Duran, Hagler, Leonard, Hearns. Ranking in categories

Duran's power was more of the accumulation type. He'd beat you up from beginning to end, to the head and the body, and eventually make you wilt. He had a few performances where he showed one punch KO power, and was without question a debilitating puncher, but he never had the snap and one punch power that Leonard posessed. Not just one punch power either, I believe that when Leonard had an opponent hurt, he was a better finisher, or was capable of hurting an opponent quicker with his power than Duran was (who, again, was more of an accumulation puncher).

Similar deal with Hagler, capable of showing off real displays of power occasionally, but typically an accumulation puncher. I just preferred the snap and fire Leonard would bring with his lightning combinations, usually by the end of which his opponent had taken at least a clean shot or two to the jaw and was on his ass, if not out cold.

All in all, I have no real problems with anyone ranking them similarly, as they all had slightly different kinds of power, but I just prefer Leonard for pure, one punch, snapping KO power. I think he still gets underrated in that regard.

 

I think that you may be (unintentionally) looking at his and Hagler's career selectively. Duran was a debilitating puncher and this has been attested to again and again. By the time he fought Buchanan his right was being compared to Johanssen's of all people. As Duran aged and stepped up into heavier divisions, his power was not expected to be so debilitating, but he still carried a whack that exceeded Leonard's. Do you see Ray Leonard putting down Barkley in the 11th round or even a juiced up Vinnie Paz in his 40s? I don't.

Hagler could punch like hell but by 1983 he was slowing down rapidly and just as fame and fortune were coming for him. He could still punch like hell, but he became more of an accumulation puncher then (see Mugabi) as guys who age almost inevitably do. As Leonard aged, he was stopping no one this side of Donny Lalonde. Incidentally, Leonard's last KO was as far back as 1980.

I'll give you this much, Leonard had underrated power even if arguing that he had more power than Duran or Hagler is overstating it. Leonard's punches were the sharpest and the smoothest. He punched artistically.

 

Not at lightweight, at lightweight he KOed load of guys with single shots, he is only behind Hearns on power here.

 

Even at Lightweight, the majority of his KO's were after a large accumulation of punishment, typically after 10 rounds or so when their resistance had faded considerably. He was never the type of guy to go out there and KO cold his opponents early on or while they were still fresh like Hearns was, nor what Leonard was on occcasion.

 

Duran Koed more guys early with single shots than Leonard. He was a p4p better puncher than Hagler and Leonard.

At lightweight most of his KOs came early, such was Durans power he could kock you out early or late with a single punch - have you seen many of his lightweight fights?

 

Doesn't seem like you have. It's a fact that the majority of his KO's at the weight came in the later rounds (usually around the 9th or 10th), at least when he was facing suitable opposition rather than the cans he'd take out to keep in shape in between fights. Marcel (TKO10, which was an absurd stoppage in the first place), Kobayashi (KO7), Buchanan (TKO13 in another ridiculous set of circumstances), Hector Thompson (TKO8 ), Guts Suzuki (TKO10), Dejesus (TKO11), Lampkin (KO14), Bizzarro (KO14), Villa (TKO7), Fernandez (KO13), Dejesus (KO12).

That was a brief run-through of all of his meaningful stoppage wins at LW (as he went the distance with quite a few as well), all of them coming past the 6th, most of them of the TKO variety. He did have a lot of early stoppages against inferior opposition in between these, but against noone of any real note. That's not to say he didn't have real power. His punches were debilitating, I've said it before, but he was more of an accumulation puncher than a one punch KO artist or an early KO wiz. His punches would hurt you and wear you down rather than flat out blast you out of there, as Leonard's could.

His best examples of an early KO or showing of strong power would've been against a post-Hearns Cuevas at WW. But those performances were few and far between.

I've never seen Duran stop anyone as emphatically with as cracking a punch (or series) as Leonard unleashed when he damn near put Davey Boy Green in a coma. Leonard generally felt out Bruce Finch early on before deciding to step on the gas, and as soon as he did Finch was on his back and on the defensive for the rest of the night prior to the early KO. Against guys like Ranzany, Mayweather, Gonzalez, etc. the power he showed in lighting them up with single shots or combinations was unlike anything I've seen from Duran, even if a guy like Gonzalez wasn't exactly a name opponent.

