Jose Napoles vs Thomas Hearns at 147

When I say he was pre-prime at 22 it is because I feel he hit his prime three years later at 154. He was stronger, he had more big fight experience, more confidence and learned how to clinch when hurt, something he lacked in the Leonard bout where he rocked like a boat on rough waters. He had also went 15 with Benetiez at 154, beating his first great fighter.

He was tested by Sheilds. Many rounds were close and Hearn's had to survive fatigue when his big shots could not take Randy out in the 4th.

Losing to Leonard is no insult as Ray was one of the two or three best welterweights ever but let's keep in mind how he lost, not a decision but a decisive KO. His chin was a question mark, his ability to take it to the body was a question mark and his stamina was a question mark. Leonard was not the only fighter that could have exploited these weaknesses. The fight turned in the 6th with one body shot as Ray almost stopped Tommy , rail thin at 145. Hearn's ability to take punishment, never great, was less at 147 than 154.

People that have studied Napoles know he was extremely slick, hard hitting, fast and courageous. I feel he had the skills, if his skin holds up, to exploit the same weaknesses on a 22 year old Hearns that Leonard did. I am not saying that Hearns was not a terrific welter, he was. Maybe even a top ten. However, the best Hearns was at 154, his prime.

 

Hearns is definitely one of the fighters that can carve up Napoles tender skin IMO. Napoles ain't taking him out early and nor is he turning on a Hagler like blitz when the crimson spills. Hearns by TKO for me.

 

It's a very interesting match-up because Hearn's presents the ideal style to get Napoles stuck in the mud, but as could Leonard, Napoles could 'hunt'. Against Monzon, Napoles is able to leap-in with well feinted, sweeping hooks, but Monzon was fantastic at leaning back and made out of stone. It was never going to come, against Hearn's it could.

Napoles' cheek bones were his hardest opponents; he just seemed to cut very easily around the Zygo, but he was brilliant at avoiding punches whilst sneakily getting close to you. His chin was not too shabby either.

Hearn's can jab, and even step it up, but Napoles was clever, dangerously so. He always liked to keep things in check while fighting, and this is what has led fans to believe that he was just a bit too lethargic to step it up if need be, but Napoles was all about control, and with Hearn's looking to pilot about the ring, Napoles would be coming out with some venomous retorts.

Napoles could slip, either inside or outside the jab and skip forward in the same motion - it was this manoeuvre that began to dismantle your game. Monzon was a fighter that, on paper, shares many traits with Hearn's. Sure, Tommy had more zap, but Monzon was a harder fighter to nail and Napoles has so many tricks to play possum (feign injury) that he may be at the end of a peppering only to then doop the Hitman, so to speak, and turn the fight on its head.

It use to be a simple fight for Ted Spoon to sum-up with that combination of speed and range threatening such tender skin, but in reality, at every interval, Hearn's could be at the mercy of Napoles' exquisite delivery. There was not a punch he did not have, and he usually did not throw them unless they landed.

Napoles was best friends with the 'pocket', so his forehead usually got popped back with sharp jabs, but he was always there, brooding and planning. He would not allow Hearn's to dictate, and the moment Hearn's really thought he should go for it (a liability he sometimes found hard to shake), Napoles would step inside the cross-fire and hunt the hunter.

Hearn's was not knocked over by a breeze, but Napoles could dig and that chin was not the best. Hearn's must hope on some slicing because every extra minute spent with Napoles could effectively get him closer to losing.

It would be highly engaging stuff.

 

Great stuff Ted.

 

You're probably right.

 

Billy Backus was basically a white Hearns and look what happened to him. Alright, he beat Napoles on cuts the first time but it was a fluke.