Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome back to The Fight Game.
Each division in boxing is almost in a world of it's own, with different rivals and contrasting
styles.
Each division has it's own leader board, most packed with great talent and future stars.
But there's one division that just seems to be on fire right now, and looks likely to
be the centre of the boxing world for years to come.
That division is the lightweight division of 135 pounds, where the boxers are brash
and the possibilities endless.
There are five major players that dominate the headlines, Ryan Garcia, Vasyl Lomachenko,
Gervonta Davis, Devin Haney and Teofimo Lopez.
Lomachenko being the most seasoned and experienced, and the other four considered to be the future
of the sport.
That's without mentioning other contenders and neighbouring prospects.
In this video we take a quick look at some of the best boxers in the lightweight division
and explore what skills they bring to the table.
Ryan Garcia is the youngest of them all at only 22 years old and his victory last weekend
on DAZN was him showing the whole world that he's not an Instagram boxer,
he's a boxer who belongs at elite level.
He will improve massively in the coming years, and his last fight against Campbell was a
valuable learning experience.
Garcia's decision to box inside Campbell's lead foot
was a little questionable and very dangerous, but nonetheless he secured a body-shot victory
by landing a lethal left-hook to the liver.
He showed tremendous heart by getting up after being dropped by a monster shot from Luke
Campbell in the second round.
He fought back with vigour, he bullied Campbell with his speed and power
and eventually scored the KO blow.
Garcia may make the odd mistake, dropping his hands often, having his chin up high,
but his absolutely ferocious punching power tends
to cancel them out.
Power punchers are born not made, and Garcia is a naturally born power puncher.
One thing Garcia does very well which often goes unnoticed by fans is
his timing and accuracy.
He has some of the best timing and accuracy in the division, he knows how to place his
power shots and he knows at what moment to execute an attack.
His best punch is his left hook which has sent it's fair share of opponents to the canvas
already.
The future is bright for Garcia, and being the youngest of them all gives him that little
bit more room for improvement.
If Garcia can manage to improve his defence under
the tutelage of Eddy Reynoso, who is an excellent coach by the way, he could seriously contend
for the number 1 spot.
Gervonta Davis has a knockout percentage ratio of over 95 percent, which undoubtedly classifies
him as a knockout artist.
Of course when talking about knockout ratios there are other factors you must take
into account like level of opposition, but 95 percent is often unheard of in boxing,
making him without a doubt the lightweight division's knockout king.
He passes the eye-test, you can tell the figures on paper translate to reality in the ring,
Davis has power that strikes fear into the bravest of opponents.
Arguably his best punch is his left uppercut, after all his last two fights ended with that
very punch.
Davis also has a boxing IQ that's very overlooked, most
fans only see the power, but his boxing intelligence is world class.
His shot selection is calculated and often timed to perfection.
Davis is more explosive than Lopez, Lomachenko and Haney, and just as explosive as Ryan Garcia.
The sharpness of Garcia and Davis's punches cannot be taught, that sort of speed is a
natural ability, and to have two boxers as explosive as that in the same weight division
is not as common as you might think.
However Davis has world-class defence.
He's able to bob and weave punches effortlessly, and he's also very capable of covering up
when put under pressure.
Davis is likely the best inside fighter of the division for
the ability to control his opponent's position and to violate openings through clinches.
It will take an extraordinary man to beat a fully-focused Gervonta Davis.
However there is only one man who can be called the actual King of the lightweight division.
That man is Teofimo Lopez.
Lopez's victory over Lomachenko late last year catapulted him to the absolute top of
the sport.
For so long the fans of this sport have asked boxers
to take risks in their careers, because we don't care if you have a few losses, we want
great fights.
Lopez deserves so much credit for taking on Lomachenko
when he certainly didn't have to.
Since his inception with Top Rank Promotions Lopez has progressed massively, and at only
23 years old, took the risk to become great.
He went ahead and took on the undisputed champion Vasyl Lomachenko, and he beat him.
That's what the fans love.
You can dislike a boxer for various reasons, but Lopez
done what many fans always wanted, to take the risk to become great.
Lopez will have some serious competitors who will come to challenge his throne in the coming
years.
Lopez is a very well-rounded boxer, he knows how to use his lead hand effectively with
attacks, feints and parries.
He's also one of the best in the division to maintain
position when his opponent attacks.
The only other boxer at lightweight who can do it as good as him is Gervonta Davis.
By maintain his position I mean he maintains his
foot placement when his opponent attacks, through upper-body movement, blocks and parries,
which is actually a very difficult thing to do.
Lopez isn't a knockout artist, but he definitely has power capable of earning
the respect of the most formidable of foes.
The future for Lopez is bright, not only because he's so young, but because
he's got the will and the skill to do it.
Devin Haney is the second youngest at 22 years old but he actually has the most professional
fights out of the top five.
He turned pro at only 16 years old, and therefor fought his first four fights in Mexico as
you must be over 18 to compete professionally in the United States.
What Haney lacks in power he makes up for in skill.
Haney has done well to remain disciplined inside
and outside the ring.
He has some great footwork and fights on the balls of his feet, unlike Davis and Garcia
and more like Lopez and Lomachenko.
His style is a little like Mayweather with his hand position and shoulder roll.
Perhaps Haney has a better foundation than most to build on, he's
still very young and like every young gun in this division, he will improve massively
in the years to come.
He has a great style to out-box opponents, and that's what
may separate him from the rest of the competition at lightweight.
Of course we can't write off Lomachenko, he is arguably number 2 in the division.
There's a lot of talk about his performance against Lopez,
but we have to remember that this division is not his natural weight class.
His natural weight division is likely one division below at 130 pounds, so the fact
that Lomachenko still contends for the top spot at lightweight is really telling of how
great of a fighter he is.
A rematch with Lomachenko and Lopez could happen and
many would favour Lomachenko over the likes of Garcia and Haney.
His footwork is undoubtedly the best in the sport, the angles and positions he creates
with his feet give him a chance as good as any against
all the top boxers at lightweight.
There is much talk about Ryan Garcia potentially fighting Gervonta Davis next, which in my
opinion is an absolute monster fight and is a must-see match up for any sporting
fan.
Davis and Garcia are the two most explosive fighters across all weight divisions, to see
two of them exchange blows in the middle of a boxing ring would truly be a
sight to behold.
In actuality a matchup with any of the top 5 boxers fighting another top 5 boxer is box-office
material and a great fight for the fans.
Opinions aside, Lopez has earned his right to be called the King.
He's still yet to be challenged by the likes of Gervonta Davis, but after all he did defeat
Lomachenko, a boxer who many had at the top of their pound-for-pound rankings.
Lopez: "They just want to see more of me because I bring that to the table.
I entertain, at the end of the day you guys are here to watch us perform, so entertainment
is definitely, definitely, one of my main things
in the sport of boxing."
The future is prosperous for the lightweight division, however we may see some of these
names explore the higher weight divisions as time goes by.
Lopez, Garcia, Davis and Haney could all possibly fight at 140 pounds eventually, and some maybe
even at welterweight.
So what do you guys think, who in your opinion is the best boxer right now at lightweight.
Let us know in the comment section below.
We'll see you in the next video here on The Fight Game.