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Jose Napoles Part Four: The Second Reign

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Jose Napoles   At the end of July 1971, eight weeks after regaining the undisputed welterweight title from Billy Backus, Jose Napoles returned to Mexico and stopped Puerto Rico’s David Melendez with a fifth-round TKO in a non-title bout. Twenty-three days later he kayoed Frenchman Jean Josselin in another non-title fight again in round five. On 16th October 1971 he featured in his third non-title contest, outsourcing Argentina’s Esteban Osuna over ten rounds. Napoles made the first defence of his second tenure as WBA and WBC champion on 14th December 1971, taking on America’s Hedgemon Lewis at the Forum, Inglewood, California, sharing top billing with undisputed bantamweight champion Ruben Olivares, who stopped Jesus Pimental with an eleventh round retirement.   Hedgemon Lewis started boxing aged twelve at the Northern Recreation Center, Detroit, Michigan. As an amateur he won the Detroit Diamond Belt in 1963. The following year he became the National Golden Gloves lightweight champion
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Jose Napoles Part Three: Upset

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Jose Napoles After successfully defending his undisputed welterweight title against Emile Griffith at Inglewood’s Forum, Jose Napoles entered the very same place to make the third defence of his crown against Ernie Lopez on 14th February 1970. The challenger, hailing from Los Angeles, California, was part Ute Indian - hence his alias Indian Red - and started his professional career in June 1963. By the time he faced Napoles, Lopez had compiled a record of 39-5-1 (19 KOs) and was yet to be stopped.   Both boxers weighed 146 pounds (66.23 Kg) and the 17,091 in attendance, who made gate receipts of $228,417, witnessed Napoles open up on Lopez from the start, putting the durable challenger down for a count of two in the opening round.   The Cuban used his jab to dominate the fight, causing a nick under the American’s right eye and bloodied his nose, which hampered him the entire night. Lopez was put down for a count of four in round nine. The challenger was on the canvas for a thi
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Location: United Kingdom
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Jose Napoles Part Two: Vs Emile Griffith

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Jose Napoles     Undisputed welterweight champion Jose Napoles next faced the challenge of former undisputed welter and middleweight champion Emile Griffith on 17th October 1969 at the Forum, Inglewood, USA.   Griffith had been a successful amateur and in 1958 he won the New York Daily News Golden Gloves, The New York Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions, and the Intercity Golden Gloves, before turning professional on 2nd June that same year, defeating Joe Parham on points over four rounds.   Griffith amassed a record of 22-2 (7 KOs), which included top contenders Gaspar Ortega, Denny Moyer, Jorge and Florentino Fernandez and Luis Rodriguez by the time he challenged the Cuban Benny ‘Kid’ Paret for the world welterweight championship on 1st April 1961 at the Convention Center, Miami Beach, Florida. After twelve close rounds, Griffith ended matters in the thirteenth when a long left hook caught Paret on the jaw and a following right and another left hook kept the champion on t
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Location: United Kingdom
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