Tommy Hearns V Jose Napoles-Welter Weight War?

More of a Cuevas or Duran result than a war.
Napoles would have the same issues those
two ATG's had. How to get close enough to
Hearns to be effective and hurt him.
Napoles whom may have had a better welter
career overall than Hearns would have little
chance against him head to head.

 

Napoles by late stoppage. Great chin. Smooth as butter great body attack.

 

Napoles was damn smooth but turned into a bleeder later on. If Hitman's power doesn't get him, the cuts will.

 

Hearns has too many physical advantages....and was a good boxer in his own right

 

Hearns too big, too fast, too rangy. Napoles was magnificent, but fought in a sort of insular fashion. I don't think a style like that, coupled with his pronounced size disadvantage, can topple a Hearns.

 

I see this more of a wipeout in favor of Hearns in all honesty. Napoles is the better skilled technician but he’d be outgunned and outmatched by a physical monster like Hearns who would easily use his height, reach, and power to his advantages. It’ll be similar to Duran-Hearns or Monzon-Napoles.

 

I just think Hearns has to much of the right stuff to take Jose out of the fight.

 

Experience prevails for a prime Jose Mantequilla Napoles over Thomas Hearns, better skills and unending stamina for 15 rounds.

 

Thomas would peel his skin like Hannibal Lecter with that surgical jab.

Hearns on KO stoppage in 4.

 

Welterweight Hearns and young Foreman are currently running neck and neck in the most overrated sweepstakes.
Maybe Hearns would win but I would bet my house that he wouldn't go gunning after Jose Napoles in the early going. He would box him.
And Napoles was better at coming forward while turning angles than Leonard was. He hit at least as hard as Leonard and was much more comfortable moving to his right than was Leonard.
Circling to your right works really well against a guy with a good jab; most guys learn to circle left and jab so it makes him turn awkwardly. Hearns would be stepping back all the time trying to get his field of fire again. Napoles has the better feet and would catch making that move.
Moving to your right also makes a guy with a good right hand punch across his body. At that point you are cutting distance in 2 ways. First, that little turn around his left shoulder, just a little, puts you into your punching range but you are at a bad angle for him to hit you. Second, if he punches across his body, his chin will be right in your wheelhouse well before his right hand reaches you. His momentum closes it for you.
I expect that in 4-5 rounds Napoles will catch Hearns turning with a right hand, or a left hook as Hearns tries to get out when he is forced to move to his own right.
I like the Hearns v Leonard fight but you have to see it for what it was; neither man imposed himself. The was no Motor City Cobra and no Hitman in the ring; Hearns fought completely out of character because he was unsure of himself. Leonard didn't press the issue like he had a plan; he fought a largely opportunistic fight.

 

I'm still picking Hearns for the reasons I note, but this is an outstanding, compelling post.

 

Got to go with Napoles here
He hid his intentions better than Ray Leonard and Duran for that matter, countered so aggressively and applied a very nuanced kind of pressure. I think they have a high level chess match for most of it but Napoles is better down the stretch and is firing off some punishing combos. Very few of their combined fights at this weight saw the final bell, so I go for a Napoles stoppage in the final rounds

 

Jose Mantequilla Naploes had a very savage left hook to the body, Thomas Hearns had a very lanky torso.