De la Hoya and Roberto Duran at 140. How does this go down?

Hoya would do very well.

 

Painfully for Oscar. As good as he was he doesn't box well enough, isn't physically strong enough and doesn't hit hard enough to beat Duran. Starts competitively for maybe three rounds till Duran dents DLH then it's a beat-down. If Sugar Shane could get to Oscars body be damn sure Duran would.

"Manos De Piedra" in 9.

 

Oscar gives a great fight as always, but as said earlier, he doesn't have the talent or the strength/power to keep Duran off. DLH may see the final bell, but that would be about the only positive for him. Duran just has a little too much of everything for him.

 

I see Duran winning a close decision over 15 rounds.

 

Oscar jabs and throws combos, moves around and drops Duran with the hook a couple times en route to winning a UD.

 

77-79 Duran is too good at feinting and msguiding his opponents. He pressures and feints Oscar all night not letting him get set while dishing out major punishment. Don't forget that Duran would really bang at this weight. Ultimately, DLH's doe-like legs betray him and he sustains too much damage in the line of fire. A Davey Moore like ending.

 

stylewise if Oscar fights his fight and has enough experience he wins a decision. Duran beat one elite in his career, and that was by decision when Ray fought his fight.

 

Duran by KO to the body in the mid to later rounds.

If Oscar stands toe to toe he gets the worst of it. If he moves he may do well for awhile but his stamina isnt close to good enough to last against a prime Duran who brought so much quickness and ferocity to the table.

If Oscar played it safe and ran against Trinidad he may jump out of the ring and run down the aisle when Duran starts grinning at him.

 

Do you think Oscar would have been considered elite in Duran`s era?

 

yes. And Duran never knocked out a great. Closest he came was Cuevas, who was washed up at 154 in 1983. Good fight but Oscar at 140 had elite speed, not very experience which might be his downfall (sort of like Ray Leonard when he fought Duran in Juen of 1980).