The 2014 Lightweight Review
The lightweight division didn’t look too good entering 2014. The divisions champion was Miguel Vazquez and he looked unbeatable and unwatchable. The division has undergone a makeover in 12 months and while things still haven’t been sorted, the groundwork has been laid for a massive 2015. Vazquez’s reign is over and the new best fighter in the division is leaving as quickly as he came.
Fighter of the Year
To the surprise of nobody, Terence Crawford is the lightweight fighter of the year. He had one of the best campaigns of any fighter in boxing in 2014. He began his year by beating Ricky Burns in Scotland for the WBO lightweight title, he knocked out ultra-talented Yuriorkis Gamboa in one of the very best fights of the year, and capped it off with a win over Ray Beltran who is as respectable and tough as they come.
Crawford showed a versatile and balanced offense along with a subtle, but highly effective defense. He showed that he is already one of the smartest and most effective fighters in the game and 2015 is stacking up to be a massive year for him. He has the opportunity to move to 140 lbs where he can add to the accolades in his young career. The ultimate challenge and jewel for Crawford will be Manny Pacquiao, though it will be one step at a time until then. With every fight, Crawford makes a case for himself as a top pound-for-pound fighter in the sport.
Most Likely To Bounce Back
Yuriorkis Gamboa is an extremely talented fighter who’s moved up a division or two for the sole purpose of finding fighters that can “challenge” him. At lightweight he faces dangerous punchers who carry more weight behind their punches in the literal sense. The problem there is that Gamboa should not need to do this to find a challenge for himself.
The nightmare fight for Gamboa was Terence Crawford. A massive lightweight capable of ballooning in weight on fight night and punching with the force of a division or two higher. It was in this fight, however, that we saw the best Gamboa.
My hope is that Gamboa figures this problem out and adjusts. Should he figure this out, Gamboa could quickly remind everyone that he was moving in on pound-for-pound lists a few years ago.
The lightweight division is wide open currently. None of the top 5 fighters in the division pose an enormous threat to Gamboa. Gamboa could easily capture a lightweight title. Maybe it will be the vacant WBO title.
Most Likely To Be Done
I’m going to keep this brief because I want you to keep reading. Miguel Vazquez is done. His loss to Mickey Bey was likely the result of judges finally getting tired of his style. Or maybe not. That fight had no real definitive winner. Neither fighter made a strong argument that they deserved a win. Here are the reasons why I think Vazquez is done:
Who’s going to fight him? He’s a former world titlist that offers no monetary incentive for anyone to go after him.
He is a crucial ingredient in fights nobody wants to watch. If you’re a young and rising fighter there is no reason for you to face Vazquez and kill your momentum.
Vazquez is going to stay the same. He won’t diminish much, but opponents will watch the Bey fight and realize if you let Vazquez, the judges will give you the benefit of the doubt.
Prospect of the Year
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There is a pool of young talent in the lightweight division, but in this division lurks one fighter that is head and shoulders above the pack. He’s charismatic and his brief career highlights look like a decade’s best highlight reel. If Felix Verdejo is the future of boxing if his chin can hold up. .
Verdejo fought 7 times in 2014 and while it wasn’t against stellar opposition, let me counter with this: his opponents combined record was 100–31–6. Verdejo only needed 21 rounds to finish the seven fighters. Only one opponent, Oscar Bravo, saw the final bell. That is no indictment on Verdejo. You could hit Bravo in the face with a sledgehammer and he’d still be standing.
Verdejo has one of the brightest futures in all of boxing. He already looks sharper than some of the title holders in his division and his power, if it carries through the different levels of opponents, would trouble both Gamboa and Linares.
Most Improved
Petr Petrov was a fringe contender at best for years. He hung around lightweight and junior welterweight and never amounted to much. He tried stepping up and Marco Maidana quickly knocked him out. In 2013 he fought once and took a clear loss to Dejan Zlaticanin. (Note: Zlaticanin is a very underrated lightweight.)
Petrov rebounded nicely and began 2014 with a win in the Boxcino lightweight tournament. He had the most difficult path of any fighter in that tournament and passed every test with ease. Petrov has come a long way and if you is a contender in the top 10 division after his 2014 campaign.
Fight of the Year
Tommy Coyle and Daniel Brizuela win the Fight of the Year award by split decision over Terence Crawford and Yuriorkis Gamboa. Coyle-Brizuela was a shootout for the ages. The fight featured 8 knockdowns, 3 point deductions, and a controversial ending. There isn’t much to say. If you haven’t seen it, do yourself a favor and watch it.
Who’s due for regression?
Mickey Bey holds a lightweight title, but the fact that he’s probably the most targeted of any lightweight contender will lead you to believe that he’s the weak link of the division. Unless he has expert matchmaking in 2015 — which is completely possible — we will see Bey regress. Ask yourself this question: Which of the following fighters will Bey beat, Petr Petrov, Anthony Crolla, Richar Abril, Ray Beltran, Omar Figueroa, and Yuriorkis Gamboa? I’m guessing the number is between 0 and 1.
Who will have the biggest year and who will be next to win a title?
The reason why Omar Figueroa will have a bigger year than Felix Verdejo is because Verdejo will have a few step-up fights. Figueroa will step right into the fire as he looks to regain his WBC lightweight title. Figueroa lost some fans last year after a disappointing performance against Jerry Belmontes, but it can be forgiven. Belmontes is a bad style match-up for Figueroa and will trouble him 9 times out of 10.
Heading into 2015, Figueroa’s hands should be properly healed and he will walk into a fight with new lightweight titleholder Jorge Linares. It could be a nightmare for Linares similar to his fight with Antonio DeMarco. Figueroa will be the first to capture a new title in 2015 and might even unify with a shot against Bey further down the road. (Assuming Al Haymon keeps it in-house)
Best Fight for 2015
Since we combined 2 into 1 category, we’ll throw an extra category out here. The best fight you can make in the lightweight division for 2015 is not Miguel Vazquez vs Mickey Bey 2. Sorry to the 4 of you that are disappointed. The best fight you can make in 2015 is Ray Beltran vs Felix Verdejo. As a Beltran fan it’s tough to see him as the gatekeeper for another rising star, but this fight will be explosive. There isn’t a clear number 1 guy in the lightweight division with Crawford leaving and this could be one of those calculated risks for Verdejo that takes him to the next level very quickly and make him a star. If you’re HBO and Top Rank, one of your sole objectives going forward is to have the public get behind Verdejo. This one seems like a no-brainer.
Wrap-Up
The lightweight division was good to us in 2014 and we’re at a point where there are enough questions going forward that could have 2015 be phenomenal. This is one division where it’s almost guaranteed that there will be a new wave of champions at some point in the year.
