Kal Yafai is back in action this weekend to make his long-awaited American debut, so with major fights seemingly imminent for the WBA champ, we look at the leading players in the division?
Yafai goes from Birmingham to Fresno, California, on Sunday morning to take on tough Mexican David Carmona, live on Sky Sports, as he looks to push himself closer to unification opportunities.
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The unbeaten Brit will make the third defence of his WBA title and, after dominant decision victories over Japanese pair Suguru Muranaka and Sho Ishida, Yafai admits: “It’s time to put in a great performance and then take on the other champions.”
Carmona, who has taken both Naoya Inoue and Carlos Cuadras the distance previously, will provide a stern test on Yafai’s stateside bow, but the Birmingham 28-year-old is expected to prevail and then it’s likely he rolls the dice. But who could lie in wait for Britain’s No 1 super-flyweight?
For years, Roman Gonzalez was the face of the lower weights, a pioneer who brought the glitz and glamour of boxing’s high-rolling fraternity suddenly attentive to the ‘little guys’ of the sport.
World titles across four weight divisions will all but etch the Nicaraguan great’s name in future boxing folklore, but now, when just four victories short of Floyd Mayweather’s recently-achieved 50-0 record, two back-to-back losses to Srisaket Sor Rungvisai has meant a new era of the ‘little guys’ has well and truly got underway.
‘Chocolatito’ still remains a fixture in the division but the manner of the merciless second defeat to the hard-hitting Thai last September has left the seemingly former immortal star without the WBC world title and now, unaided by ongoing political unrest in Nicaragua, he remains inactive.
Sor Rungvisai has become the man to assume the mantle as both the WBC titleholder and the kingpin of the 115lb ranks. A journey from poverty on the streets of South East Asia to world champion has grabbed worldwide acclamation and an ensuing thrilling victory over former unified flyweight champion Juan Francisco Estrada last February has further strengthened the Thai’s claim to greatness.
How things stand
| WBC | Srisaket Sor Rungvisai | |
| WBA | Kal Yafai | vs David Carmona (May 26) |
| IBF | Jerwin Ancajas | vs Jonas Sultan (May 26) |
| WBO | Vacant | Donnie Nietes vs Aston Palicte (Aug 18) |
Mexico’s Estrada, ‘El Gallo’, was narrowly beaten via majority decision after an electrifying 12-round battle and the pair may go at it again for a second time later on this summer, when another star-studded super-fly show could once more take centre stage.
In a flourishing division, fighters seem to join the fray as soon as those before them swiftly leave. Pound-for-pound rated star Inoue is the latest to depart as he seeks further glory at bantamweight, but in his place comes formidable Filipino Donnie Nietes looking to snap up the WBO world title that ‘Monster’ leaves behind.
A three-weight world champion, Nietes has just one defeat to his name on a 46-fight resume and, after three convincing victories on American soil within the last three years, he now joins the super-flyweight elite and takes on domestic rival Aston Palicte on August 18 for the WBO strap.
The other major title, the IBF belt, sits in the grasp of Jerwin Ancajas, who joins Yafai in California this Sunday morning, partaking in his own in-house Filipino showdown against mandatory challenger Jonas Sultan.
There have been mooted talks that Yafai and Ancajas, should they both retain their titles, could be in line to face each other thereafter. ‘Pretty Boy’ Ancajas, with just one defeat on his record, has made four defences of the world title he won by beating McJoe Arroyo back in 2016, stopping all those in his path, including Belfast’s Jamie Conlan, since.
Of course away from those in the title picture, the likes of Carlos Cuadras, Rau’shee Warren and McWilliams Arroyo refuse to go away, highly-rated contenders who edgily sit on the brink of further world title opportunities. Then, there’s the new guard and the continual Asian influence has a fresh set of representatives, Rex Tso, of China, and former flyweight knockout artist Daigo Higa, of Japan, potentially the standout names, while Andrew Maloney of Australia and Britain’s Charlie Edwards hope to also gatecrash the worldwide party.
Watch Srisaket Sor Rungvisai's knockout of Roman Gonzalez from September, 2017
It is perhaps testament to Gonzalez that the super-flyweight division is etched in the current limelight that, decades ago, would have seemed most unlikely, but the talent, competition and entertainment of fights that have preceded, involved and succeeded the great champion, rightly validate why it is ranked so high.
Victory for Birmingham’s Yafai this Sunday morning will push him one step closer to the mega-fights that sit well within his grasp and, as he begins a period that could define a legacy, the Brit could soon find himself with the world at his feet.
Watch Kal Yafai’s WBA super-flyweight title fight with David Carmona in Fresno, California, on Sunday, from 2.30am, live on Sky Sports Action.
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Sourse: skysports.com
