Jose Napoles
"Mantequilla"
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- Birth Name: Jose Angel Napoles
- Birth Place: Contribute
- Born: April 13, 1940
- Died: Contribute
- Age: 83
- Height: 5′ 7½″
- Weight: Contribute
- Reach: 72″
- Stance: Orthodox
- Pro Debut: August 02, 1958
- Nationality: Cuba
- Status: Inactive
- Manager: Contribute
- Promoter: Contribute
- Total Bouts: 88
- Total Rounds: 585
Boxer José Nápoles was one of the greatest fighters of his era. Boasting an impressive professional record of 81 wins and only 7 losses, with 54 knockouts, Nápoles proved to be a formidable opponent in the ring. Over the course of his career, he won a total of six world titles at welterweight, and successfully defended his titles over 13 times. Nápoles was born in Havana, Cuba, and began his professional boxing career at the age of 18 in 1958.
He made his debut against Julio Rojas and won via a 1st round technical knockout. Following his debut, Nápoles went on to win six more consecutive fights, four of which ended in stoppages. Over the years, he fought some of the best boxers of his generation, including three Hall-of-Famers in Emile Griffith, Curtis Cokes, and Eddie Perkins. Other notable victories include wins over Adolph Pruitt, Ernie Lopez, Hedgemon Lewis, Horacio Agustin Saldano, Ralph Charles, and Billy Backus.
Nápoles had his first world title fight at the age of 29 on April 18, 1969 after 63 professional fights, against Curtis Cokes, for the welterweight World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Council (WBC), and The Ring titles. It was a tough fight, lasting until the 13th round, but Nápoles eventually prevailed, winning via a technical knockout. With the win, Nápoles became the undisputed welterweight world champion.
Nápoles' record speaks for itself. He won 81 of his 88 fights, with 54 of those wins coming via knockout. He was a two-time undisputed welterweight world champion, winning six world titles at welterweight over the course of his career.
One of the highlights of his career was on June 4, 1971, when he became the undisputed welterweight world champion by defeating Billy Backus via an 8th round technical knockout. By this point in his career, Nápoles had already held the WBA, WBC, and The Ring welterweight titles, making him one of the most exciting boxers of his time.
In March 1972, Nápoles successfully defended his WBA, WBC, and The Ring welterweight titles against Ralph Charles, winning the fight via a 7th round knockout. He then went on to successfully defend his titles against Adolph Pruitt in June 1972, winning via a 2nd round TKO.
February 28, 1973, saw Nápoles successfully defending his welterweight titles against Ernie Lopez, winning via a 7th round knockout. He would defend his titles once again against Hedgemon Lewis on August 3, 1974, winning the fight via a 9th round TKO. Finally, on December 14, 1974, Nápoles successfully defended his WBA, WBC, and The Ring welterweight titles for the last time against Horacio Agustin Saldano, winning via a 3rd round KO.
Nápoles' last professional fight was at the age of 36, when he faced John H Stracey in a welterweight title defense bout on December 6, 1976. Unfortunately, this fight would not go as planned, and Nápoles lost via a 6th round technical knockout, losing his WBC and The Ring titles.
Despite his defeat in his final fight, Nápoles left behind an impressive legacy. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) in 1990, cementing his place in boxing history. His career highlights over his 18-year long career included his win over Curtis Cokes for his first world title, successfully defending his WBA, WBC, and The Ring welterweight titles, and becoming the undisputed welterweight world champion.
In conclusion, José Nápoles was an impressive fighter. His record speaks for itself, and his six world titles at welterweight prove that he was among the very best in his generation. Fans of boxing will always remember him as one of the sport's greats, and his influence on the sport will continue to be felt for many years to come.
