Y did Duran try 2 box Hearns rather than swarm / attack him ?

Great question!

You would think the would have tucked his chin and looked to get inside. Duran may have been thinking "pace myself and find his rhythm.". He just finished a great boxing exhibition again Davey Moore and held his own against Hagler.

He must have thought himself able to deal with less strong and tough Hearns. Also, I think Roberto did not have the corner to help him strategize for a pumped Tommy, nor was Tommy letting Duran get anywhere near him. Tommy had been wanting to KO Duran since the Quevas fight. Check the Hearns-Quevas post interview.

Lastly, Duran may have not had the actually ability to charge in like Montreal. I liken it to Jordan in his mid-30's not being able to jump over everyone, so he learned how to shoot better, pass better, fad-away unstoppable. Duran's had to box because that was all his body could do at that point in his career.

 

Tommy was too quick, and anything Duran did Hearns countered and hurt him. When Duran tried to get inside and lunge in Hearns countered him. He actually hurt Duran with a counter left after Duran reached in and then started land the right when Duran was hurt and did not let up the next round. Emanuel Steward always said at welterweight Hearns would have done the same thing to Duran. He punched too hard and was just too fast and tall for Duran.
Hearns right hand was the difference between him and Leonard. Ray could punch, but he was no Thomas Hearns.

 

Hearns was told by a reporter Duran took Leonard's punch and that he has a good chin, and Hearns said I punch much harder than Ray and my punches will hurt Duran. He said it like he knew it.

The problem with tucking in and getting inside is Duran still would get hit by Hearns. He was hurt by the first clean punch and then Hearns just landed and landed cleaner and cleaner punches. Hagler tucked in and got inside but he was also hit clean, but he got wobbled and kept coming. It is a matter of absorbing the Hearns punches, and not many guys could.

My point to the original thread started is if a guy swarms he has to be able to take the punch. If he cannot take the punch then swarming will do him no good. I don't think Duran was going to beat Hearns in 1984, and I don't think earlier. Hearns was too fast and powerful.

 

Same reason Leonard stood his ground and fought Duran, rather than move and box.

It's hard to do what you want to do when the other guy is doing what he wants to do AND cracking you and hurting you. Nothing like it to keep you from being smart.

 

I think sometimes we can over analyze things. I think he just got copped by a big shot early in the fight and he didn't get over it. Eveyone always says Hearns was a bad matchup for him and he probably was but I really think on another night the story might of been different.

 

I think these are equally true. No one chooses to fight someone elses fight-you are.forced to. On the other hand sometimes you just get caught. And with that size, speed, and accuracy Hearns could catch just about anyone. I think the earliness of the knockout was flukish but the result itself was not an aberration.

 

He was still just feeling Hearns out, taking his time when he got mangled.The Duran that started each fight like a whirlwind was long, long gone by that time.

A more unusual fight was Hearns vs Cuevas

Pipino definitely was someone who came straight forward right away every single time, but against Tommy he looked nervous as hell and seemed to be trying to box on the backfoot.

Predictably that didn't work for too long.

 

W/ Hearns , every 1 Gayme Plain is ,
ruined .
Not even , Hagler or Leotard Leonard , cud start ,
2 look sligtly impresive agaist ,
1 prime ,
Hearnz .

 

hurnz

 

I always thought Duran was horribly prepared for this fight. He seemed to have no intensity, was a little more pudgy than normal.

When he entered the ring prior to the start of the fight he when and sat down in the corner! WTF?

 

The kind of power Hearns possessed was paralyzing. More so than just when you were hit with it, it was difficult to plan for.

How to you account for moving in, for swarming, when you know a guy can hit like that? You have to both achieve your goals in the fight AND avoid getting hurt. That's just hard to do.

Ray Leonard had to walk through hell to do it, and so did Hagler. Come to think of it, so did Barkley the first time. Duran just wasn't able to get going fast enough, to endure the power, before he got hit with a shot he just couldn't endure. That's the game when you fight a puncher like that.

 

It is odd. Duran said that he was not in shape for Leonard 2, Benitez and then Hearns. The 3 most important losses of his career ,and two probably the 3 greatest fighters he ever fought. If ever there was a time to get in shape that would have been the time. If he did not get in shape for Hearns then I think he knew he could not beat him. Hearns was too fast and too sharp. Many people on here think this was a one punch knockout. Hearns hit him clean with probably 15 punches. Duran took a great punch, but the key to beating Hearns is not being hit with that many clean punches. Duran could never beat Hearns. Beating Moore is a totally different thing.

 

remember for Duran to have been a washed up fighter when he fought Hearns, he would not have fought another 17 years and 35 times and won another world title 5 years after this fight. The variable in this fight was Tommy Hearns, not the shape Duran was in or anything else. Tommy simply was too fast and sharp. The instant in round one when Duran was hurt by Tommy's first clean punch shows that Duran was not going to last very long.