R.I.P Champ one of my favourite boxers. Testament to him that recently decades after he retired in a thread "who would you like to box like" seemed like half the classic forum mentioned him.
Interesting thing about Napoles, especially given the criticism of old time fighters that didn't keep their hands up. Watch every bit of film available of Jose Napoles and count the times he blocks a punch. He fights with his hands low, uses distance, angles and slipping skills to avoid punches, while keeping both hands free to counter. And that is how you make your "offense" and your "defense" into one and the same thing.
Seems like he only ever blocked body punches. He was great at slyly smothering the opponent when they got close, then turning the angle.
He was brilliant at it in a way few others have been, grey. It helped that he had an iron chin and was a genuinely hard, big-drinking all-round bad mother ****er who didn't bat an eyelid at taking hard punches. And could still reply with hard counters even when taking leads from the opponent.
The other thing with Napoles was how insanely good he was at slyly and subtly never allowing a moving opponent to move out of range. Always taking little pre-emotive half steps, shifts and slides in tandem with the other guy's lateral movement to keep them where he wanted them.
Sad. I remember the fights with Curtis Cokes & heard the Billy Backus fight on radio!!! .....R.I.P. champ...one of the best!!!
And I thought Curtis Cokes was going to be champion forever...just keep on going on as champion....then this bandito guy with the big mustache and sombrero just blew my mind...I was 16 at the time, but even in my feeble 16 year old mind I knew this guy Napoles was something very special.
RIP Champ! I remember just after he won the welterweight title, Ring Magazine featured a picture of him on the cover with the title 'Who is this man?' One of my younger cousins saw the magazine cover and asked me 'Who is this man?' And I proceeded to tell him that he was the new welterweight champion and a great one. So sorry to hear this news.