José Nápoles Fight Record
# | Date | Age | Opponent | Result | Via |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
88 | Dec 6, 1976 | 36 | John H Stracey | Loss | TKO6 |
87 | Jul 12, 1976 | 36 | Armando Muniz | Win | UD |
86 | Mar 29, 1975 | 34 | Armando Muniz | Win | TD |
85 | Dec 14, 1974 | 34 | Horacio Agustin Saldano | Win | KO3 |
84 | Aug 3, 1974 | 34 | Hedgemon Lewis | Win | TKO9 |
83 | Feb 9, 1974 | 33 | Carlos Monzon | Loss | RTD6 |
82 | Sep 22, 1973 | 33 | Clyde Gray | Win | UD |
81 | Jun 23, 1973 | 33 | Roger Menetrey | Win | UD |
80 | Feb 28, 1973 | 32 | Ernie Lopez | Win | KO7 |
79 | Aug 5, 1972 | 32 | Edmundo Leite | Win | TKO2 |
78 | Jun 10, 1972 | 32 | Adolph Pruitt | Win | TKO2 |
77 | Mar 28, 1972 | 31 | Ralph Charles | Win | KO7 |
76 | Dec 14, 1971 | 31 | Hedgemon Lewis | Win | UD |
75 | Oct 16, 1971 | 31 | Esteban Alfredo Osuna | Win | UD |
74 | Aug 23, 1971 | 31 | Jean Josselin | Win | KO5 |
73 | Jul 31, 1971 | 31 | David Melendez | Win | TKO5 |
72 | Jun 4, 1971 | 31 | Billy Backus | Win ⭐️ | TKO8 |
71 | Mar 27, 1971 | 30 | Manuel Gonzalez | Win | KO6 |
70 | Dec 3, 1970 | 30 | Billy Backus | Loss | TKO4 |
69 | Oct 5, 1970 | 30 | Pete Toro | Win | TKO9 |
68 | Aug 14, 1970 | 30 | Fighting Mack | Win | KO3 |
67 | Feb 14, 1970 | 29 | Ernie Lopez | Win | TKO15 |
66 | Oct 17, 1969 | 29 | Emile Griffith | Win | UD |
65 | Jun 29, 1969 | 29 | Curtis Cokes | Win | RTD10 |
64 | Apr 18, 1969 | 29 | Curtis Cokes | Win ⭐️ | RTD13 |
63 | Feb 15, 1969 | 28 | Fate Davis | Win | TKO6 |
62 | Dec 22, 1968 | 28 | Lennox Beckles | Win | KO1 |
61 | Nov 4, 1968 | 28 | Des Rea | Win | TKO5 |
60 | Jul 15, 1968 | 28 | Eddie Pace | Win | UD |
59 | Jun 14, 1968 | 28 | Leroy Roberts | Win | TKO1 |
58 | Jun 2, 1968 | 28 | Peter Cobblah | Win | PTS |
57 | Apr 29, 1968 | 28 | Herbie Lee | Win | TKO6 |
56 | Feb 18, 1968 | 27 | Mike Cruz | Win | TKO4 |
55 | Sep 11, 1967 | 27 | Charlie Watson | Win | KO6 |
54 | Sep 11, 1967 | 27 | Johnny DePeiza | Win | TKO1 |
53 | Jul 10, 1967 | 27 | LC Morgan | Win | TKO2 |
52 | Jun 4, 1967 | 27 | Johnny Brooks | Win | KO7 |
51 | Dec 17, 1966 | 26 | Eugenio Espinoza | Win | TKO6 |
50 | Oct 30, 1966 | 26 | Jimmy Fields | Win | TKO10 |
49 | Aug 22, 1966 | 26 | LC Morgan | Loss | TKO4 |
48 | Jul 27, 1966 | 26 | Humberto Trottman | Win | KO2 |
47 | Apr 17, 1966 | 26 | Al Grant | Win | TKO4 |
46 | Feb 12, 1966 | 25 | Johnny Santos | Win | KO3 |
