to me there's some kind or aura with these two fighters, like they where seemingly invincible in their primes. one like sugar ray, one like henry armstrong. how would they do if napoles could make the jr. welter limit?
Napoles did fight at 140...He beat some very good fighters there and most feel it was his best weight. It seemed he moved to welterweight out of frustration..He didnt regularly fight at welter till the late 60's when was 28 and was making lightweight only a couple of years before. This is a very intriguing fight for me..Pryor deserves a lot of the "hype" he get IMO, he was an absolute beast at the weight and it suited him perfectly. When I say hype his record isnt sensational compared to many greats, yet many feel very few would defeat him at his best when at jnr welter. I basically see it as a toss up..Taking the cuts issue out of it (which could very well come into play for Napoles) it certainly is a close matchup. Though I havent seen much of Napoles at 140, the way he could handle fighters bigger than Pryor makes me feel like the strength and workrate of the Hawk wont be anything he hasnt had to deal with before. The unorthodox approach of Aaron certainly could be something that gives Napoles trouble but on the other hand the sublime skills of Jose could also give Pryor all types of hell. As I said before its a toss up for me but If I had to pick someone Id take Napoles by hardfought decision..Id guess something like 8-7, probably no wider than 9-6.
I give Mantequilla the edge due to his skills and good punching, but if Aaron employed a Marciano-like attack and cut him, it could go the other way.
Aaron would win a razor-thin split over Jose, his pressure would somewhat offset Jose's boxing ability, and he would score a couple of knockdowns late to ensure the verdict.
