The Night Muniz Should Have Been Champ

[dagosd2000]

Jose Napoles was my idol. Before I even saw him in the ring I knew he had something special. It was a fight in Tijuana against a journeyman named Herbie Lee. He was coming down the aisle wearing that short green robe with "Napoles" in block letters on the back,climbed through the ropes with that never changing serious look,the big black mustache,prancing in his corner,composed and that face-like a big chocolate brown tom cat. The bell rings,he flexes his knees and comes out quick,rolling his shoulders,putting his legs in just the right position to throw his punches:stiff jab,hooks,a straight right,bolos. Slipping, bobbing, weaving with fluid smooth motion. No wonder he was called "Mantequilla". All with that never changing serious face like a tomcat with the mouse in his sights. Style personified. But he was still a human being even though everything he did from lacing his shoes to throwing beautiful combinations with ease and grace. L.C. Morgan cut his eye in a fight in Mexico causing Jose problems. Later in his career it kept opening up affecting a lot of his fights. He lost to Backus in Buffalo when the local ref stopped it after Billy got Jose bleeding. In the rematch in L.A. the cut opened up ten seconds into the fight,but it was Backus who was bleeding and stopped in the 8th round after taking an awful beating.He was never the same after that fight. Napoles was ahead of Monzon in Paris going into the 5th but Carlos stuck his thumb in that eye and Jose was now on the end of Monzon's jab and right hand. Jose quit in his corner and that night broke my heart. He started defending his title in Mexico beating Hedgemon Lewis easily. Then he signed to fight a Mexican kid from East L.A. by the name of Armando Muniz. The fight was in Acapulco and looked like an easy win for Napoles. By this time Napoles was spending a lot of time at the track,drinking it up,and playing the trumpet with a salsa band. Well Muniz came into that fight in shape. He must have talked to Al Urbina because Urbina beat Napoles once by going to the body. Armando pressured Jose against the ropes banging away downstairs. He knew Jose was not in condition and as the fight went on Jose was getting the crap beat out of him tiring fast. His eye had opened up and it looked like he wouldn't last. Then in the 11th Jose got desperateand to hit Muniz low trying to get him off him. At the end of the round the aficianados were beginning to side for Armando. But Jose Suleiman was at ringside and Napoles was one of his meal tickets. He tells referee Mayon to stop the fight awarding the fight to Jose on a technical decision saying Muniz butted Napoles opening up his cuts. As much as I thought the world of Napoles it was the biggest robbery I saw in the ring. Muniz was obviosly crestfallen. The governor of the state of Guerrero gave Muniz his watch but he should have been given the title. There was a rematch in Mexico City,but this time Jose got in shape and when Armando tried to get inside Jose caught him with jabs and uppercuts. Napoles had him down in the 9th and could of put him away but Jose was tired. He retained the title but after the fight I never saw two fighters with such disfigurered faces. Napoles fought one more time against Stracey in Mexico and again Jose didn't train. The two fights with Muniz took what was left out of him. He had Stracey down in the 1st but Stracey opened up Napoles's eyes and Jose collapsed against the ropes his career over. Muniz fought on several more years finally losing to Ray Leonard back east not coming out for the 9th round saying he hurt his arm. He almost died in the ring fighting Napoles but sits on his stool fighting Leonard. Muniz was going nowhere and Leonard had all the money on him to be the future champ. Armando Muniz should have been a champ too.

[granberry]

"not coming out for the 9th round saying he hurt his arm. He almost died in the ring fighting Napoles but sits on his stool fighting Leonard."

You got that right.

Just like Sonny Liston, who fought for a number of rounds with a broken jaw when he was a nobody in a fight with Marty Marshall, but gave up the heavyweight title with the same "sore shoulder" routine.

And the same Angelo Dundee was in the "winners' " corner in both fights.

Some things stink to high heavens, don't they.