The current WBC light flyweight Silver champion has been on a very nice run the last few years since his most recent defeat. That is, notwithstanding a couple of knockouts against debuting teenagers in Thailand (likely crossovers from MT kickboxing but devoid of experience in the Western sport, just meant to pad his record by agreement with promoter Manop Iamtuam who makes his coin feeding local kids to foreigners...) He is making a solid case for "most improved player in the game", having batted .500 in his first half dozen bouts and drawing twice in his next half dozen (for a total 7-3-2 record after 12). He then avenged his latter draw, taking Filipino prospect Ben Mananquil's zero in the process. His next Pinoy rival, Macrea Acapulco "The Barb Wire" Gandionco, would dole out his only stoppage defeat to date, via body shot. He would rebound and then beat four respectable journeymen from the Philippines (sandwiched around those shady dealings with Mr. Iamtuam), all by decision, before scoring a minor upset to grab the Silver belt against Merlito "Tiger" Sabillo. In that performance - as well as his show-stealing first defense against Suriyan "Kompayak Porpramook" Satorn in January as co-feature to Wenfeng Ge vs. Giemel Magramo - he looked very impressive. He'll need to look even more impressive next time out, as he is reportedly hosting the WBO's light flyweight champion, Ángel Luis "Tito" Acosta Gómez of Puerto Rico, in August in Shenzhen. Acosta is 20-1 (20), and has only lost against unbeaten three-division champion Kosei Tanaka. Xiang, whose KO ratio is at the other end of the spectrum (14%, to Acosta's 95%), has reportedly welcomed this opportunity despite knowing he will be the underdog and in with as dangerous a puncher as there is at 105lbs, saying his ambition is to become China's fourth ever world champion (recognized by a major org, that is) after Zou Shiming, Xiong Chaozhong and Can Xu. If successful, he will be a pea in the pod with the latter two; all except Zou Shiming will have been unlikely "Cinderella Man" stories, with inauspicious career starts and having to earn it all the hard way absent major financial backing from their debuts. Really a classic boxer vs. puncher match-up - the Rattlesnake (aka "The Fist of Tianjin") has never faced anybody with the raw power of Acosta, but the boricua will also be facing the classiest pure technician of his pro campaign second only to Kosei Tanaka. I'm not saying Xiang is on Tanaka's level - but there's still plenty of room left for him to squeak his way past Acosta, into the history books..
If he does pull off the upset, will Xiang have defeated the best opponent to become champ of all his countrymen? Xiong Chaozhong beat Javier Martínez Resendiz Zou Shiming beat Luis de la Rosa Can Xu beat Jesus M. Rojas ...I'd say yes, Acosta is clearly the best scalp of those.
I think yes. Even though i think Can Xu is the best out of all of them i don't really rate him as a "real" champ as he only has the regular wba belt( gosh i hate the wba)
