Jose Napoles 'The Mark of Brilliance'

1964

Jose Napoles destroys the Top Lightweights -

Entering 1964 with a record of 33-3-0 (16 KO's) -
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

March 1.......KO 1.....Taketuru Yoshimoto.....21-9-6 (3 KO's)
(In Japan, on the undercard of Sugar Ramos vs. Mitsunori Seki - World Featherweight Championship)

April 25......TKO 1.....Alfredo 'Canelo' Urbina.....40-11-3 (23 KO's)
(The #1 World-ranked Lightweight)

June 22......TKO 7.....Carlos 'Morocho' Hernandez....34-3-3 (22 KO's)
(The #2 World-ranked Lightweight, in Caracas, Venezuela)

August 15...TKO 5.....Eduardo 'Lalo' Moreno.....19-0-3 (6 KO's)
(The #10 World-ranked Lightweight)

November 14...KO 3....Alfredo 'Canelo' Urbina......42-13-3 (25 KO's)
(The #2 World-ranked Lightweight)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Joe Napoles, the 24 year-old, now...38-3-0 (21 KO's), and the #1 World-ranked Lightweight.

I don't think Carols Ortiz was doing any 'back-flips' in trying to defend his Lightweight Championship versus Jose Napoles.

 

At the end of 1964,

Jose Napoles was clearly the #1 Lightweight / #1 Light-Welterweight

In early 1965, 'Knockouts' over (KO 5) Carlos Rios, and (KO 3) LC Morgan put
Jose at 40-3-0 (23 KO's) and riding '10-straight' knockouts.

Setting up a March 25, 1965 bout in Caracas, Venezuela against the top
European Lightweight, Italian Lightweight Champion - Giordano Campari 77-12-4 (30 KO's).

The 5' 8 1/2" Italiano claimed, 'I will box circles around this Cuban. He has no style or class.
I will teach him about proper European style boxing. His raw bull-charging will do him no good
against a pure boxer like myself.'

 

Jose Napoles,

Could have easily been a '4 weight class champion'
* 1965 - Lightweight
* 1966 - Light-Welterweight
* 1969 - Welterweight
* 1971 - Light-Middleweight

 

Jose Napoles

March 25, 1965.......TKO 2.........#8 Lightweight - Giordano Campari...77-12-4

The 30 year-old Italian Lightweight - Campari was bounced all over the Caracas, Venezuela ring.

Jose scored his '11th straight' Knockout.

Cuco Conde spent the next 4-months trying to get the #1 Lightweight in the World, a Championship bout.

But Carlos Ortiz and Ismael Laguna played 'Tag with the Championship'

 

Cuco Conde, gave up on trying to get Jose Napoles a shot at the Lightweight Championship,
and moved the goal to the 140 lb. Light-Welterweight Division in mid-1965.

Carlos Ortiz was not going to fight Jose Napoles (ever), and new Lightweight Champion
Ismael Laguna was the smartest cat around, and knew avoiding Napoles was the
'smart' thing to do.