of punches and delivery. What to improve on: defense
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24 years old. Very powerful boxer-puncher. Was robbed in his last fight against Shakhnazaryan in which he was the effective matador the entire fight. What to improve: Speed, level of opposition, defense
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23 years old. No shame in losing to Juarez. That dude is hella tough and punches like a mule. Not giving up on Pagara. He's very talented but blew his load against Juarez and might've underestimated him. He knocked him down and had him hurt a number of times but the kid ran out of gas and paid for it. What to improve: Patience, defense, stamina
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22 years old. Has a stoppage win over the now highly-ranked Jesse Espinas. Has power on both hands and has good speed. Did struggle to a split decision win against journeyman Ryan Tampus and had to come back to beat Cuerdo but hopefully those were just rare off nights. He looks too relaxed in the ring sometimes, maybe gets bored when fighting opposition that have no chance. What to improve: consistency, level of opposition, focus
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25 years old. A boxer-puncher with a good skill set. A patient operator who knows when to strike. Has good size and counters from afar. What to improve: Speed, level of opposition
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24 years old. 2012 Olympian that could really box his opponents' ears off. Hasn't fought anyone of note but will take a big step up in his next fight, against 2-time world title challenger Wittawas Basapean. What to improve: power, going into second gear
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22 years old. Has good speed and power. Versatile offense, can box when he wants to. What to improve: patience, level of opposition

JUST MISSING THE CUT (in no particular order): Jade Bornea 9-0 (5 KOs), Edward Heno 11-0-5 (5 KOs), Jeson Umbal 15-5 (10 KOs), Jeo Santisima 14-2 (12 KOs), Ryan Lumacad 13-0-3 (7 KOs), Vince Paras 12-0 (10 KOs), John Vincent Moralde 19-0 (10 KOs), Ronnie Baldonado 9-0-1 (6 KOs), Harmonito Dela Torre 19-0 (12 KOs), Recky Dulay 10-2 (7 KOs), Mike Plania 14-0 (7 KOs), Robert Paradero 14-0 (9 KOs)

 

I would probably update the thread with Viloria soon, totally forgot about him because BoxRec has him as an American, but I totally still consider him Filipino :hey

 

It will be tough for him to make noise at 140 though, but he's ranked #3 by the WBO :shock: