Following Espinoza’s KO last night, why don’t we have a look at the current crop of featherweights and ask who is the best of the bunch? My pick is probably Espinoza right now because of how highly I rate Robeisy. I’ve seen a lot say Venado Lopez but I don’t see it personally. Who’ve you got in the top spot at 126?
Espinoza. But Venado is tricky and wouldn’t be shocked if he beat anyone at 126. It’s a decent division.
The featherweight landscape is so interesting right now. You have @Babality's dwarf in Nick Ball who's gone undefeated against three quality fighters in the last seven months. You have Brandon Figueroa, the nonstop punching machine who wears his opponents down until he can stop them. You have Luis Alberto Lopez who made his bones beating British men and fights on a regular basis. You have the shooting star Rafael Espinoza. He's 30 years old and fought almost no one of any significance until eight months ago. You have former world champs like Robeisy Ramirez, Raymond Ford, Rey Vargas and Angelo Leo who all have something left to give. You have Mauricio Lara who .... well ... I'm not exactly sure what's up with him. Lastly, you have Leigh Wood. The indomitable elder statesman of the group who is tough as nails and seems to be able to consistently hurt men in the later rounds when it really matters. I'd say the best is Lopez but there are no all-time great fighters here. This group has already produced a lot of enjoyable fights and I hope there's more to come.
Mauricio and Leigh have both moved up to 130 I believe. Mauricio got a draw in his 130 debut looking uninspired and dull against a largely unheralded Mexican fringe contender iirc. Leigh is looking to rematch Warrington I believe but idk if that'll be at 126 or 130.
