Napoleon Fly’s Top Ten Strawweights

Over the past decade, the strawweight division has been peripheral to the interests of American boxing fans. The division, which once boasted talents like Kazuto Ioka, Roman Gonzalez, Ricardo Lopez, Ivan Calderon, Donnie Nietes, Francisco Rodríguez Jr and Eagle Kyowa, fell into disrepair with the rise of the two-headed Thai dragon of Chayaphon Moonsri (also known as Wanheng Menayothin) and Thammanoon Niyomtrong (also known as Knockout CP Freshmart).

Moonsri held his title from 2014 to 2020, and while his resume has aged well, his reign was often criticized for a lack of ambition. Niyomtrong, who still holds his title, held a similar reign starting in 2016, facing a solid but at times underwhelming level of opposition. While Moonsri and Niyomtrong both fought frequently, the division was stale: unifications didn’t happen, exciting prospects were rare, top fighters like Hekkie Budler, Hiroto Kyoguchi and Kosei Tanaka moved up in weight to greener pastures and the status quo remained.
 
However, over the past few years, the divisions fortunes have changed. A new generation of prospects has matured and contenders from the past have grown and reinvented themselves as they finally hit their strides. Rather than predictable results and mismatches, we are seeing upsets and competitive fights.

For the first time in a decade, strawweight has become an exciting division again. The prospect of unifications seems to be on the table again, after a decade of titles being held hostage. Because of this, I’m happy to write my first installment of the strawweight rankings, so I can highlight to American fans how exciting and competitive this division has become again, and to inform them of major fights they can push for and watch. With that all said, I present to you Napoleon Fly’s Top Ten Strawweights.
 
1. Thammanoon “Knockout CP Freshmart” Niyomtrong (25-0-0)
Thailand’s Niyomtrong made his return to the ring this September after a two year layoff, defending his WBA title against Australian prospect Alex Winwood. After shaking ring rust off in an uneventful first few rounds, Niyomtrong took over in the middle rounds, walking Winwood down and bullying him with superior strength and power en route to a majority decision win. While Niyomtrong’s workrate and offensive variety didn’t look as good as usual, he picked his shots well and hurt and dropped Winwood several times throughout the fight, making smart adjustments to Winwood’s backfoot game. The 33 year old Thai champion has now held his WBA title for 8 years and amassed a stronger resume than he is often given credit for. Whom he will face next is unclear, but it is likely that the WBA will next call upon him to face his mandatory, decorated Uzbek amateur Hasanboy Dusmatov. I expect my decision to put Niyomtrong first will be subject to some dispute given his recent inactivity, but I feel his dominance prior to his inactivity, as well as his comeback performance against a credible Winwood, has earned him the right to sneak back into the #1 slot, even if only tenuously.
 
2. Oscar “El Pupilo” Collazo (10-0-0)
Oscar Collazo’s rise in the strawweight division has been nothing short of meteoric. The 27 year old Puerto Rican southpaw prodigy announced himself in 2022 when he shut out Filipino contender Vic Saludar effortlessly. After that, he dominated Melvin Jerusalem over the course of 7 rounds, forcing Jerusalem to quit on the stool, winning the WBO strawweight title. Since beating Jerusalem, Collazo has stayed active, fighting three times against fringe contenders Garen Diagan, Reyneris Gutierrez and Gerardo Zapata. Collazo’s next opponent is Edwin Cano Hernandez whom he faces on the upcoming “Latino Night” card. Hernandez is a solid fighter who should give a tougher challenge than his record may suggest, but is ultimately a disappointing choice. The electric Collazo has been adamant about wanting big fights, calling out champions Niyomtrong, Taduran and Jerusalem for unifications. Hopefully they materialize.

3. Pedro “Kid Pedro Heneral” Taduran (17-4-1)
Long considered a prospect who never quite lived up to his promise, Pedro Taduran kicked off a Cinderella story comeback in July when he blasted out -2000 favorite Ginjiro Shigeoka to a ninth round TKO. Taduran set a brutal tone early against Ginjiro, physically bullying him around, bludgeoning him in exchanges and landing his right hook at will as he hurt Ginjiro repeatedly throughout the fight. Now in possession of the IBF title, Taduran has faced the best competition of any fighter in the division, having fought former champions Daniel Valladares, Rene Mark Cuarto and Chayaphon Moonsri, on top of his domination of Ginjiro. Continuing on this path of facing tough opposition, Taduran will face rising Chinese contender DianXing Zhu in South Korea in a November fight that guarantees to be a shootout.

4. Melvin “Gringo” Jerusalem (22-3-0)
Similar to Taduran, Melvin Jerusalem’s rollercoaster career has found itself back to the championship level after a set of highs and lows. After losing a controversial decision to long reigning Thai WBC kingpin Chayaphon Moonsri in 2017, and then again to Joey Canoy, Jerusalem fought regional names until being granted a shot at then WBO champion Mastaka Taniguchi in 2023. Jerusalem made quick work of Taniguchi, TKOing him in the second round off a dynamite 1-2. However, Jerusalem then lost his title in his first defense against the rising phenom Oscar Collazo, who beat Jerusalem in a blowout. While many were ready to write Jerusalem off after such a one sided loss to Collazo, Jerusalem bounced back with a win over little known Francis Jay Diaz and then upset Yudai Shigeoka to win the WBC title. Jerusalem, who was a +460 underdog against Yudai, fought a cagey backfoot fight against Yudai, countering and bodysnatching his way to two knockdowns and a split decision win (make no mistake, the decision should not have been split, Jerusalem beat Yudai clearly). Jerusalem is next scheduled to fight surging contender Luis Castillo on September 22nd.

