Did you think Duran was gonna bounce back after "No Mas"?

Most would say no if they're old enough to remember. Kovalev in similar position right now.

 

He didn't exactly bounce back from "No Mas", his progress was very slow.
He looked poor against Nino Gonzalez, an unknown, in his next fight, and not much better against Luigi Minchillo. Both those fights well the full 10 rounds. Then he lost two in a row - Wilfred Beniitez and Kirkland Laing.
Then looked even more dreadful against the very ordinary Jimmy Batten, again going 10 rounds.

It wasn't until 1983 he impressed anyone again. With a stoppage win over Cuevas, a title-winning stoppage over Davey Moore, and going 15 rounds with middleweight champion Hagler.

 

No. I thought he'd be poison to the promoters and they wouldn't touch him again.

 

Knew Duran was gonna bounce back
Thats what great fighters do

 

Great post. Says it all.

 

I have to be honest and say "No" Like a lot of people I thought it was all over for him. He ranged from ordinary to terrible looking against Nino Gonzalez,Luigi Minchillo,Wilfred Benitez,Kirkland Laing and Jimmy Batten. Then came 1983 and the fire,if not his best form,was regained against Pipino Cuevas and Davey Moore followed by a very respectable showing in the Marvin Hagler bout. A mark of a great fighter - Just when you think it's all over they surprise us.

 

Duran says that he never uttered those words. Says that it was made up by the press.

 

This old Sports Illustrated article covering the Duran-Moore fight gives a good sense of how bleak things looked for Duran during the post-No Mas nadir of his career: https://www.si.com/vault/1983/06/27/626138/he-that-was-lost-has-been-found

 

Actually, come to think of it, his three fights in 1983 and his 1989 win against Barkely are about the only 4 fights post-1980 where he looked truly world class. The rest of the time he was like you'd expect an old once-great fighter to look, no longer great.

 

He really didn't show anything until the Cuevas fight. When he fought Benitez Leonard was announcing and he said Duran looked sluggish early and I was thinking the same thing. For some reason if he was motivated after 30 he could turn in a great performance. If not......

 

Yeah, he was not really knocked out cold or anything. He came back after Hearns knocked him cold.. He has a lot of heart and so did Hearns. Both guys were knocked out and kept coming back. As it turned out the guys who were Ray's two biggest opponents had more heart then him to come back, yet Ray beat both. So Ray won the battle but those two won the war in a way. Duran didn't look bad vs. Benitez, just outclassed. Against Cuevas he had that great style and a diminished Cuevas -3 years removed from the Hearns fight. Moore? 11 fights, good win ,but not an elite. Hagler and Duran fought a counterpunching fight. Not as big an accomplishment for Duran as people think. He went 15 but lost. Got demolished by Hearns in a weight he was champ in also. a few years later beats Barkley to win the mid title... He had perseverance.

 

Yes I thought he would bounce back in the ring....something was off that night he wasn't washed up....he was not the same guy

I didn't think fans would let him and many never let him no matter what he did

 

EXCELLENT post!

 

Your attempt at a point is completely skewed. Actually it's terrible.

Leonard was only ever stopped in his very last fight after having been out of the ring for 6 years at 40 odd.

Hearns lost by stoppage to Leonard pre peak. He also lost by stoppage around his peak. Barkley also stopped him when his prime was tailing.

Duran didn't win many big fights excepting Barkley post Hearns.

The stoppage loss Ray put on Tommy was probably no more grueling than the Duran loss for Leonard. Leonard came straight back for more.

The fact is no-one was good enough to stop SRL in his prime. He had no need to come back from KO losses and the like, unlike Tommy and Duran.