In honor of the great Mantequilla Napoles who had just passed away I figured it would be a good time to look back at his mesmerizing skills and also introduce this brilliant fighter to the younger boxing fans on this board who may not know about him. This guy was the epitome of the sweet science. Great offensive tools, slick defensive awareness, aggressive but also clever, sneaky counter puncher, power in both hands, good chin, can fight in any range, and had gracious footwork that didn’t require so much movement at all. He was the total package. If there was one thing that held him back it was his tendency to cut easily and have fights stopped due to that. One of the best WW champions and also an artist in the ring. Sugar Ray Robinson himself has actually praised Napoles, that’s how good Mantequilla is. RIP Champ. This content is protected This content is protected
Among the top 5-6 to ever fight at WW, and it can be argued that he was better at 140lbs prior to moving up and winning the WW championship twice. RIP Mantequilla
Bump. More respect and appreciation for this great fighter on the General Forum is needed! I guess not so many are familiar with Napoles but for those who are curious I suggest watching his fight against Curtis Cokes. Total masterclass performance. This content is protected
Absolutely brilliant fighter and performance. Most people don't know about Cokes but he was no slouch. He KOd Rodriguez and won there series. He was a good (borderline great) fighter. He was just taken apart by one of the slickest operators of all time. A top 5/6 WW. God Bless his soul and family
He was so pleasing to the eye with his style. I would pick him to beat guys like Armstrong, Chavez, Whitaker, Locche, Benitez convincingly. Duran would be a highly competitive 50/50 fight. Only a few fighters such as Robinson, Hearns, and Leonard would beat him IMO.
There's a reason he was called Sniper. A solid champion, with bouts against Rodriguez, Kitten Hayward, Jean Joselin, La Cruz and Gypsy Joe Harris. He was a very solidly skilled guy, and knowing this makes the dismantlling by Napoles more impressive.
Bump. Younger fans who like watching Lomachenko will also appreciate Napoles. I actually think that Loma shows glimpses of the great Mantequilla from time to time. Aggressive, crafty, highly skilled, great footwork, can do anything in the ring, and also has a nice boxing style that’s aesthetically pleasing to watch. Loma seems to also have a tender skin like Napoles as well, as ridiculous as that sounds.
