Jose Napoles vs. Thomas Hearns

[dpw417]

This match-up pits the hardest punching welter of the '70's vs. the hardest punching welter of the '80's.
I'm refraining from making a pick here...I have not seen enough Napoles footage.
Some observations on what I seen though....
Napoles is an interesting study. His speed does not really bedazzle you...But on closer look, you can see the economy of movement, subtle movements of head and waist, balance, and excellent coordination and timing for landing blows...and lastly power...he does punish opponents.
Armando Muniz stated that Napoles hit harder than a young Ray Leonard. Could Napoles slip a Hearns' jab and land a brutal hooks? Yes I believe so. Does Hearns have the handspeed to catch Napoles who it appears stays within range often times for countering opportunities with his nuclear right hands? Yes, again...Also, Hearns is a very versatile boxer...
15 rounds for welter supremacy

[SuzieQ49]

great fight. hearns on cuts

[Mantequilla]

I agree with suzieQ

Also you have to rate Cuevas as a harder hitter than Napoles as far as seventies welters go.

[dpw417]

Take the cuts out of the equation guys...This is fantasy land...Jose has Ralph Citro in the corner. plus Eddie Alliano (the clot) and Leon Tabbs....He's not getting stopped on cuts!

[mister]

jose would get demolished in the same manner as pipino and roberto by devastating knockout:think

[El Bujia]

Napoles isn't getting demo'd, I don't think, but this is a matchup where size may come into play in a big way, just as did when Napoles faced Monzon. Hearns, after all, was a huge Welter, whereas Napoles was a rather small one (a natural 135-140 pounder, in fact). That said, Hearns wasn't the economical pacer that Monzon was. He often started the fight as the front-runner and made it known so. For this reason I think he'd be a lot more susceptible to being tagged with something big early on. Napoles's only chance in this one is to fight just as he did against Monzon: pressuring slowly while using his offense in explosive bursts, hoping to catch Hearns on the chin with one of those winging, slicing hooks. It's not out of the realm of possibility that he could KO Hearns, in my opinion, but I'd suspect if Hearns were to get hurt he'd simply resort to boxing like he did Leonard, effectively shutting down the effectiveness of that plan from Napoles.

My guess is that he'd rack up the points during the middle rounds while starting to find his range more and more often and, barring another big shot, would stop Napoles at some point in the mid to late rounds through an accumulation. It's hard not to see Napoles's soft skin being cut up by Hearns's arrsenal.

[laxpdx]

At WW, I see Napoles slipping Tommy's jab, and tiring him out through effective rib punching. Napoles by late TKO in that one.

At 154, Hearns would obliterate him. Mantequilla would be out of his element here, while Tommy is peaking.

[red cobra]

ah yes...Jose Napoles...the "Enry Cooper of the welterweights:lol::patsch

[itrymariti]

Napoles isn't stopping Hearns, at least not early doors.

Hearns/Duran always fucks me up whenever I try and think this one through.

[mister]

look at the trouble pipino and roberto had against hearns between the 2 of them i dont think they landed one clean punch and when they got hit boy did they get hit pipino was out like a light and roberto was out even before hitting the canvas i think jose being short like these other 2 would not of been able to land a clean shot and would of been met with the same punishment:think

[El Bujia]

Napoles isn't stopping Hearns, at least not early doors.That'd probably be one of his only chances to do so.

[turpinr]

hearns by stoppage

[cobra1]

hearns by ko. too fast too tall and had a better all round boxing arsenal.

[bigstinkybug]

*Not many beat a prime Hearns... man, that right was possibly the most devasting weapon any fighter ever had. Prime Hearns Ko's Napoles inside of 5.

[dpw417]

Man...this thing is old. There should be an expiration date on these.

[mister]

Man...this thing is old. There should be an expiration date on these.i just watched the pipino and roberto massacres and some footage of jose and i say jose gets walloped even faster than pipino or roberto:think

[PowerPuncher]

Hearns early or Napoles late

[mister]

Hearns early or Napoles latehave you seen the footage of pipino and roberto hitting the deck what makes you think the fight with jose goes long:think

[PowerPuncher]

have you seen the footage of pipino and roberto hitting the deck what makes you think the fight with jose goes long:think

He has the defense to possibly get out of the early rounds, although I certainly don't rule out an early-mid rounds Hearns KO, Hearns didn't KO everyone and the longer it goes theres more chance of Napoles slipping to mid/close range and letting combinations go, and Hearns was pretty poor when at closer ranges, especially down the stretch as he was a little bit of a front runner

Theres the other chance of it going the distance in which case I'd go with Hearns jab likely getting it done

[Swarmer]

Bad day for mantequilla. hard to beat a guy with a similar style who's bigger than you, hits harder than you, and probably has faster hands than you. Hearns TKO 5-8

[werety]

Bad day for mantequilla. hard to beat a guy with a similar style who's bigger than you, hits harder than you, and probably has faster hands than you. Hearns TKO 5-8

How do Hearns and Napoles have similar styles? They seem totally different to me.

[Mr Butt]

hearns ud but i think napoles would be very competative

[El Bujia]

have you seen the footage of pipino and roberto hitting the deck what makes you think the fight with jose goes long:thinkSo your one and only argument for this fight is based on Hearns's fights with Cuevas and Duran? The Cuevas fight being against an opponent with a completely different style and skill-set, and the Duran fight being at 154 against an out of sorts Duran.

[mister]

So your one and only argument for this fight is based on Hearns's fights with Cuevas and Duran? The Cuevas fight being against an opponent with a completely different style and skill-set, and the Duran fight being at 154 against an out of sorts Duran.yes it is and i have seen no other member dismantle my one and only argument on this matter:think

[El Bujia]

yes it is and i have seen no other member dismantle my one and only argument on this matter:thinkI thought I just did.:think

[itrymariti]

Bad day for mantequilla. hard to beat a guy with a similar style who's bigger than you, hits harder than you, and probably has faster hands than you. Hearns TKO 5-8

Never seen any Napoles?

[itrymariti]

That'd probably be one of his only chances to do so.

With his devastating early KO pedigree and lack of stamina relative to Hearns?

I could see him narrowly outpointing