Jose Mantequilla Napoles of 1972 vs Felix Tito Trinidad from 1995, at 147 lbs, 15 rounds.

Man, I just think Napoles is so much better then Tito this fight never come up in my head.

 

Napoles out classes him. I see him stopping Trinidad in around 11.

 

I suspect the prevailing wisdom will be Napoles here so let me make a case for Trinidad.

This is a tough fight for José because Tito is a lot bigger - he would outweigh him on fight night considerably and has a big height and reach advantage, not to mention a big edge in power. Napoles is more skilled, without a doubt, but Trinidad was a tough proposition for any welterweight. You’re talking about one of the top five hardest punchers in the division’s history. He was also deceptively quick at releasing the left hook.

Napoles was still a fantastic fighter in 1972 but he wasn’t as sharp as he was at his ‘69/‘70 peak. Tito was probably at his best at welter between 1994 and 1995 before the weight drain started to affect him.

Tito is a very, very live underdog here. Put it this way, if this fight happened in real life, I’d be super excited because while Napoles would be the favourite, nobody would be dismissing Tito’s chances.

 

Hi Buddy.
As with Monzon, Duran, Sanchez, Olivares, there are very few fighters in their respective weight classes that would have the better of these ATG champs, as for Trinidad, yes he might inflict fight ending cuts on Napoles, but that aside, he would be systematically broken down, shipping hard accurate, hurtful punch's until such time as the ref steps in, or Tito knows the outcome and maybe stays down after the latest knockdown, for me only SRR, SRL, Armstrong, Mayweather ( ouch ) would have a solid shot at beating him, followed by, Ross, Gavilan, and Hearns.
There is something about Napoles , that separates' him from the other greats for me, not tangible items, stuff like the Mexican moustache, the sloping shoulders of a natural puncher, the squats before every round, the laconic movement around the ring, unhurried, methodical, a master class in patience, safe in the knowledge that sooner or latter, he will connect with his combos and damage will be done.
He has become my fav fighter, thats bold when you consider I also like, Briscoe, Olivares, Saad, Lopez, Tiger, Ketchell, and many more, just typing his name, brings a warm glow.
stay safe guys.
nice post Rich.

 

Some are selling Trinidad short. At welterweight he was very dynamic
and would be a very serious challenge for Napoles at any time in
his career.
In my opinion this fight would be more one sided than some of us
would like to imagine. It wouldn't surprise me at all if
Trinidad wins outright, by early ko, especially when considering the
Napoles were comparing, the 1972
version, is past his prime to Trinidad of 1995 in his prime.
Trinidad's advantages in height ,speed, and power,
would carry him to victory against past prime Napoles.
Unless Billy Backus who stopped Napoles in 1970
is the greatest unknown ATG in history,
Trinidad of 1995 would stop Napoles of 1972.

 

I'll second this. Tito all day, everyday.

 

think this "mantequilla" will take him!

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Great exciting fight, I see this as an even match up. Napoles is favored so due to his slick defense combined with his combinations and footwork, plus his ability to take a punch. However, Trinidad is more than capable of pulling a beating Napoles. Trinidad’s size, reach, and power plus Napoles’ paper skin is something that would favor Trinidad.

 

Napoles rates higher, but this is close to a 50/50 IMO. Tito has a lot of physical advantages. He’s became dramatically underrated with time sadly.

 

I agree, Trinidad is getting sold short here. Especially since he was never beaten at WW. I don’t see why Trinidad can’t win this one.

 

My pick is Mantequilla
But to be fair, Tito has a chance, maybe stopping Mantequilla by cuts.
Otherwise the advantage is all with Mantequilla, who has all the right tools to outpunch and outbox Tito.