5. Yudai Shigeoka (9-1-0)
Between 2021 and 2023, Yudai Shigeoka’s run at strawweight seemed like a classic case of a rising star. After clearing his way through the regional level, Yudai finally made his first big step up against Wilfredo Mendez in 2023, breaking down the tricky Puerto Rican former champion to a seventh round TKO to win the interim WBC strawweight title. Following his win over Mendez, Yudai consolidated titles with WBC champion Panya Pradabsri. Yudai put on another dynamic performance against Pradabsri, landing varied left hand punches at will, hitting crisp catch and shoot counters and physically imposing himself on Pradabsri. However, much like his brother Ginjiro, Yudai’s approach to dominance was all to be undone in March of this year by Melvin Jerusalem, who took advantage of Yudai’s rigid upright stance and inability to consistently close the distance to cleanly outbox him from the outside. Since losing to Jerusalem, Yudai bounced back with a competitive win over the underrated Samuel Salva. Yudai didn’t necessarily look dominant against Salva and showed many of the same flaws that were exposed against Jerusalem. Regardless, Yudai’s power, strength and versatile left hand makes him a dangerous fighter and he is ranked in the WBC, IBF and WBA strawweight rankings, so while it isn’t clear whom he fights next, he remains a contender.
 
6. Ginjiro Shigeoka (11-1-0)
The beginnings of a promising title run by Japanese wunderkind Ginjiro Shigeoka came crashing to an halt in July when Pedro Taduran stopped him in 9 violent rounds to claim the IBF title in the upset of the year so far. Ginjiro was overwhelmed and never able to command Taduran’s respect, losing almost every round on the judges scorecards prior to the referee mercifully stepping in to stop the carnage. While Ginjiro showed immense heart and never stopped fighting back, it remains to be seen how he will look after such a savage beating, and whether or not he can improve on stylistic flaws like his predilection for unnecessary bouncing or inability to handle Taduran’s physicality. Ginjiro confirmed in August that his orbital bone surgery was successful, and is now ranked highly in the WBC, WBA and IBF strawweight rankings, so while his next moves are uncertain, it likely is he will remain at strawweight

7. Panya “Petchmanee CP Freshmart” Pradabsri (43-2-0)
Since being dethroned from the WBC throne in a unanimous decision loss to Yudai Shigeoka in October 2023, Thailand’s Panya Pradabsri has quietly bounced back fighting unremarkable opponents at catchweights. Pradabsri looked underwhelming in his last fight, a fifth round TKO of the 0-1 Mehran Sadeghi at flyweight. Whether this was a product of Pradabsri being in decline or other factors is unclear, but Pradabsri remains ranked at strawweight by the WBO and IBF, indicating that he will likely remain at strawweight for the foreseeable future (though there are rumors of him moving to light flyweight for a shot at the vacant WBC light flyweight title). Pradabsri is a crafty, iron chinned veteran with a credible left hook, jab and backfoot game, so he could still be a factor when he makes his decision on what his next move will be.

8. Luis “Flechita” Castillo (22-0-1)
Luis Castillo’s attempts to corner a shot at the WBC title have long frustrated him, but this September 22nd he will finally have his chance against Melvin Jerusalem after winning his final eliminator versus South African contender Ayanda Ndulani (note this fight is not listed on Boxrec yet, for reasons that are unclear to me). The lanky Castillo dominated Ndulani, putting him out with an overhand left in the fourth round. Otherwise, Castillo’s resume is mostly regional level fighters in Mexico, but despite his relative lack of experience at the world level, he definitely poses a tough challenge for Jerusalem.
 
9. DianXing Zhu (14-1-0)
Since losing to Fangyong Zhang in 2020, Dianxing Zhu has rattled off 9 wins, all but one by KO/TKO, in the Asian regional scene, including against fringe contenders Richard Garde and Marco John Rementizo. Zhu’s size, power and strength make him one of the best inside fighter in the division and a nightmare for anybody. Currently, plans are set in place for Zhu to face Pedro Taduran in South Korea for the IBF title. Watch out for their fight to be a grueling war.
 
10. Hasanboy Dusmatov (6-0-0)
Coming off of his second Olympic Gold in Paris this year, amateur standout Hasanboy Dusmatov has stated he will be focusing on the pros for the future. Dusmatov’s last pro fight was a clinical 10 round drubbing of sturdy South African gatekeeper Siphamandla Baleni in November 2023, winning 100-90 on all three scorecards. While there was no questioning Dusmatov’s win, and there was much positive to take from it (his footwork, body jab and left hand all looked sensational), there are also hangovers from the amateurs that need work. Dusmatov is currently the mandatory for WBA mandatory champion Thammanoon Niyomtrong, and has indicated interest in pursuing that fight. Should the long rumored fight with Niyomtrong materialize, it will be a bold step up to the world level for boxing’s top amateur.
The next five (in no order): Alex Winwood, Wilfredo “Bimbito” Mendez, Joey “The Babyface” Canoy, Siyakholwa Kuse, Goki Kobayashi