Four of the best 135-pounders were in action between Nov. 27 and Dec. 5.
George Kambosos produced an Upset of the Year candidate by narrowly outpointing undisputed lightweight king Teofimo Lopez. Devin Haney defeated a gritty Joseph Diaz Jr. by a unanimous decision. Gervonta Davis fought through what he said was a hand injury to get past brawler Isaac Cruz.
And, this past Saturday, 33-year-old Vasiliy Lomachenko dominated overmatched Richard Commey en route to a wide decision victory.
So where does leave us? Where do these fighters now stand in the 135-pound pecking order?
That’s a tough assignment, especially given the events of the past month, but you’ll find Boxing Junkie’s Top 5 ranking below.
A few notes before we get into it, though.
One, and most important, we’re not going to know for sure who is the best of the bunch until we have something akin to a round robin tournament among them. They must fight one another to get clarity.
Two, Ryan Garcia hasn’t fought since January, when he stopped Luke Campbell. He stepped away from the sport to deal with mental health issues and then had surgery on his wrist. It’s difficult to determine where he currently fits in.
Three, Kambosos wasn’t among the cadre of “best” lightweights before his fight with Lopez. He is now.
And, four, Lopez is no longer on the list because he has said his intention is to move up to 140 pounds.
Here’s our list (in reverse order):
5. Ryan Garcia (21-0, 18 KOs)
Garcia was on a roll as recently as this past January, when he got up from a knockdown to stop longtime contender Luke Campbell with a body shot in seven rounds. He proved in that fight that he’s more than a social media sensation. And then he was gone. He stepped away from the sport to focus on his mental health, a decision that received universal support. And then he injured his right wrist while sparring for a scheduled bout with Joseph Diaz Jr., which forced him to pull out. He later had surgery. He says he’ll be back in the coming year. He has the skill, the speed, the power. We’ll see whether he can pick up where he left off.
4. George Kambosos (20-0, 10 KOs)
Why isn’t the undisputed champion higher here? Fair question. After all, he just defeated the man who would’ve topped this list had it been compiled before Nov. 27, the day he beat Lopez. Winning at the highest level is the name of the game, right? Right. At the same time, Kambosos, locked in himself, seemed to catch Lopez at his worst. He had problems in his camp and, if doctors aren’t lying, he also faced serious physical issues going into the fight. Kambosos deserves accolades for a defining victory. We just want to see him beat another elite foe before we’re 100% convinced.
3. Devin Haney (27-0, 15 KOs)
The 23-year-old technician hasn’t faced one of his top rivals yet but he met two men who are just a tick below the best in his last two fights, Jorge Linares and Diaz. And things went well. He used his special skill set to deliver clear decision victories over both them, winning on all cards. Haney didn’t dominate Linares or Diaz but he controlled both fights, which is impressive given the stiff opposition. He doesn’t have the punching power of Davis and Garcia but he can box with any of his rivals. And he’s getting better. He has a chance to top this list after the dust settles.
2. Gervonta Davis (26-0, 24 KOs)
All the tools are there, the natural gifts, the ring IQ, the off-the-charts power. Now “Tank” has to deliver the victories over elite opposition at 135 pounds. He escaped with a unanimous, but close decision over brawler Isaac Cruz on Dec. 5 that can be interpreted two ways. One, he struggled to outpoint a significant underdog after 16 consecutive knockouts, which made him look human. Or, two, in spite of an injured power hand, he weathered the storm and outboxed a determined little beast to have his hand raised. That was impressive. I believe he’ll end up as the best in the division if he sticks around long enough.
1. Vasiliy Lomachenko (16-2, 11 KOs)
I’ll never understand why Lomachenko threw only 50 punches in the first seven rounds in his unanimous-decision loss to Lopez last year, a setback that tarnished his reputation. He said he was protecting an injured shoulder, on which he had surgery days after the fight. Maybe he had too much respect for Lopez or couldn’t get comfortable. Whatever the reason, it wasn’t his best night. That’s in the past. He looked like the pound-for-pound king of old in subsequent victories over Masayoshi Nakatani (TKO 9) and Commey (UD). Neither could begin to cope with his boxing wizardry, which remains as impressive as that of anyone in boxing. It’s important to note that neither Nakatani nor Commey are as good as Lopez, meaning his victories over them carry limited weight. At the same time, both are good fighters who were overwhelmed. I would pick Lomachenko to beat any of the above right now.