Roberto Duran vs. Felix Trinidad

I'll make this poll w/ yet another special "twist". It's at 160. The version of Duran that Iran Barkley got versus the version of Tito that Joppy got.

 

IMO, this is a tough one to predict. Trinidad might well do a Hearns job on Duran at 160. However, Duran showed against Hagler and Barkley that he was durable against natural middleweights with more than average power.

 

I'll say Trinidad on points. Duran may be winning during the course of the fight, but then tires from the extra weight. Tito, being the bigger guy, is better suited to 160 IMO.

 

Duran wins surprisingly easy at 147 ..

 

Id prefer the Hagler Duran to the Barkley Duran...But even then I think it would be quite close still.
Probably a debatable decision like Iran fight.

 

Trinidad's corner throws in the towel in the 11th round.

 

Tito isn't Hearns. Duran will not be stopped by him. Tito is one-dimensional and straight-forward. Not a puzzle that Duran won't measure and exploit after a few rounds.

UD -less controversial than Barkley. Duran will stagger him more than once, if he doesn't put him down.

 

just duran 6-5-1

 

For the record, how many welterweights would you pick over Duran? at 147 or 160?

 

Duran by early-mid stoppage. Trinidad isn't in Durans class.

 

Yep. :good

 

The Duran that beat Palomino would be very tough to be beat for any WW short of Robinson, Gavilan, Hearns, Leonard, Benitez, Napoles, Griffith --the elite of the class. The Duran that beat Leonard was twice as good as the one who beat Palomino in my opinion -the only WWs I'd favor over that version would be Robinson, Gavilan and possibly Napoles. Hearns I'd give 50/50 at best. Benitez posed real problems stylistically for Duran... he was not only defensively ingenious, he was also (unlike Pernell) heavy-handed ...and Duran respected that. I don't know about him. An underestimated key for Duran's effectiveness against WWs like Leonard, Hearns, et al. was his legs. They worked very well to get him inside.

And that's his problem at 160. He exceeded himself against Barkley, but Barkley was there for him. The Hagler version was actually better. The MW Duran relied on his cleverness and a good swat and still enough to beat many guys who like to stand and trade but movers would by then have been problematic. Legs of Stone. Lots of MW champs would have beaten that version, but that isn't so much of a slam because Duran, a natural LW with a short, square frame had no business in that division -particularly in his 30s and beyond.

 

An addendum: I'd favor Burley against any version of Duran. Perhaps Holman Williams as well.

 

Excellent & spot on IMO:good Maybe this may help in the fistic education ov some ov the keyboard/boxrec warriors that infest ESB but i would'nt put $$$ on it:smoke

 

great stuff SH