Ryoichi Taguchi was upset by Hekkie Budler recently, which majorly shakes things up. Teraji Kenshiro just destroyed Ganigan López in their rematch, in a 3rd defense of the WBC title he lifted from López over a year (370 days) earlier...but his résumé is still much weaker than his countryman's at 108lbs - while Budler's is stronger in an overall p4p sense but very thin at light fly outside the upset of Taguchi. You also have some h2h dark horses in the pipeline, such as Nicaraguan powerhouse Gemelo Alvarado riding a very nice run of form in a 4-year unbeaten streak going 15-0 (14) since his loss to Reveco, and Filipino mega-talent Randy Petalcorin waiting in the wings for a title opportunity. There is an infusion of young blood already loaded into the IV bag, as well. You have Azael Villar, the undefeated Panamanian kayo artist just 24 years old. Abraham Rodriguez was a promising up-and-comer from Mexico who just lost for the first time in March, a corner retirement after 5 rounds...I'm not sure what the full story is on that but he's only 23 and has plenty of time for rebounding... At present, though, it seems to be a 3-man race. Taguchi, Budler and Kenshiro - so which of them is king, for now?
I'm leaning that way myself but can't shake the inclination to favor Taguchi over Kenshiro head to head.
Ranked at fly, has fought there 4 times in a row, before that @ super fly - has never made the light flyweight limit.
Shiro imo. Taguchi is a good technical fighter but he also went life and death with Dela Rosa. I feel like Shiro keeps improving while Taguchi has hit his ceiling.
Canizales (WBA regular champ, with a draw against Taguchi), and Acosta (WBO champ) warrant mention in their own right. Both would be legit threats against any of the three fighters listed in the poll.
