At 147 ...Mantequilla. The ATG smooth/fluid mover, technician, gets through and outboxes/wins this in the championship rounds in a close UD over the bigger sharpshooter ATG jab/ right cross Motor City Cobra
Napoles 5'-7.5 inches ht, 72 inch reach. Curtis Cokes 5'-8", 73" reach. Hearns 6-1", 78 inch reach. Monzon 5'-11.5" ht, 76" reach. At welter, Hearns much less quality experience than Napoles. But my advice to Napoles, don't fight The Hitman in Detroit (first call your buddy Cuevas).
Hearns would beat most welterweights except Sugar Ray Leonard, and in reality. Tommy was rather inexperienced when he fought Ray.. Too bad he didn't fight Ray when he fought Benitez. I don't think Ray could beat that Hearns.
I forgot about SRR.. Although the Hearns who knocked out Duran at 154. I am not sure how he would deal with Hearns.
Hearns is one of the few that have the scintillating arsenal to get to and bust up Napoles tender skin imo.
Napoles would win ,but my word he'd have a tough job on his hand's. With Napoles fluid movement and Tommy's jab ,the fight would sway .Very hard to score at times the quality s so good. Then out of nowhere ,Napoles would strike hard and fast . Hearns would be battered in to the rope's ,where Jose attack s in a frenzy .Poor Tommy would be helpless as the ref calls it off . Result : Napoles W RSC 12 Hearns.
I don't see Napoles though he was possibly the smoothest and creative combination puncher in history( Pime Mike Mccalum was a lot like him) having the physical tools to beat Hearns. What he lacked was reach and height ( he'd be at a severe disadvantage there) and most importantly the hand and foot speed. Unlike like Leonard and Robinson who were taller and much faster, Napoles would have to stand almost straight up to engage Hearns. He wouldn't have the foot speed to get inside were Hearns was at his weakest. He'd have to fight a counter punch fight, try to time Hearns dropping that left jab after he uses it. Did he have the hand speed to catch Hearns? Not by what I've seen of him. Did he have the defensive ability to make the super quick Hearns miss most of his jabs? No he wasn't Benitez defensively. What did Hearns, Leonard, and Robinson do successfully? All 3 had a middleweights frame all 3 went up in weight successfully . They trained down to welter. Napoles wasn't built the way those 3 were. He Seemed to born to welter, and probably would've been able to get down to lightweight, he was a small welter . Hearns would have too many physical advantages for a fighter even as technically gifted as Napoles was. I say Hearns stops Napoles before 10rds.Either by knock-out (Napoles was stopped earlier in his career by men who couldn't carry Hearns jock strap) or on cuts(Napoles was very susceptible to cuts) either way he wouldn't get past 10rds. May not get by 5 honestly. Hearns all wrong for Napoles.
Yes. Napoles was smaller ( Started out at light weight and jr welter ) , cut easy and wasn't fast. Napoles was skilled and smooth, BUT 5'7 vs 6'1 72" reach vs 78" reach. Power is all on Hearns side. Not even Sugar Ray Leonard, who was bigger, hit harder, was more durable and IMO had faster hands in comparison to Naples could out box Hearns, he had to fight him.
Everyone says this, you, JT, Pea, many others .. I just don't get it .. It is all boxing when the bell rings.. Strategy is boxing, patience is boxing, fighting is boxing, brawling is boxing, movement is boxing. It is all legal under the rules of the sport..When the bell rings, it is ALL boxing .. Leonard KO Hearns .. whether he was patient in doing so and losing on the cards or not .. He ultimately "OUT BOXED" Hearns