This would be a great all time fight. I lean very slightly to Napoles, but in a series Gavilan could possibly even things up. Napoles operates so well at midrange, weaving under an opponent's fire, and even firing off when an opponent is getting off combos. Gavilan is tough enough, and has the chin to go toe to toe with Mantequilla, it's possible Mantequilla may find Gavilan punctuating exchanges, by staying in longer, and relying on his toughness, and his handspeed advantage. Gavilan is also fast enough to stay outside and and use his jab. Mantequilla fought with a better defensive awareness however, and had better firepower, and that would give him the edge overall. Two ATG's...flip a coin at their best.
I would favor Jose Napoles over Kid Gavilan, but the latter was tough and had a lot of ring savvy. - Chuck Johnston
This is a particularly high quality match up...two sublimely great fighters... I would have to pick Mantequilla Napoles to narrowly outpoint the Hawk... I'm very fond of both fighters....great thread.
Imagine both of these greats being around today...what chance would any of the welters today have? Going back a few years, both would have beaten Mayweather (IMHO), Pac, Cotto, Margarito, etc.,..
Gavilan by a very close, but unanimous, decision. Would be a war that simultaneously shows the finer points of boxing. Size would make a difference here, albeit slightly.
