5 of the Most Physically Gifted 'Little Guys' in Boxing Today

Plenty of boxing's focus is either on its superstars or on heavyweights, but it is usually the smaller fighters who bring the action in the ring.  They are some of the best conditioned, fast punching machines that exist in boxing.

Yet for some reason they still seem to not get the same reaction, attention or even close to the same paycheck as the fighters mentioned above.

It's a shame that these fighters don't get elevated to a higher plateau because many are quite impressive and can do things that most fighters can't.

The term "little guy" is subjective so any candidates were chosen from featherweight and below and those who are actively fighting in those weights.

So here are five of the most physically gifted fighters in the world below 126 pounds.

Light Flyweight: Roman Gonzalez

Roman Gonzalez is quite young at 24, but he has already two world titles at different weights.  He has had a close match against Francisco Rosas in the past, but since then has either won unanimous decisions or knocked his opponents out.

Only five of his 30 fights have gone the distance and only one in his last six, proving that he has knockout power on a top level.

Gonzalez doesn't have too many fights left for him at light flyweight, but while he is there, he will continue to do what he has done so well.

Dominate and knock people out.

Flyweight: Giovanni Segura

Segura hasn't always been the most technical fighter, but he does win his fights and he usually wins them by knockout.

In fact, the last time a fight with Segura went the distance is when he lost to Cesar Canchila in 2008.  It is his only loss to date and one he avenged later that next year by knocking Canchila out.

His last victory by decision was in 2006 against Carlos Tamara.

He is even quoted on his promotions website with saying:

"

I had around 40 amateur fights. I had four losses. Most of my wins were knockouts. All the fights I lost were because of speed. I won one amateur title in Coachella, and the next one was in Phoenix, Ariz.

"

His natural ability to take people out of a fight at any moment makes him one of the more exciting fighters to watch, no matter what size he is.

Bantamweight: Vic Darchinyan

Darchinyan isn't the explosive, unstoppable fighter that he was once perceived as, but he is still an impressive fighter.

The mini-Armenian may not be on top of the mountain like he was at one time, but he is still winning fights against quality opposition.  Considering he is 35, it is an impressive feat.

Most smaller fighters tend to start losing their edge at an earlier age than bigger fighters because speed is so important in their weight classes and usually one of the first things to go.  Instead of slowing down, though, Darchinyan is still beating people in the ring.

He may not have the knockout power he once did, but that can be attributed to going up in weight.  Just last year, he had a close fight with top bantamweight Abner Mares.  It was a close fight and had Darchinyan won, it he would back on top of the mountain.

At his age, that is impressive.

Bantamweight: Abner Mares

Mares might have had a close fight with Darchinyan, but the fact is he walked away with the decision. Since then, he fought a close contest with Joseph Agbeko and is about to face him in a rematch.

He is a former Olympic boxer and standout amateur.  In boxing, that means he was groomed for success, and though he has stumbled several times, he is still an impressive fighter.

He has fought incredibly tough opposition and at only 25, he still has time to learn.

It will be interesting to see how he faces his rematch with Agbeko and if he learned enough from the first fight to get a more definitive win.

Learning enough to win a rematch competently and decisively will prove if Mares deserves to be on this list.

Featherweight: Yuriorkis Gamboa

Gamboa is such a talented fighter it took two doctors to realize that his heart's resting rate was not dangerous to him; it was just that he was in such superb shape.

That easily puts him at the top of the list.

That is also before his winning a gold medal at the 2004 games is included along with his extensive amateur career and the fact that he is also undefeated in his pro career.

He has a bunch of flaws in the way he fights, letting his chin stick out, keeping his hands at his sides, rushing forward recklessly, but he is in such great physical condition, it doesn't matter.

In that way Gamboa is like a young Roy Jones Jr., who is able to win fights despite his technical flaws.

One day, if he doesn't iron them out, they will lead to his downfall.

As for now, it just means he is a little more exciting.