So at Jnr Middle, how does Terrible Terry Norris go against Tommy Hearns or Duran? I think perhaps he could have gotten a decision over Roberto but Hearns puts him on the canvas cold.
Hearns would´ve destroyed him, McCallum the 2nd best (in my opinion) light-middle would have stopped him late in a closer fight. Duran probably would have lost on points but if he pissed Norris off enough Terry might have stupidly try to stop Duran. If he did that Hands of stone would break him down of mid rounds ko.
Hearns by KO. Terry drops like he’s been hit by a sniper shot. Terry toys with Roberto, mix of footwork and precision punching against a guy who just doesn’t have the quickness (at this weight), snap or gusto to do much about it. Somewhat like Leonard 3 for Duran.
Yep, If Norris stayed disciplined and stuck to boxing, as he did in the Brown rematch, he'd probably box circles around Duran. Always thought Norris slugged more than he had to though, and would get himself into trouble he didn't have to be in (see Troy Waters fight). Really depends on which Norris shows up. Norris' lack of discipline cost him several L's in his career. Norris-Hearns would have been fun while it lasted. Hearns by KO is the obvious pick. Would have been interesting to see what effect Norris' power would have had on Hearns though, as Tommy's chin wasn't rock-solid either. I'd go with Tommy within 5.
Nobody boxes circles around a well trained Duran. Duran is one of the very greatest boxers to ever live. Unfortunately, by the time he was a super welter he was not always well prepared. Still, he was good enough to beat Terry by decision, probably dropping him at some point.
Hearns obliterates him while i am somewhat unsure of Duran. He struggled with speed and movement at the higher weights but Terry was sometimes his own worst enemy too. At the peak of his powers Norris took two goes to beat Simon Brown. He was very impressive in the return tho as he moved superbly and was rarely in the firing line long enough for Brown to counter. This would be his best bet of beating Duran.........could Duran still catch him often enough to wreck that chin? @Tin_Ribs bit of a tough one here?
There are definitely scenarios where Duran wins that fight, but the Terry Norris of the Brown rematch? I think that particular version of Norris, with the safety-first approach and constant lateral movement would have caused problems for any 154+ version of Duran. No doubt Duran is an ATG, greater than Norris for sure, but I think that style would have been a problem for Duran. I know I'm probably in the minority, but FWIW, it's the same reason I think Michael Nunn from the Tate fight would probably win a somewhat comfortable decision over Duran at 160 as well. I believe the constant movement, hand/foot speed, and refusal to engage is just all wrong for Duran at the higher weights.
It depends on a lot in regards to Hearns - he could sometimes abandoned his advantages and I could see Terry trying to blitzkreig Hearns with success, Not likely to be a success but possible.
Shocked at everyone picking Tommy when even at his best his chin was suspect ... Norris the same but has his own exceptional speed and power ... favor Hearns as 154 was his best weight but Norris could surprise ... Norris defeats Duran who was past his best by that time ..
Hearns might well KO Norris in the end but I think Terry would have his moments. Still, I pick the Htiman ultimately by KO. Norris could outmanoeuvre Duran at this weight, the way he boxed an old Leonard or, as has been mentioned, Simon Brown in the rematch. He wasn’t Wilfred Benitez defensively, though, so I can see Duran having his moments and if Norris came at him like he went at Simon Brown in the first fight, that would be tactical suicide.
‘A well-trained Roberto’ - aye, there’s the rub. At 154, how many times did Roberto turn up wel-trained and focussed? Let’s say we take his two most notable wins at the weight… Pipino Cuevas and Davey Moore. Neither of those guys fights like Norris and both were in front of Duran where he needed them to be. If he had to go looking for his opponent, like with Benitez, he struggled (plus, well, he was fighting Wilfred Benitez). Duran was an erratic performer at 154 so I think his best chance is for Norris to come to him - the outcome depends on how Norris approaches things and Norris was unpredictable in that way as well. But if Terry employed a safety first approach, then I’d expect him to win at this weight.
