Prime Roberto Duran 1977 vs Prime Julio Caesar Chavez 1987

Would almost certainly be a thrilling fight, but I can't look past Duran here. He just had that bit more class and cunning as a fighter than Chavez. If there are any areas where Chavez is superior, then I think the margins must generally be pretty small, and not that relevant here based on styles and weight. I don't totally rule out Duran stopping Chavez very late on, but for the most part I'd be happy to back Duran by decision here. Very competitive fight but a clear enough edge to Duran on the cards.

 

And yet, that has absolutely nothing to do with handspeed.

Duran was quicker of both hand and foot. It's not even debatable.

 

Chris summed it well. Any advantages Chavez had over Duran were pretty small. While Duran had rather big advantages over Chavez... namely in speed, power, defense, creativity, and versatility.

I've never heard a Chavez fan mount a COMPELLING argument for Chavez winning.

He's outgunned in virtually every way possible.

And to put the icing on the cake, Duran's resume of wins blows Chavez's resume of wins out the water.

 

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One man's crowning achievement was beating Ray Leonard.

The other man's crowning achievement was needing Richard Steele to beat the homeless man's Ray Leonard.

They are not the same.

 

Glad to see you posting Richard,
all my arguments are present in one manner or another i just thought I'd say ello.

 

I’m a huge Chavez fan ...but Duran is better

 

Chavez with a hand speed advantage? Which Chavez are you talking about?

I'd give Julio a shot to win. He's tough as nails, had great energy for the later rounds, and had a good left to the body to bother Duran. Duran I think has questionable bully like intangibles. Chavez is the type of fighter who would stand up to that and not yield.

Duran should win, if he fights the right type of fight and doesn't make it a war unless there are times when he has to.

 

I think we get Duran the boxer-puncher that unveiled his evolution in DeJesus III. He outslicks JC Superstar and walks away with a 15-round decision, something like 10-5 or 11-4 in rounds.

 

That is hand speed its getting your fist from point A to B. Its only retroactive that people act like Duran was some master boxer and its based on what he did at higher weights. But at 135 and even 147 he did not have especially quick hands. Anyway Chavez for sure has quicker and more accurate hands than Duran

 

Duran definitely had quicker hands. Lots of it has to do with being able to leave himself open and just throw wildly, when he was bullying people. No way in hell he can bully Julio at 135. Nobody in history can. I doubt anyone in history can even hurt a prime Julio at 135 or 140. Dude had ****** strength chin and head. I can see the left to the body bother Duran. When Duran goes on his barrages Julio can counter with the straight right. No way he backs down or gets gun shy. He will connect with the straight right for sure.
Both have amazing defense. Julio severely underrated here. Duran had the foot and hand speed. Julio's style wasnt one to move around though. He cut the ring off with his shoulders, head, and elbows.

 

I'll take Duran with confidence. He as complete of a fighter as they come.

 

Are you new to the sport or something? Duran was considered a master BEFORE he fought Leonard.

Duran was considered the P4P best fighter in the world BEFORE he moved up in weight, and was being called the greatest lightweight ever BEFORE he moved up in weight. His skills were plenty heralded before he moved up in weight as well. Makes me think you've never watched his lightweight reign or something.

Despite Chavez's more compact punching, Duran STILL got from point A to point B faster and more effectively than Julio, and did so against a much deeper level of competition.

Going by YOUR logic, you could say that Alexis Arguello had faster hands than Ray Leonard. Afterall, Arguello threw straighter punches...

You're literally arguing something that nobody else in history has ever argued for, and you look like a fool.

Even the most ardent Chavez fans who have debated this matchup have conceded that Duran was faster than Chavez... of both hand and foot. It's not a category that's even up for debate here.