Ismael Laguna vs Roberto Duran

Good thread mate, I've thought about this one quite a lot in the past. Laguna was slicker than an oil spill at his best and could be a nightmare for any lightweight in history on his day. Then again, this is Duran we're talking about. I'd probably favour Duran by decision; Laguna's reach, speed and movement would trouble him at times but Ismael was fading a little bit by 1970 and would have been easier to catch even if Duran wasn't quite the slipping, feinting, all-round wrecking machine of later years.

Good fight though, wasn't it in the works before Laguna lost to Buchanan?

 

"The bloke I beat would have won easy". Yawn. Heard it all before.

 

Buchanan would've most likely said the same thing too. I reckon I would if somebody gave me a sidewinder in the bollocks....

 

Duran would have hunted him down and smothered him in my book. Not sure if he would have stopped him but he would have beated him.

 

Bout would look something like Duran Marcel for the first ten rounds, but with Duran punishing Laguna in the last third of the fight and probably stopping him around the 12th or 13th.

 

Laguna was a better boxer imo, but not as resilient as Ken.

 

I thought Laguna actually beat Buchanan in their first fight, even though Buchanan came on strong in the last third to make it close. In their second fight Laguna seemed a little slower, a little less elastic and Ken clearly took it, although it was still a close fight.

As for what tactics to use to beat Duran, I'm not sure really. I don't favour any other lightweight to beat a top form Duran I don't think. Best chance imo is if you are a Sandy Saddler lightweight equivalent, that is a skilled, tough as nails fighter willing to scrap and claw on the inside and physically very strong. Armstrong, Chavez and Williams probably have these qualities, and would have close fights with Duran, but I'm not sure any of them get the job done. Perhaps Williams with his punching power might turn the trick.

The other tactic is to be a tough as nails boxer, with good lateral movement, that can deal with the strength of Duran. A tougher Willie Pep would have been ideal, as lateral movement is a real key if you are to box with Duran. Guys like Laguna and Whitaker that don't use lateral movement all that often would get caught too often imo. Perhaps a Benny Leonard type could do the trick, though again, I still favour Duran there, albeit it's hard to judge too much just by looking at the footage of Benny available. Floyd Mayweather has good lateral movement, but doesn't let his hands go enough to beat Duran. He'd give Duran fits, but lose just about every round imo by close margins.

 

What is your definition of lateral movement? I've always thought Whitaker was probably the best ever off the backfoot, and that Laguna had tremendous footspeed and ring generalship. Mayweather on the other hand has never been the best in that sense IMO, often too willing to fight backwards in straight lines which puts him in more compromising positions.

 

I think to beat Duran you'd need more lateral movement than boxers like Whitaker and Laguna use. Whitaker and Laguna were almost always in range, and against a guy as strong and accurate as Duran, that's too long. Subtle shifts (up and down and off the back foot in Whitaker's case and bobbing left and right and in and out in Laguna's case) won't be enough. They will need to vacate the premises and be out of range for long periods of the fight if they are to beat him.

Probably the best example of someoen that could beat Duran imo is Hector Camacho with a heart. Someone that can move well laterally, that can flurry and score points quickly and then get out of there. Of course, Duran would massacre Camacho himself, but imagine Camacho's style with someone like Whitaker's heart.

 

They'd need better defense than Camacho too. He wasn't all that hard to find. Add in some of Whitaker's reflexes in avoiding shots. :good

 

Agree with the first sentence mate even if Laguna couldn't do it enough to win. I think it's safe to say that the Duran of the Leonard rematch wasn't at his peak though. It DID work though, no denying that. From what I've read (I haven't seen it), would the Bizzarro fight be an example of negative tactics frustrating Duran?