Jose Napoles vs Roberto Duran at WW~

Great post .. I know Napoles was terrific and many find him exceptional but he was a blown up lightweight and did nit have the size advantage over Duran say a Benitez had at 154 with the style .. a great match up but I favor Duran ..

 

A very good post.

 

Oh yes he was.

 

I honestly believe people pick Napoles because he has a longer ledger at ww, not because he has the style to beat Duran. This isn't a resume fight, it is a fight with both at their best. I rate SRL higher than Napoles at WW h2h, and he was a true WW, and faster than Napoles as well. He tried to dissuade Duran, and really sat down on the punches, and it didn't do much. Why would I believe a slightly smaller and slower (hand and foot) Napoles would have any success? Napoles also wasn't as good inside, and a reasonable portion of the fight would be inside, and Napoles would be taking the worst of it in there. Plus Napoles like to come patiently foward, but forward none the less, and I see that as being the wrong way to fight Duran. He would catch some brutal lead or counters rights, that would take their toll. I like Napoles a lot, and he was smooth as ****, but that simply isn't going to get it done. Let's say Duran is getting the worst of it on the outside (which I don't see), he would simply turn up the heat, and what's Napoles going to do in that type of dogfight? He's going to get mauled, and all that smoothness is negated. Duran can win anywhere, and can take the fight to places Napoles is clearly second best. Duran by UD, and I could see a KO after he deals out a lot of punishment.

 

Agree with what @KuRuPT says above. People picking Napoles are doing it more so on his being the greater welterweight in an all-time rankings sense but he was a small welter. The best of Duran beats the best of Napoles but it’s a damn good fight and he’d have to be at his best.

 

Napoles has the skills to bamboozle Duran but he was usually an aggressive fighter and could be hit when aggressive. I think he makes too many mistakes for the hard hitting Duran.

 

Napoles was great. Duran just had too much. A half a notch above.
Probably a decision or late stoppage for Duran

 

Well put.
Each at his best its Duran.

 

Maybe not in the 2nd Leonard fight, but it did in the 3rd. And it did against Benitez.

 

Well Napoles was never as good as Leonard.
Duran at his best beat Leonard, so how does the best Napoles beat the best Duran, assuming this is prime for prime, which it should be? Napoles style doesn't particularly give Duran fits, so he won't beat him. Napoles might be great but Duran wins a close decision.

 

There was talk od these two greats meeting at around 1974 before Jose Mantequilla Napoles fought World Middleweight Champion Carlos Monzon in Paris, France. Roberto Duran was the WBA Lightweight Champion. At both their peaks, Napoles was smooth as butter but had scar tissue around the eyebrows courtesy of Ernie Red Lopez and Billy Backus. Jose had a nice left hook, the one punch that was a weakness for Duran, Esteban De Jesus twice decked Roberto with that punch. I see a boxing contest by the naturally heavier Napoles in a 15 round contest. Remember the way that Jose out boxed Emile Griffith in Oct 1969, Napoles would find a way to outpoint a super aggressive Duran, unless Duran busts up the eyebrows of Napoles..

 

I have Napoles winning in a very competitive fight.