I would place JLC and Rafa below EM and MAB, but I think they are tight with JMM. As far as Rafa Marquez at BW goes, I think he was a super strong power puncher at the start of his career right up to when he took out Austin; after that he reformed himself somewhat and started to put a lot more intelligence into his game; by the tail end of his BW career I feel he had become a fantastic boxer-puncher; he wasn't just sparking guys cold, he was also using ring movement, cutting them up with precise jabs and taking them out late (he also wasn't taking as many shots as he did at the beginning of his career). I wouldn't say he was the best BW of all time, but I think the Rafa of the Mabuza fights gives anyone from any era trouble; he may not have beat them all, but I feel his style would put him in with a chance against anyone.
I definitely think Olivares, Harada, Jofre, Ortiz, Pintor, Zarate, PAB, Canizales, Chandler, Happy Lora handle him without out to much trouble..Probably some more guys on top of that if I thought about it more. Without a doubt his ability to cut weight and his power make him a monster for weight...I do not disagree with that.
Morales Barrera* Marquez* Castillo * I believe Marquez still has the time to surpass barrera despite his age.
Barrera Morales Marquez (I think JMM has a great chance of overtaking MAB and Morales soon, but as of now his resume is not on the same level as theirs) Castillo
Morales Barrera JM Marquez Castillo Marquez still has a chance of surpassing Barrera and Morales. Vazquez, IMO could be ranked above Castillo in the future if he beats the likes of Juanma and Caballero and could rank even higher if he then goes up to featherweight and beats Chris John or Luevano.
I think it is tough to split Morales and Barrera. Barrera won their trilogy but was dominated by Pac twice - prime Morales fought Pac once and won, the past it version lost twice by KO. JMM's resume is weaker but he still has time on his side, despite being older than both EM and MAB. Both Rafa Marquez and Israel Vasquez are above Castillo already.
This issue has been discussed to nauseum........ Morales decline was gradual.....likely starting from the first war with MAB, that took alot from both fighters. If you think that the Morales that beat Pac was prime, I think I've got the forums go ahead to call you a BOZO! Great fighters can still win despite being on the decline....but they eventually hit a wall they cannot cross, and more often than not, they cannot return to the fighter they once were. That line for Morales imo was the Raheem fight. After all the mileage and wear and tear on his body, Morales could'nt make the jump to 135 lbs and still be good enough to deal with speed and quickness. ......at that point the man was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Not big enough to compete at a high level at lightweight, but sacrificing too much to come down and make the 130 lbs weight limit. It happens on a regular basis to aging fighters with alot of mileage on them. Got it Dinamita? Dont ask again, or I'll have to permanently label you a BOZO!
To put Rafael Marquez ahead of Barrera is absolutely ludicrious. He's the only one on the list that qualifies as a legend as far as I'm concerned. People just seem to think Barrera's career began with the first Morales fight, but he won his first title as early as 95. He is the true definition of a great. He took his losses, learned from them, improved from them, and came back to take on the best fighters of his generation and beat them more times than not. He defied critics time and time again, and is in my opinion, one of the finest Featherweights to have ever laced them up. A true legend. MAB Morales Marquez Castillo I'm a big Marquez fan, but he isn't even close to surpassing what the other two accomplished.