Jose Napoles KO7 Ralph Charles - Superb display of pressure

Napoles got hit a bit in this fight though, seemed like Napoles just wasn't giving much respect to Charles's power.

 

After settling down after a few rounds it was "business as usual" for Mantequilla.

 

Charles threw quality sharp punches early on and was a solid enough if not particularly talented fighter with a rep as a big puncher(some of the right hands Napoles took further proved his great jaw imo), i don't see much evidence to explain away any marginal success he may have had by saying napoles was being lazy, or wasn't bothered about him.May be true, but you can't know for sure.


Jose was fighting more or less the same way he always did as cobra says imo.This is one thing i see too much on here when fights involving a great against a contender are being analysed.It's too often one way with traffic with everything being analysed from the benefit of the doubt of the great or superior fighter, even when there isn't any need for it.

 

It's also a reason why Napoles, while being a very sound defensive fighter, surely falls short of the "great" mark that so many bestow upon him in that regard. He'd usually take plenty of good shots in his fights, mostly jabs you figure he could've avoided were his defensive timing what it's often made out as. Not saying he was sorely lacking in that regard by any means, just not on the level of the great defensive fighters.

 

However, with that said, his style has to also be taken into account for the amount of punches he usually took. He was a very offensively oriented fighter, and one of the best defensively of that ilk. Any fighter with that style is going to eat their share of shots. Napoles was one of the best at avoiding the more effective ones given his approach.

 

btw i'm not trying to say there aren't fights where the more talented fighter does give rounds away or take shots because he's coasting, i just don't see it here.Now stuff like Sal sanchez vs Castanon or Roberto Garcia i would agree with(but not the ford or Castillo fights).Sanchez is a good fighter to watch to see the difference between lethargically allowing another fighter more success than they should be having and just being involved in competitive fights with contenders who have the tools to fight back well.