While we wait for the WBO Super featherweight World Championship fight tonight between reigning champion Jamel Herring and challenger Shakur Stevenson, let us look back in time to honor the great champions of this fascinating division. Some consider it a "spurious" division because it is not one of the original eight categories of boxing, but 130 pounds is a very old weight class that already elected its first world champions in the distant 20s of the last century. So, without further ado, here is our special ranking of the ten best super feathers of all time!
10. Joel Casamayor
Photo: espn
As an amateur, the Cuban boxer displayed the qualities of an absolute champion, and even as a professional, he was able to build a career full of laurels. In terms of pure technical abilities, he had the potential to earn even more prestigious positions in the standings, but some minor limitations related to physicality and grit cost him some of his most big games, preventing him from extending his world reign.
9. Diego Corrales
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Despite having had the worst performance of the trilogy with "El Cepillo," Corrales deserves to be ahead of him in the standings due to his prodigious success even in the superior category of lightweight. The two dramatic and exciting KOs against the extremely powerful Acelino Freitas and Jose Luis Castillo stand out. "Chico," armed with terrifying power and a limitless heart, has given us countless battles to watch with bated breath.
8. Samuel Serrano
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The Puerto Rican boxer's record is unlikely to include a slew of big names, but his reign is notable for its length, with as many as fifteen match victories valid for a world title. Although he lacked particularly lethal power, "El Torbellino" was a difficult boxer to contain due to his mobility and 180 centimeters, a remarkable height for the category.
7. Acelino Freitas
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"Popo," one of the strongest Brazilian boxers of all time, rose to power with an impressive string of knockouts, so much so that when he competed for his first world title after twenty fights, he had a success rate well above 100 percent mark.
No one has ever defeated him in the super feather category, which saw him climb to absolute first place with his victory over Casamayor in the long-awaited title reunification match. His ability to win a world championship in lightweight twice is also admirable.
6. Brian Mitchell
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Mitchell was simply unbeatable during his long career as a world champion, which reigned from 1986 to 1991. He was a true globetrotter, having defended his WBA belt in seven different countries in addition to South Africa, including four matches in Italy. He retired as a winner after two spectacular battles with American Tony Lopez. He was extremely precise and gifted with superb timing.
5. Flash Elorde
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Unforgettable champion of the past, Elorde had the first world title shot when he was only 20 years old against Sandy Saddler, a sacred monster in boxing history, and despite losing due to injury, he became the protagonist of a capital test. Since then, many exploits and emotions have been performed, always amusing the public with a style based on technique and speed of execution. The nickname "Flash," for which he became famous, was perfectly appropriate.
4. Kid Chocolate
Photo: scoresportmagazine
Another iconic name is that of the Cuban who confronted all of the best opponents of his time in the 1920s and 1930s, capturing the greatest successes in the super-feather category. Eligio Sardinias Montalvo, the author of 152 professional matches and whose nickname "Kid Chocolate" was voted the most beautiful in boxing history by The Ring, is boxing immortal in every way.
3. Azumah Nelson
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The strongest African boxer ever paradoxically gained international attention with a defeat when he was knocked out by the enormous Salvador Sanchez in 1982 as a stranger after making him sweat his proverbial seven shirts. In the years since, "The Professor" has proven to be a genuine phenomenon, winning world championships in two categories and captivating for the spectacularity of his fights.
2. Alexis Arguello
Photo: wbcboxing
When it comes to true boxing fans, "El Flaco Explosivo" needs no introduction. His long-limbed physique, lethal blows, exceptional physical endurance, and character have helped him become one of the most powerful and successful boxers of all time. World champion in feathers, super feathers, and light, the Nicaraguan narrowly missed out on the super light title, meeting the unstoppable Aaron Pryor along the way, and giving birth to two breathtaking wars.
1. Manny Pacquiao
Photo: attracttour
Given the absurd number of divisions in which the Filipino has managed to gird his waist with a world belt, it is extremely difficult to choose the weight category in which to classify a sacred monster like Pac-Man.
We chose the super feather in which the magnificent trilogy with Morales, the winning rematch over Marquez, and the second triumph over Barrera took place, challenges that elected him the undisputed number one of the 130 pounds and that, today, together with the incredible victories obtained later, push Manny Pacquiao to be defined as the strongest super feather that has ever existed.
