Jose Napoles, 1940-2019

Daniel Herbert pays tribute to ‘Mantequilla’, one of the greatest welterweights of them all.

- Daniel Herbert

LEGENDARY former world welterweight champion Jose Napoles has passed away the age of 79.

“It is with profound sorrow that we report that Jose Angel ‘Mantequilla’ Napoles died today, and with his the passing, a golden era of the world welterweight championship closes full circle,” the WBC said in a statement on Friday (August 16).

“Typical of the man, who was the bravest, most courageous of fighters, that although he had been affected by various illnesses for some time, he bravely battled on, attending WBC events, always smiling and being greeted by his many friends and fans who admired him as a fighter and as a man.

“Today that struggle came to an end with his children and grandchildren at his bedside in Mexico City.”

British fans’ enduring memories of Jose Napoles will be of John H Stracey battering him to a six-round defeat in 1975, in what proved the Mexico-based Cuban’s last fight. By then, though, Napoles was a mere shell of the great fighter he once was.

Napoles had dominated the welterweights for six years, bar a brief spell without the title caused by a cut eye loss, and in 1972 had come to London to dismiss Ralph Charles with contemptuous ease. And rumours had it that he was several years older than his official 35 when Stracey ended his career.

What’s not in doubt is that he was a highly-skilled fighter, with a sharp punch in either hand, but especially the left hook. He was also an excellent body puncher.

Hedgemon Lewis, the American twice beaten by Napoles in world title bids, called Jose the best counter-puncher in the world, who would take your head off with a right uppercut or left hook if you threw a wild right yourself.