Best I Faced: Armando Muniz (Ring Magazine) https://www.ringtv.com/556040-best-i-faced-armando-muniz/ NOTE: MORE at above link ^^^^^ He graciously took time to speak to The Ring about the best he fought in 10 key categories. BEST JAB EDDIE PERKINS: Oh gosh, it would be between Emile Griffith, Jose Napoles, Eddie Perkins and Angel Espada. Emile had been doing it so long, he knew the jab would land. He was near over-the-hill, but he still had a great jab. Napoles’ jab was different in that it was as good as a right hand punch; it was almost a power punch, you could feel it. He developed that over the years. Eddie Perkins was a boxer who could handle you in many ways and one of them was with the jab. Perkins was a hard guy to catch; his jab kept him away, I followed him all over the ring, he had the jab and did good. Like an idiot I didn’t stop and try to figure it out. Espada was very shifty, but along with that he’d throw a jab and catch you all the time, he wouldn’t be there when the jab was thrown. I’d say Perkins had the best jab; he figured me out real quick and carried me. I was always on top of him, trying to get in there, but his jab was always stopping me. BEST DEFENSE SUGAR RAY LEONARD: Sugar Ray Leonard maybe; I couldn’t find a place to hit him. He had a good defense. It was tough to realize in the middle of the ring that I was being used as a stepping stone and how nice it must be to have the networks, promoters and the whole system of boxing behind you. He moved around pretty good. He was very fast, he had a fast jab, fast right hand, he moved around, back and forth. FASTEST HANDS LEONARD: Leonard would be one of them for sure, Angel Espada was pretty good; he was a helluva boxer. When I fought Clyde Gray for the NABF welterweight title, I only had 16 fights. He had more knockouts than I had fights and I knocked him out. He threw jabs and real fast punches; at one time he was pretty good. I have to say Sugar Ray Leonard. It was a blur but I have to say when I fought Leonard I was near the end so everything would seem fast [laughs]. BEST FOOTWORK PERKINS: Leonard, Clyde Gray and also Eddie Perkins. Perkins was an accomplished boxer; that’s why he became a champion, and I would include Jose Napoles. I’d have to say Eddie Perkins. He was hard to hit and the reason was because he was never there to be hit. BEST CHIN RUBEN VAZQUEZ ZAMORA: There was this little Middle-Eastern guy [Eltefat Talebi] I met when I was coming up. I know he was put there for me to win, but I was hitting him and I was like, ‘Jesus Christ, I’m going to kill this guy.’ I hit him so hard. There was another kid I fought twice from Mexico [Ruben Vazquez Zamora]. This guy took punches galore. I’d hate to see him now because I hit him hard and he had a lot of fights. And how many fights did he have with guys like me? Other guys that took a punch real well, Oscar Albarado for one, [Ernie] “Indian Red” Lopez, he finally withered down. Napoles wasn’t too bad, he took a lot of shots too. Ruben Vazquez Zamora could take a shot like a son of a gun, oh my God! SMARTEST JOSE NAPOLES: He had a knack of being right next to you, he would slip and you could not hit this guy. Next to Napoles was Eddie Perkins and Emile Griffith, they had their trade down crazy. I thought I could do it good, but I guess I couldn’t do it as good as them. STRONGEST EMILE GRIFFITH: I have to say probably because of his experience, Emile Griffith. That is the one I can remember being physical. (Ernie) Lopez worked his career as a carpenter and he had strong arms. BEST PUNCHER ANGEL ESPADA: Angel Espada when I fought him. He was the boxer and I was coming at him, he’d hit me and I’d go, ‘Son of a Gun, I’ve got to watch out.’ But I kept doing it. I’d say Espada, he made your whole body shake. BEST OVERALL SKILLS NAPOLES: I’d say Jose Napoles; he was well-trained, he had everything, he could slip and slide, jab, uppercuts. I’d say Jose Napoles was the No. 1 guy as far as boxing skills. BEST OVERALL NAPOLES: He had real fast hands, slippery, he was an excellent boxer. He had supreme vision, that’s why they called him Butter Man, ‘Mantequilla’.
Of all the fighters in this series, I felt Muniz' answers were the most honest where he gave great credit to the fighters who beat him and named several fighters in each category before landing on one. Actually refreshing.
I wish people would be more honest. I guess a loss is so hard for them, giving them any more credit would be admitting that the opponent was better.
