Five Most Underrated Fighters in the Sport of Boxing
By Loot, Boxing Handicapper, Lootmeister.com
Fighters stay under the radar for a variety of reasons. First is perspective and this one comes from an American fan—a Westerner's viewpoint. That doesn't mean these fighters don't have big names in their home countries. It's just that for whatever reason, they've operated with distinction out of the view of Westerners. It might have to do with exposure, as fans just don't get to see these guys. Or maybe they operate in a weight class that fans in the USA and Europe neglect to give attention. In any event, here are five fighters who are lesser-known than they should be at this point in their careers. Take a look!
Donnie Nietes: While it's true that Asian fighters operating in the lower weight classes rarely get much notice outside of Asia, Nietes should be better-known. These fighters operate in a vacuum for the most part, with their paths hardly ever crossing those of their western contemporaries. It becomes easy to neglect fighters like that. But the 34-year old Nietes seems to have done enough to raise his profile. He lost just once in 45 fights and that was a split decision in 2004, before he got to the world championship stage. Since then, he has gone unbeaten in a whopping 16 title fights, garnering belts at 105, 108, and most recently, at 112 pounds. The Filipino standout differs from some of his Asian peers, as he has fought in California and Mexico. It just seems inordinately difficult for him to get much notice outside the realm of super-hardcore boxing fans outside of Asia.
Shinsuke Yamanaka: He's big in Japan, where he is rightfully recognized as one of the nation's top athletes. But even Japanese fighters who do well enough will get recognized in the west at some point. And that point should be now for the unbeaten Yamanaka. At 27-0-2 (19 KOs), Yamanaka has defended his WBC World Bantamweight Title 12 times and has reigned since 2011. You'd hate for him to grow old without getting exposed to fans outside Japan. That happens a lot. Fighters in the East need to go so above and beyond to get noticed on a worldwide level that by the time they are recognized, the tide has turned and they are heading downhill. At 34, Yamanaka is getting up there for a 118-pounder and his window to get noticed by more fans might be closing. It's a shame, as he's been a terrific fighter for a number of years now.
Jessie Magdaleno: Here we have an American fighter who is under-the-radar. Not to say people don't know about Magdaleno because they do. He's readily identified by most fans as a good fighter. Still, he's pretty under-the-radar for an unbeaten world champion. He's an exciting fighter with a 25-0 (18 KOs) record and two fights ago, he beat longtime lower-division standout Nonito Donaire. He's clearly the number-two guy at 122 pounds behind the wizardly Guillermo Rigondeaux. You would just think there would be a little more heat with the Las Vegas product, whose name you rarely hear wherever boxing is discussed. That could change, as his profile rises as a defending champ, especially if he can lure some big names into the ring, which isn't easy in a top-heavy junior featherweight class.
Regis Prograis: Readers might be saying "who?" and that's bizarre for an American fighter. This could change in June, as Prograis is scheduled to fight unbeaten hotshot Joel Diaz, Jr., a bout that would upgrade his profile considerably if he were able to win it. But as it stands, Prograis is an unbeaten 28-year old out of Houston who is as anonymous as it gets, even if he is 19-0 with 16 stoppages. He has scored some decent wins lately and flashes good power. He's a contender. And you literally will never hear his name when the topic of boxing is discussed. Weird.
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Naoya Inoue: Again, the dynamic of being an Asian fighter in a low weight class can be cited for Inoue's lack of name-power in the west. Still, even among hardcore fans, Inoue has a certain level of anonymity despite some jaw-dropping accomplishments. Still only 24, Inoue was a decorated amateur who was thrown to the lions quickly upon turning pro. In his 4th pro fight, he won the domestic title, before turning his attention to well-regarded 108-pound world champ Adrian Hernandez. After one defense, he leapfrogged the flyweight class and took on Omar Narvaez, a longtime champion who had lost just once in 46 fights. The young Inoue dramatically stopped Narvaez in the second round. He has since scored 4 defenses of that title. At 12-0 (10 KOs), he is young and already accomplished and it's high-time he received more attention globally.
