That is quite probably true. However those that are generally accepted as having a deep and profound knowledge of boxing tend to rate Duran in the top 3 Lightweights ever, with possibly more than 50% of them having him at #1. But compared to self appointed internet professors, who the fvck are they?:roll:
Now that's taking the ball and running with it! Out of curiosity, who's ahead of him at 135 on your list?
Some of your picks, such as Grigorian are rather interesting. .but come on now... Arguello?? @ lightweight over Duran..that's pretty hard to comprehend.
Well when did we go from the top 5-10 lightweights to a p4p ranking? those to me at least are different subjects. So are you now saying that all these fighters who you've ranked ahead of Duran at lightweight are also better than him P4P?
I'd rate Duran no higher than #3 on a lightweight list. I certainly wouldn't put him above Gans or Leonard.
I can't see how anyone could rate Arguelllo or Ambers ahead of Duran on a P4P list, but to each his own.
I don't have a problem with that, but I do think Duran is better than both in terms of all time P4P considering his accomplishments at WW, light middle, and middleweight.
Well, that depends on how you interpret pound-for-pound, what criteria you use. I think Duran's welterweight resume is good but he was a solid and legit 147-pounder by 1979 so I don't give him credit for being a "lightweight beating welterweights" like some do. Whereas I'd give Joe Gans more p4p credit for beating good welterweights while remaining around the 133-136 range. I mean, I kind of dispute the claim that Duran was a "natural lightweight" since he was clearly struggling with that limit in his mid-twenties. I'm not saying that's the only way to think of "pound for pound", but that's my own criteria. Having said that, Duran's accomplishments across the weight divisions are considerable and I'd be the first to say so.
I don't really disagree but I do think Duran's win over Barkley was huge, and that was well above his natural weight.
But wasn't that his natural weight at that time of his career? Only way he would have made lightweight then was to take an arm off.
No, he very much could have much more toned and had a far lower Body Fat Index number, I'm pretty sure of that. I'm not saying he was a natural lightweight at the age of 38 but neither was he a natural middle weight.
I don't think Duran could have made lightweight anytime in the 1980s but I don't think there's a time where he couldn't have made 147 if he would've tried.
Yeah but after the 'no mas' against Leonard and the upset against that english clubfighter soon after, welterweight was probably one weight class Duran never wanted to see again.
Well he kicked the **** out of Palomino (a former titlest) and beat arguably the 2nd best fighter in the history of the WW division, so he didn't do too badly, in my opinion.
WTF? This guy starts out at 122 ( or whatever ) in 1968, by 1972 he wins the 135 title, gets beaten once in the same year, then avenges said defeat 15 months later, and again 4 years after that, then goes up to Welter, beats Leonard in the most anticipated fight the boxing world wanted at that time, and w.a.n.k.e.r.s on ESB are pulling his Lightweight legacy apart. Yep, seems about right for an idiots playground like ESB.