They had different kinds of power. Duran was better at wearing you down and beating you up with his, whereas Leonard was better at lighting you up at a moment's notice, which is why in terms of pure power I rate him just behind Hearns (Leonard's fight with Hearns is another to take into serious consideration when looking at his power, BTW, as he had Hearns hurt nearly every time he landed with anything sufficient).

 

The one who couldn't be outboxed: Hearns

 

A beautifully placed shot indeed that one. However, Green had been KOd twice previously by Palomino and 8 months before Leonard by a nondescript non-banger named Joergen Hanson. Palomino took him out with one shot if my memory is right.

Green's chin could not be compared to say, Ray Lampkin's:
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---Lampkin was unconscious for 30 minutes and had convulsions after that one. See :20. He had a massive concussion and his left leg was temporaily paralyzed. Keep in mind that Lampkin was not only the number one contender, he was never stopped before and only once after Duran in his last fight (against Randy Shields).

Vinnie Curto was a MW out of East Boston trained by Dundee during Duran's heyday. Tough guy, never stopped til his 66th fight. He was sparring down in the hot Fifth Street Gym in Miami and Duran laid him out. Curto later said that every shot hurt. Duran was knocking middleweights down and sometimes out while he was wearing 16 ounce gloves. Dundee actually checked Duran's gloves after he put down Curto and said that they were both heavy and waterlogged.

Duran's power was not only still decent 30 pounds past his division when he was in his 40s, it unabated late in the fight which is a true testimony to superior guns as Bizzaro (who was also not stopped before this) will tell you:
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See 5:40.

Finally, there's conventional boxing wisdom. I've never heard a serious argument before yours that has Leonard's power ranked above Duran and Hagler's. That doesn't necessarily mean that you are wrong, hell, you may be a revolutionary thinker! I just think that it's more likely that conventional boxing wisdom is right. It usually is.

 

He gave Lampkin a beating for 14 rounds prior to stopping him though. I've acknowledged many times Duran's thudding power, the kind which makes an opponent wilt, but not quite the kind that Leonard posessed in that he could genuinely hurt or stop you with a single shot or combo at any point in the fight. Duran usually broke his opponents down before making them succumb under his aggression and barrage late in the fights, whereas Ray could turn the tide at pretty much any instant. Duran had the ability to do so as well at times, just not with quite as much snap and crack to his punches.

I see your points, I don't disagree with them, I just happen to think we're talking about two different kinds of punchers here. One of them a debilitating, wear you down style. The other a one punch/combination banger. I just happen to favor those who can hurt/stop you with a lesser quantity of shots when comparing strictly power, not overall punching ability and skills.

Hagler is difficult to place IMO, because he had a bit of both kinds of power in his game.

 

Actually, Lampkin was doing pretty well and had his moments. And the fact that Duran knocked him cold late doesn't detract from the power argument. Duran could end a fight with a single body shot like he did against Brooks, and he could hurt a man who was fresh or had momentum with one shot -and as I asserted in the first retort, it is highly, highly unlikely that Leonard would have enough power to drop a juiced SMW Vinnie Paz or a full-blown, peak MW Iran Barkley.

Leonard was the sharper puncher, Duran was a debilitating puncher. The Hands of Stone was just that, and Ray Leonard was a good if less of a puncher... but to call him a "banger" is tough to accept.

...well, to each his own.

 

Handspeed.
1. Leonard
2. Hearns
3. Duran
4. Hagler

Footspeed.
1. Leonard
2. Hearns
3. Duran
4. Hagler

Power.
1. Hearns
2. Duran
2. Hagler there all joint
2. Leonard

Jab.
1. Hearns
2. Hagler
3. Leonard
4. Duran

Body punching and to ability fight inside.
1. Duran
2. Hagler
3. Leonard
4. Hearns

Defense all round.
1. Hagler
2. Duran
3. Leoanrd
4. Hearns

Chin; ability to absorb punches and recover from a knockdown.
1. Hagler
2. Duran
3. Leonard
4. Hearns

A. Intelligence; B. ring generalship and C. tactics.
1. Duran
2. Hagler (he didnt really need a B and C plan though )
3. Leomard
4. Hearns

Ability to set pace of a fight.
1. Hagler
2. Leonard
3. Duran ( but only if you let him)
4. Hearns