José Nápoles facts for kids
Quick facts for kids José Nápoles |
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Nápoles c. 1973
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| Statistics | |
| Real name | José Ángel Nápoles |
| Nickname(s) | Mantequilla |
| Rated at | Welterweight |
| Height | 5' 7½" / 171cm |
| Reach | 72" / 183cm |
| Nationality | Mexican |
| Born | April 13, 1940 Santiago de Cuba, Cuba |
| Died | August 16, 2019 (aged 79) Mexico City, Mexico |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 88 |
| Wins | 81 |
| Wins by KO | 54 |
| Losses | 7 |
| Draws | 0 |
| No contests | 0 |
José Ángel Nápoles was a famous boxer born in Cuba. People called him Mantequilla, which means "Butter". This nickname came from his smooth and easy boxing style. He was a World Welterweight Champion.
Many experts think he was one of the best boxers ever in his weight class. He is even in the International Boxing Hall of Fame. José Nápoles shares a record with Muhammad Ali for the most wins in unified championship fights. This record stood for 40 years! He started his boxing career in Cuba, but later moved to Mexico and became a Mexican citizen.
Contents
Early Career in Mexico
José Nápoles started his professional boxing career in Cuba on August 2, 1958. In his very first fight, he won by knocking out Julio Rojas in the first round. His first 21 fights were all in Cuba. He won most of these fights, but he did lose one to Hilton Smith.
In March 1961, something big happened outside the ring. The Cuban president, Fidel Castro, made professional boxing illegal in Cuba. This meant Nápoles' boxing career was in danger.
He found a new home in Mexico, where he could continue fighting. He quickly got back into the ring, winning his first fight there in July 1962. He won all four of his fights that year.
In 1963, he won seven fights but lost two. He was defeated by Tony Perez and Alfredo Urbina. However, he also had a big win against JC Morgan in Venezuela.
The year 1964 was very good for Nápoles. He traveled to Japan and won a fight there. He also beat future world champion Carlos Morocho Hernández in Venezuela. He even got revenge on Alfredo Urbina, knocking him out twice.
He continued his winning streak in 1965. He beat LC Morgan again and then faced a tougher opponent, former world champion Eddie Perkins. Nápoles won that fight. He also beat Adolph Pruitt, who would later challenge him for a world title.
In 1966, he won five fights, all by knockout. He lost one fight to his rival, LC Morgan. This would be his last loss for four years.
Becoming Welterweight Champion
After that loss, Nápoles went on an amazing winning streak of 20 fights in a row. He won 13 of these fights before getting a chance to fight for the world welterweight title. During this time, he became very popular in southern California.
On April 18, 1969, he got his big chance. He fought the world champion, Curtis Cokes, in Inglewood. Nápoles won the fight by knockout in the 13th round, becoming the new world welterweight champion! After the fight, he proudly wore a sombrero, which became a tradition for him.
He defended his title in a rematch with Cokes in Mexico City, winning by knockout. Then, he successfully defended his title again against former world champion Emile Griffith.
Losing and Regaining the Title
Nápoles started the 1970s by defending his title against Ernie "Indian Red" Lopez in February 1970. He won that fight by knockout. After winning two more non-title fights, he had an unexpected loss. He was stopped in four rounds by Billy Backus because of a cut. Backus took the world welterweight title from Nápoles in December 1970.
After winning one more fight, Nápoles had a rematch with Billy Backus. This time, the fight was in Los Angeles. Nápoles fought hard and won back his world championship in the 8th round.
He then had three non-title wins. After that, he defended his world title against Hedgemon Lewis in December 1971. He won by decision after 15 rounds.
In 1972, Nápoles continued to defend his title. He knocked out Ralph Charles in England. Then, he faced Adolph Pruitt again, defending his title with a knockout in the second round.
Nápoles was a world traveler, fighting in many different places. In 1973, he defended his title against Ernie Lopez again. He also won fights in Grenoble, France and Toronto, Canada, keeping his world title each time.
Moving to Middleweight
Many boxing fans wanted to see Nápoles fight the World Middleweight Champion, Carlos Monzón. So, Nápoles moved up in weight to challenge Monzón for his title. They fought on February 9, 1974, in Paris. This was Nápoles' only fight in the Middleweight division. He lost the match.
After this, Nápoles went back to the Welterweight division. He successfully defended his title twice before the year ended. He knocked out Hedgemon Lewis and Horacio Saldaño.
In 1975, Nápoles had two more wins against Armando Muniz, both times defending his world title. The first win was a bit controversial, so they had a rematch. Nápoles won the second fight by decision.
Retirement
On December 6, 1975, Nápoles lost his title to British boxer John H. Stracey. Stracey won by a technical knockout in the sixth round in Mexico City. Even though Nápoles knocked Stracey down in the first round, Stracey came back to win.
After this fight, José Nápoles announced his retirement from boxing. He stayed retired, which is rare for many boxers who often try to make a comeback.
Nápoles finished his career with an amazing record. He had 81 wins and only 7 losses. Out of his wins, 54 were by knockout. This means he is one of the few boxers to win 50 or more fights by knockout!
Personal Life
José Nápoles was the son of Pedro Napoles, a schoolteacher, and Rosa. He had a brother named Pedro Jr. José Nápoles had nine children. He lived in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, with his wife Bertha.
In 1974, Nápoles even acted in a Mexican movie! It was a wrestler/horror film called Santo en la venganza de la llorona. He starred alongside the famous wrestler Santo.
Death
José Nápoles passed away on August 16, 2019, in Mexico City. He was 79 years old and had been ill for a long time.
Honours
José Nápoles received many honors for his incredible boxing career.
- In 1985, he was inducted into The Ring boxing hall of fame.
- In 1990, he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Professional boxing record summary
| 88 fights | 81 wins | 7 losses |
| By knockout | 54 | 4 |
| By decision | 26 | 3 |
| By disqualification | 1 | 0 |
Images for kids
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Nápoles c. 1973
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A boxing glove that belonged to Mantequilla Nápoles, displayed in a bar in Mexico City.
See also
- List of world welterweight boxing champions
- List of Mexican boxing world champions
