Carlos Canizales

Bio

Right then, Carlos Canizales is exactly the kind of fighter prospects are supposed to avoid — a former WBA light flyweight champion with over thirty professional fights, twenty knockouts, and absolutely nothing left to fear in a boxing ring. The Venezuelan has been operating at or around world level for the best part of a decade, and he has the grown-man strength and championship know-how that has ended plenty of hot streaks before.

Let's not beat around the bush — the peak years have some miles on them now. At 33, with three defeats and a draw on the ledger, the very best version of Canizales probably lives in the past. But class is permanent at 108 pounds just like everywhere else, and a fighter who has held a world title knows every trick, every foul, and every way to make a young opponent's night miserable.

That is precisely why Japan booked him for Daiya Kira's world title shot in Yokohama. Canizales is the credibility test — the proper former champion a four-fight novice must get through to be taken seriously. He has travelled with bad intentions, and make no mistake: if the kid is not everything his promoters believe, Canizales is more than capable of walking out of Yokohama as a two-time world champion.