45 | Dec 11, 1965 | 25 | Aldolph Pruitt | Win | TKO3 |
44 | Aug 3, 1965 | 25 | Eddie Perkins | Win | UD |
43 | Mar 25, 1965 | 24 | Giordano Campari | Win | TKO2 |
42 | Feb 28, 1965 | 24 | LC Morgan | Win | KO3 |
41 | Jan 1, 1965 | 24 | Carlos Rios | Win | KO5 |
40 | Nov 14, 1964 | 24 | Alfredo Urbino | Win | KO3 |
39 | Aug 15, 1964 | 24 | Eduardo Moreno | Win | TKO5 |
38 | Jun 22, 1964 | 24 | Carlos Morocho Hernandez | Win | TKO7 |
37 | Apr 25, 1964 | 24 | Alfredo Urbina | Win | TKO1 |
36 | Mar 1, 1964 | 23 | Taketeru Yoshimoto | Win | KO1 |
35 | Nov 30, 1963 | 23 | LC Morgan | Win | KO7 |
34 | Nov 16, 1963 | 23 | Tony Perez | Win | TKO3 |
33 | Oct 23, 1963 | 23 | Francisco Cancio | Win | KO1 |
32 | Aug 19, 1963 | 23 | Pulga Serrano | Win | TKO10 |
31 | Jul 13, 1963 | 23 | Baby Vasquez | Win | PTS |
30 | May 27, 1963 | 23 | Raul Soriano | Win | KO4 |
29 | Apr 27, 1963 | 23 | Alfredo Urbina | Loss | PTS |
28 | Mar 30, 1963 | 22 | Baby Vasquez | Win | UD |
27 | Feb 9, 1963 | 22 | Baby Gutierrez | Win | TKO7 |
26 | Jan 5, 1963 | 22 | Tony Perez | Loss | SD |
25 | Nov 10, 1962 | 22 | Tony Perez | Win | PTS |
24 | Sep 29, 1962 | 22 | Bobby Cervantes | Win | TKO1 |
23 | Aug 25, 1962 | 22 | Kid Anahuac | Win | KO9 |
22 | Jul 21, 1962 | 22 | Enrique Camarena | Win | KO2 |
21 | Jun 3, 1961 | 21 | Angel Robinson Garcia | Win | PTS |
20 | Mar 18, 1961 | 20 | Rolando Chico Morales | Win | UD |
19 | Jan 28, 1961 | 20 | Guillermo Valdez | Win | UD |
18 | Dec 17, 1960 | 20 | Tony Padron | Win | DQ |
17 | Nov 26, 1960 | 20 | Rolando Chico Morales | Win | PTS |
16 | Oct 15, 1960 | 20 | Tony Padron | Win | UD |
15 | Jul 2, 1960 | 20 | Bunny Grant | Win | PTS |
14 | May 21, 1960 | 20 | Angel Robinson Garcia | Win | PTS |
13 | Feb 20, 1960 | 19 | Diwaldo Ventosa | Win | UD |
12 | Jan 2, 1960 | 19 | Isaac Espinosa | Win | UD |
11 | Nov 28, 1959 | 19 | Bobby Cervantes | Win | TKO1 |
10 | Nov 14, 1959 | 19 | Augusto Narvalle | Win | UD |
9 | Oct 3, 1959 | 19 | Cristobal Gonzalez | Win | UD |
8 | Aug 22, 1959 | 19 | Hilton Smith | Loss | UD |
7 | Jul 25, 1959 | 19 | Clodoaldo Hernandez | Win | UD |
6 | Jul 11, 1959 | 19 | Clodoaldo Hernandez | Win | TKO3 |
5 | May 16, 1959 | 19 | Juan Bacallo | Win | TKO4 |
4 | Feb 21, 1959 | 18 | Armando Castillo | Win | PTS |
3 | Nov 29, 1958 | 18 | Felix Pomares | Win | TKO2 |
2 | Oct 11, 1958 | 18 | Euripides Guerra | Win | TKO4 |
1 | Aug 2, 1958 | 18 | Julio Rojas | Win | TKO1 |