And Mike Tyson was listed 6 foot once. You know these guys are usually 1-2 inches shorter than listed. Duran looked barely taller than 5'5" listed Pacquiao 10 years ago. The point being Duran was increasingly dwarfed the older he got and the higher he moved up in weight, not the exact number of inches he may or may have conceeded
Benitez coud have beat the best Duran at 135 when he was 17 when he beat Kid Pambele. Styles make fights and someone always has your number, regardless of how great you are.
This is annoying. It's part and parcel of the sickening idolatry of Duran fans that suggests the only reason he could lose a fight is because of some internal switch he would himself decide to flip on or off depending on his mood at the time. It's never about any quality his opponent ever brought to the table. THEY never had anything to do with it other than to be a bit player in Duran's legend of machismo. Blech.
I only watched this in full live on television. Not too exciting as I recall. Apparently Duran trained hard so no apparent issues in that regard. However, I do recall Duran shaking his arms during the fight as if they had seized up on him and he was trying work out the fatigue. He couldn’t seem to get himself tracked on as he usually did but that can still be put down to the skill and generalship of Benetiz, including body work taking its toll.
On the flip side it's obnoxious when insecure Duran haters try to use these fights as some guage of Duran's ceiling at his peak. Everyone struggles against movers, even more so when they are moving up in weight in their 30s, and giving up every possible physical advantage. Of course he struggled against younger, faster, stronger, rangier men that were weary of inside exchanges. Who wouldn't?
Exac. I was there and you could hear the body punches and Duran grunting from them. When I saw Wilfred cold **** Maurice Hope I figured he'd be too much for Duran.
Please. Nothing to be insecure about here. Insecure about what exactly. Have you seen the fight, by the way? Benitez hardly ran. He also outfought Duran at close quarters. I'm sure you (and he) have ready excuses for that too. Your kind always does.
Do you believe a 31 year old Duran was prime at Junior Middle? If you answer Yes...you are a damn insecure fool. Everyone knows Duran's peak was at Light Weight in his 20s. If you answer No...what other excuse is necessary. Duran on this night couldn't beat a near decade younger, bigger, faster, maybe even stronger opponent while not at his best....shocking. You can only shock the world with GOAT wins so many times. You refuse to answer...we know why. He was the underdog and the fight played out largely as expected.