It seems that Canizales is another 90's champ who is slipping through the cracks a bit due to fighting at the a lower weight (bantam & super bantam) and having lacked that career defining rivalry/fight. But his record is rather wonderful. 50-5-1, never stopped but scoring an impressive 37 KO's himself for a 70%+ KO ratio. But most importantly of all he strug together a record 16 consecutive defences, unequaled in that divisions history, I think. He had only limited success after moving up, but won and defended a strap at super-bantam and a bauble at featherweight. Footage is sparse online, but what there is shows a solid chinned rather workmanlike fighter with only decent handspeed/accuracy/ but rather wonderful reactions and footwork which make him near impossible to time and rather capable at positioning himself for attack, not to mention a most excellent moustache. Good of the back or front foot he looks difficult to hit clean. He also seems to have been a decent body puncher with the left hook to the body looking like the Sunday punch. This guy only retired in '99 and was a great champion of the early/mid ninties, and yet nearly not a peep is heard concerning him. Anyone got any thoughts/memories on this guy? How do you think he stacks up against the elite of the division, he has the numbers if not the names...
My first memory of him is when he lost to the budding young superstar that never was, olympian Paul Gonzalez. Dropped a 12-rounder to him. At the time you thought, "well, predictable; Gonzalez woking his way up the ladder fighting unpoven guys." Then he went on a tear, and KO'd Kelvin Seabrooks for the bantamweight title. Great, great fight if you haven't seen it. You mentioned the title defenses that followed. He wasn't a real banger and wasn't terribly fast as you noted, but he was very resolute and well schooled. Threw every punch crisply and in combination. I hadn't seen him in a while when he challenged Vasquez for the 122 pound title, and he'd lost a step. Not much, but just a little less slippery, threw a little less, even if he still boxed well. He was competitive, but was just outboxed.
Yeah, good post. He seems solid but unspectacluar for the most part, although I do like that "in out" double step, quick and clever. I always feel you can get away with having slowish hands if you have quick, clever feet, which he seems to have had.
Canizales was a devastating technician at his best. IMO he was the equal of late '70s Duran technically, only without the spite and brutality. Competition for the most part was poor, which is why he is often overlooked.
:scaredas: This is massively high praise, this is no joke. He does seem to have been patchy, sometimes explosive, sometimes unspectacular. You obviously think very highly of him. Any performances that you particularly admire? I agree with you that his comp. is the main reason he is overlooked.
I think that has mostly to do with them being overlooked a lot, as was mentioned. Overlooked in this case means underpaid. If they made heavyweight coin, they wouldn't be fighting so often.
You need MASSIVE home support to make proper money at these sort of weights, this is why there are so few successful road warriors. Fact is, for most of these guys there is more money in Japan etc. than there is in Las Vegas.
I think he has the record for title defenses at his weight. He was a very solid but unspectacular fighter.
He was pretty much punch perfect in the Hardy rematch.... Like Chandler and Pintor, it was a shame he never met either Perez or Jones (at their 118lbs best).
