The 10 Greatest Bantamweights

I've actually never made a top ten at bantam before to see where I'd rank Zarate. I do rate him very highly and instinctually imagined that he'd probably be close to the top, but the division is so stacked that it's fair to have him in the lower half of the top ten now I think on it.

Great piece again Flea. I'm guessing that the forthcoming articles will further explain your rationale for Zarate's ranking. Btw, I meant to say earlier that I'm really glad to see your stuff in print in a widely known publication. I've long thought that many of the best historians in recent years have come to the fore online in the forums rather than in the mainstream.; this forum was once a great point of congregation for many of them. It's great to see the alumni getting their stuff in print. Same for McGrain and others.

Also, major respect for managing to squirrel into the narrative the herculean talents of the demi-god also known as Borkhorsor. Martinez was an excellent fighter and that win was no joke at all.

I'm eager as feck to see the rest of the list now, to see if there are other 'surprises'. Could it be that Jofre (nor Olivares) doesn't sit at the zenith like nearly everyone thinks? You don't have to answer that.

 

Good catch, I meant to say all but one if his fights have been in Japan. He won easy last weekend.

 

Looking forward to reading them all mate.

 

So when’s it comin’...I been checking all day lol

 

The UK is 5 hours ahead of USA Eastern Time, meaning its close to 9:00 PM in the UK. There is a way for a sneak peak if you know how web addresses work, but I'm not going to talk about it

With a surprise call at #10, and #9 being what most people would view in the top 5, #8 becomes more interesting.

 

Can't wait for Richie Sandoval to FINALLY get his due.

 

Great articles and I'm definitely learning a lot.. It is appreciated! Good to see you mention R. Marquez here. He was a better boxer than his brother imo .. well at least for the first 10 years he was … Curious where you have him placed all time .. thanks .. or is it not really set in stone for you ,, just 21 -30

 

Another good read and solid addition! Panama Al Brown, I think he was around 5 when I did a list a few years back, and was expecting to see him in the 4-6 range. Not critiquing your placement, just slightly surprised. You did give a good balanced line of reasoning...so many great bantams at this stage that there really is very little separating them.

 

Another great article full of background info on the men of the day.