Mantequilla was on a completely different level than Pipino. Prime for prime I see Napoles winning by easy decision if not a late stoppage.
Napoles would give Cuevas a lesson in the art of counter punching. But any misstep could end like stepping on a land mine for him so he'd need to be focused and at his best.
Napoles wins this easily so long as he doesn’t get hit with a good punch that doesn’t hurt him bad or cause a bad cut.
Agree w/ consensus so far. Just don't see Pepino landing the big one to win the fight. Maybe hurt him or get the knockdown is possible, but not the ko. And aside from a big round like that, Cuevas is going to drop a lot of rounds to this guy. Would be a fun fight to watch and exciting.
Jose Mantequilla Napoles could take a punch. In the sixth round against World Middleweight Champion Carlos Monzon on Feb 9 1974 in Paris, France, Napoles took a fierce beating, a solid right hand wobbled him, he almost went down but didn't, he widened his stance to withstand the bombardment in that round, I do feel that Napoles could withstand the destructing blows from Jose Pipino Cuevas. I see Napoles outslicking and counterpunching Cuevas throughout the contest, he had good stamina at 147 lbs, he would avoid most of the destructive Cuevas right hands in the exchanges, aware of the power that Cuevas does possess. I see a late stoppage due to fatigue on Cuevas part. TKO 13 for Napoles.
I agree with Richard for the most part, but I think it will go the distance for a strong Napoles verdict.
