To the crowd of 14,313 in the Los Angeles Forum last week, it was largely his ripping punches that helped Mexico's José Nápoles retain his welterweight title with a 15-round decision over Detroit's Hedgemon Lewis. To Kid Rapidez, Nápoles' trainer, the secret weapon was "the great power up there." Rapidez, a disciple of the voodoo-like Santero religion, believes in a good rite as much as in a good left. When one of his stable of 80 boxers fights an important match in Mexico City, the Kid dons a red kerchief, a string of Shango beads and pours cologne at the fighter's...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
