I'm never actually watched any of his fights apart from when Duran punched him in his plums but I am obviously aware of the very high regard he's held in and that he was a great fighter. RIP Roberto Duran: Best I've Faced BEST SKILLS Ken Buchanan: Buchanan was one of the great lightweights when it came to tactics and skill. His intelligence made him very difficult to beat even though he wasn't a very strong opponent. Sugar Ray Leonard was faster and stronger but Buchanan had tremendous skills. BEST JAB Buchanan: He was tall, boxed well and his lateral movement was extremely good. Buchanan's jab was difficult to deal with because he threw it on the move. BEST DEFENSE Buchanan: He was hard to hit cleanly. I was very young, lacked experience, and Buchanan had been world champion for a long time. A lot of people will expect me to say Wilfred Benitez or Leonard when it comes to defense but I wasn't prepared properly for Benitez or the Leonard rematch. Davey Moore, who I beat easily, knocked Benitez out so there's no comparison there. I was coming into my prime against Buchanan and he made me miss often. BEST CHIN Marvelous Marvin Hagler: I hit Hagler with a lot of punches and he just kept coming. I didn't find him as skillful as some of the opponents I faced but he was the toughest. BEST PUNCHER Esteban De Jesus: De Jesus was the first opponent to knock me down and he had me down again in the second fight. When I lost to Thomas Hearns I was drained from losing weight too quickly, and that had a bad effect on me. Hearns got me with a great punch but I could have performed far better in a rematch. Marvin Hagler, who is a good friend of mine, told Hearns the only reason he knocked me out is because I wasn't at my best. FASTEST HANDS Sugar Ray Leonard: He was the fastest fighter I ever fought but in the first fight I saw everything that was coming at me. FASTEST FEET Buchanan: At lightweight the opponents were much swifter on their feet and, back then, we were boxing in 15-round fights. Buchanan always kept on the move but I caught up with him eventually. That victory means a lot to me. SMARTEST Leonard: It's hard to give you one name but Leonard stands out because he made adjustments during fights. STRONGEST Hagler: It was an extremely close fight but he got me tired late. Even though I built myself up to middleweight, Hagler was much bigger and used his strength on the inside. After making weight, a fighter rehydrates and there was a big difference there. Still, even when I was tired, Hagler couldn't get me down. There was no way I was going to get the decision but some fans and reporters thought I'd done enough. Hagler had big American fights pending with Leonard and Hearns so there was a lot of money at stake. BEST OVERALL Leonard: I have to say Sugar Ray Leonard because look at what he did in his career after he lost to me. It takes a lot to come back from defeat and Leonard did it.
Listen, non-Tux bow ties...I don't respect them. And 60% of the time, I cannot even respect the men wearing them. But Ken Buchanan was a sharp motherflipper in that ring and respect.
What was the bad part about this? Ken was screwed out of the Duran fight. That blatant punch t Kens testes, after the bell to end the round, should have caused Duran to be DQ'd When they interviewed Lo Bianco , the ref, after he claimed the punch was before the bell & was a legitimate body shot. When they played a replay Lo Bianco just walked away R.I.P. Ken one of Great Britains finest
A true great. Beautiful boxer and would have liked to see him get a rematch with Duran. Underrated today.