I like Napoles, but his body frame is Lightweight / Jr. Welter. Would he just be too small to survive the heavy punches of Cuevas or the height & power of the Hitman?
This is the kind of test I would've always liked to have seen Napoles get. I think I would favor Hearns over him. Don't know about Cuevas.
See him winning a wide UD over Cuevas. Hearns is a nightmare for anyone to fight at 147 with the size and the raptor, let alone a natural LW, but maybe Napoles could certainly slip the jab and force the fight at mid range. I certainly see Napoles really turning up the heat on Hearns down the stretch though, possibly stopping him ala Leonard. This is a pretty tricky 1 to pick though
Some opinions on Napoles/Hearns: [url]http://www.eastsideboxing.com/forum/showthread.php?t=84182[/url]
I think Napoles stops Cuevas in the later rounds. I don't think Cuevas could get Napoles out of there and that's his only shot at winning the fight. Cuevas would take a lot of punches in this fight and I think he'd eventually wear down. I've picked Hearns in the past against Napoles. Tommy's jab is the key in my opinion. I'm just not as sold on this outcome as I was before. I don't see Tommy getting Napoles out of there early and I think the longer it goes the better Napoles chances of stopping Tommy. There's always the cut factor with Napoles though. Tommy was a physical monster at 147 but was a little short on experience. Extremely tough call.
Hearns vs Napoles is a hard one...Jose could seriously whack and add to that he is an excellent technician he gives himself the best opportunity to land those kind of shots..I could definitely picture a Leonard style stoppage of Hearns, frankly at any point in the fight if Napoles lands in the right sport. But its also hard to envisage Napoles skin holding up against a guy who hit as hard Hearns but also was very accurate, very quick and almost impossible to outbox. I cant even make a pick really...Id say if they fought 10 times both guys could get a win via the methods mentioned, Ill sit on the fence and say 5 a piece.
Napoles was too cute and too skilled for cuevas to beat, not to mention that he himself was a heavy handed puncher. He would expliot cuevas weak defence with his steady jab and smooth combos. Cuevas best chances would be to land a slashing punch and open a bad cut (napoles has tender skin) or to land several booming hooks in a row (unlikely because napoles was skilled defensively). Hearns, however, would be a totally different case. Napoles would be facing someone 6 inches taller than him and who could do anything napoles could do, only better, not to mention that he was faster and harder punching. No disrespect to napoles, because he is definitely a top 10 all-time welter, but hearns would cut him up with his jab anf ko him with his right in 8. It would be entertaining for a while but then hearns advantages would take over.
I think Napoles would top Cuevas by UD or late round TKO...not quite the brutal KO artist like Pipino, but way more well-rounded otherwise. Vs. Hearns...If Jose slips Tommy's jabs, gets inside to the ribs and/or chin, I think he can gradually wear Hearns down to a late stoppage. Napoles seems to have that nice blend of skill and power...of course I don't rule out that Hearns hook/jab that produces that nasty cut which just might turn the tide. That's at 147....however, if it's at 154, I would definitely give Hearns the edge. Tommy reached his full potential here, while Mantequilla would be a bit too fat.
Napoles actually has a pretty good style for making his way in on Hearns and landing big shots, which is pretty much the only chance a smaller fighter has. Watch how he pressed so skillfully with his footwork and range control, bobbed and weaved his way in, and threw those looping hooks in and out of the crouch, catching Monzon often early. If he was catching Hearns with those, who knows what would've happened?