Monteral Roberto Duran vs Floyd mayweather 147 15 rounds

you know as well as I do that Floyd is not going to fight Duran like he fought Cotto and couldn't. Yeah if Floyd layed on the ropes or stood still and fought with Duran, Roberto would wear him out. Floyd would get up for the fight and win each round decisively by moving and making Duran follow him. Duran had wide foot positioning, and when he fought elite guys he looked like a plodder at times, and when he was hit moving forward he was kept off balanced more which made that plodding more obvious. If you stood in front of him that vulnerability did not matter. What Benitez did in 1982 at 154 was he dodged Duran's punches even close and he had the speed to beat him to the punch. I remember how Benitez even hit Duran on the inside with quick punches. I do not think Floyd has the defensive genius of Benitez to do that as effectively, but he has the handspeed and foot speed to avoid Duran.

 

God I wish Leonard didn't fight that way against Duran. It's impossible to debate Duran Head to head against others because people will always throw the "WELL HE BEAT A PRIME LEONARD" argument no matter what.

Then when you say "Well Dejesus did, and Leonard outboxed him and made him quit in the rematch" The excuse flood gates open.

 

What an era of fighters. Why did I have to be born in the '80s

 

Duran was not washed up at 30 years old in 1982 at a weight he fought at 3-4 before, and where he won a title at a year and a half later. And Duran fought another almost 20 years after this fight.

I think the Leonard fight also showed guys how to beat Duran, and how mentally he did well when he had the advantage, but he could also be not the strongest when being hit clean and not winning his fight. Consciouslly or unconsciously fighters see those things. After Hagler beat Hearns, many fighters fought Hearns more aggressively trying to duplicate what Marvin did. It forms a blueprint.

Benitez fight is a great example. Duran was only 30 years old and had fought at 154 for 3-4 years before this fight like I just said. Benitez was just too fast. Duran looked in shape and that in shape or out was always a Duran excuse anyway, if he did not train for Leonard or Benitez or Hearns , the 3 greatest below middleweight guys he ever fought then it was just an excuse. The only other explanation is maybe he knew he could not beat them so he mentally gave up. It don't think it was the second reason, he just could not deal with the speed since you can see it. Benitez is significant.. Benitez is better than anyone Duran fought at lightweight. And Duran's best lightweight opponent was obviously Esteban Dejesus. Dejesus was beaten by Cervantes at 140, and who beat Cervantes for his 140 pound title? It was Wilfred Benitez.

 

Floyd gave up the center against Cotto, Castillo, Augustus, Chavez, and Hatton. Floyd is simply not a boxer who will use consistent lateral movement to offset a pressure fighter; his counter-punching style was never hit and move. Again, not sure why you're mentioning a fight at 154 when the thread title specifically says Duran from Montreal.

If Leonard could have switched modes to beat Duran mid-fight, he would have. It's not an excuse, it's a fact admitted by Leonard himself that Duran was not in the same condition in the rematch. And again, the De Jesus loss was years before, one he avenged twice over with clear dominance.

 

I agree. The problem with the first Leonard fight is I think Leonard was still inexperienced. People get upset when I say this, but he was in his second fight on his first reign. He was like 27-0. Duran had 71 fights, and he insulted Ray and Ray fought his fight and admitted to this. The fact Ray outclassed him in the rematch and rubbermatch prove if Ray fought his fight, stylistically Duran could not beat him. Ever.

 

it is hard to switch modes, He was taking punches and he was tired and he was inexperienced. Ray said later the experience with the first Duran fight helped him beat Duran easily in the rematch.

 

I agree with Mag, good points.

 

But to act like a genius like Mayweather couldn't outbox Duran when Duran HAD been outboxed before, is silly to assume.

 

Well we have Floyd fighting Duran for the first time here, don't we? Floyd, a smaller and weaker welterweight than Leonard was, with much less mobility. The fight will end up on the inside, and Duran is the superior craftsman at that range. That's all there is to it.

"Outboxing" is not an actual defined strategy. There are 1000 ways to "outbox" someone, and not all of them are within Mayweather's stylistic profile. It's completely stupid to assume that because one skilled boxer outpointed another, another could do the same, especially when each time was at a different weight and time period. This is a matter of styles, not solely a matter of IQ. Being a "genius" doesn't mean you are the most competent at every dynamic of the game. On occasions where it would have been beneficial for Floyd to employ a strategy consistently changing angles, he found himself fighting in straight lines and anticipating his opponent's punches right in front of him as he's used to. Again, he gave up the center of the ring constantly against De La Hoya, Castillo, Cotto, Chavez, and Augustus. He has not shown the lateral mobility that fighters like Hopkins and Marquez rely on. He sets up his shots in a mostly linear manner, and has been cornered by lesser men. Again, the fight would end up on the inside, and Duran would be the superior man there.

 

Some interesting discussion in here.

 

Would he though? When Duran found himself on the inside against Dejesus, he tasted canvas.

He also found himself on the end of Benitez' punches, and was dumbfounded by Leonard by simple left-right combos into submission.

I'm still taking Mayweather in a close decision.

 

De Jesus was at lightweight many years prior. He didn't hit the canvas once at welterweight against the much harder-hitting Leonard, in Montreal, which is what the thread is asking for.

Benitez was later at 154, not 147 in Montreal, which is what the thread is asking for.

You're entitled to your opinion, but the way I see it, picking Floyd means imagining him with a style equipped with either extreme lateral movement he doesn't have, or the craftier infighting superior to Duran's, neither of which we've never seen him have at welterweight, if ever.

 

Hah, I'm '87 myself.

For me, the 1930s-50s had some immensely rich talent.

 

Duran