Floyd or Duran - Most skilled?

I can't stand idiots who don't think it takes a lot of skill to be an aggressive fighter who comes forward. It takes a lot of skill to cut off the ring, roll with and slip shots, fight on the inside, place your punches well, etc...

Of course, that style was just one of the styles in which Duran was effective. He could be effective at different ranges and different styles. I agree that he was perhaps the best ever at mixing offense and defense effectively. Some of the sequences in the last 2 fights with DeJesus in which he did that were beautiful.

Would you say Floyd is the most skilled since Whitaker?

 

So many people see a guy slip a series of punches and think it's the most difficult, most impressive thing ever. They see the same guy feint his way inside, trap his opponent on the ropes, create his own openings, land a combination and all they have to say is, "oh he's so ferocious!" You'd think offensive skill would be more appreciated than defensive, but whatever.

On pure technical skills, I think I'd have Hopkins above Mayweather, but he's certainly right there in the mix for the top spot since Pea.

 

wasn't aware that Duran is Duran + SRL or Duran + Mayweather.

Shocked to find out how he even lose with his offense and defensive brilliance.

 

Garrus had it closed at a pre-determined date.

 

You learn something new everyday, tiliang, ya miserable *******. :good

 

And Mayweather can be a brilliant offensive fighter in his own right. You dont make a career out of beating guys who outweigh you by 10lbs basef on soley defense

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You can watch a Mayweather fight 10 times and still go back and find some technically brilliant thing he did it you didnt notice before

 

:nod

Glad the debate within you is settled. :deal

 

Just bc Floyd makes it look easy doesn't mean his opponents sucks. Just bc Floyd is able to dominate his rivals while going up in weight and Duran didn't, doesn't mean you should throw a hissy fit. Durans has lost to b-level fighters as well as A level.

 

I know. I like Floyd. He's phenomenal. I'm not trying to disparage him at all, I'm just saying Duran was more skilled, flat out. That's no slight on Floyd as Duran is one of the very, very few guys in history who has a serious case for being the most skilled boxer ever.

Old, fat, shopworn Lightweights don't beat prime Middleweight titlists by just being ferocious.

It wasn't ever much of a debate, to be honest. Nard's still 2nd best though. :bart

 

It seems as if some people just think a guy who is aggressive and comes forward is like Rocky, a punching bag, and think to have "skills", they get images of guys like Ali and Leonard dancing around the ring and fighting from the outside (nevermind that they had MUCH more to their games than that and Leonard was more effective in a different style). I'm gonna pick on Khan again and use him as an example. He's fast and sometimes moves around the ring and people say he's "skilled" and has "good footwork" :roll:

I see that with Chavez too. His skills often get underrated because he so often came forward and applied pressure. He cut off the ring well, placed his combos well, stayed low and slipped/rolled with shots effectively. He could fight in other manners too, he spent like 95% of the Lockridge fight boxing on the backfoot and using lateral movement.

Floyd is extremely skilled and technically sound. When I see him make some fundamental mistakes, I often notice it's a trap and by design. He leaves his left hand low more often against shorter fighters to try to bait them. He goes back in a straight line to the ropes, and that's often to sucker a guy in (Hatton). I do think he goes to the ropes or gets trapped there a little too much, although he is effective fighting off the ropes.

When he's in a more offensive mode though, he's not as good at incorporating his defense as Duran. In the exchanges, he leaves himself open and often his chin is in the air. Duran was better at mixing both offense and defense at the same time...throwing a combo, slipping and ducking the retaliation, and then coming back again with some offense. It isn't difficult to see when watching their fights that Duran was better in the exchanges at incorporating both offense and defense.

Floyd's an expert and nullifying his opponent's output though. He (usually) hits hard enough to get his opponent's respect and worry about what is coming back when he firing at Floyd. Floyd then controls the pace and tempo.

 

You need to up your perscriptions.

 

It has devolved.

The all-around talent pool is weaker. Floyd is one of the few great fighters out there now who would be successful in better eras like the 70s and 80s.

For crying out loud, Victor Ortiz was considered the 3rd best WW when Floyd beat him. I knew that at age 34, coming off over a year of inactivity, that Floyd would still handle him with relative ease because he is that much better than the likes of Ortiz and Berto. Floyd actually has real top-notch technical skills in addition to athleticism/speed.

 

20/18, but thanks.

 

Completely atypical performances when contrasted with everything he's thought and stereotyped to be. He toyed with DeJesus - an elite fighter - by their third fight. Almost mercilessly. He was out for blood against Leonard, although his defensive and countering abilities should've been quite evident regardless when you watch more than highlight reels. He thoroughly worked him over. Leonard was shell shocked by what he had on his hands for the first third of the fight, at least. Aggression was just a fraction of it.

 

No Floyd does not have a SRL on his resume but still he fought more big names than Duran, not to mention Floyd more accomplished.

On the flip side of the coin. Floyd would never lose to a level B fighter either. You should name the good as well as the bad.

FYI SRL fought the wrong fight against Duran in their first outing.