After Hearns/Duran

Keep in mind many were picking Duran to defeat Tommy coming in ... Hearns was decloaked by Leonard. His ability to take punishment and his stamina were huge question marks. He did not show big power yet at 154. Duran had beaten Moore, Cuevas and went a good 15 with Hagler ... the way Hearns destroyed him was a huge shock. No one predicted it ...

 

Duran is worse than Toney.

Where do you rank Duran p4p, all-time? As a LW?

 

Old Stonehands. :good

 

I recall reading an interview with Manny Steward some years back. In it he stated that the young, brash arrogant Duran, circa the period 1980/81, sneered gruffly at most of the other fighters Steward saw him encounter - all except for Hearns. In it he said that Duran's demeanor changed the second Hearns walked into a room, and that Duran would show some respect and greet Hearns.

Steward found this curious.

He also noticed a different sort of tension from Duran leading into their fight, even just after the official announcement of the match was made.

Steward - biased as he may or may not be - felt that Duran was always somewhat intimidated by Hearns on a "chemistry" level.

Food for thought.

 

He didn't look confident on fight night that's for sure. For those who stated that he almost beat Hagler, to me is a myth. Those scorecards are reminiscent of Whitaker-Chavez. I had Hagler dominating from rounds 5 onward and taking the last two. He won by at least 5 points on my card and still would have won comfortably had he lost the last two rounds...thank God he didn't.

 

I think that got mentioned in Four Kings as well.

 

Agreeing with you on Hagler's "close" win over Duran. I felt Marvin was comfortably winning whereas the expectation was the he would emphatically win or trounce Duran. Getting cut added to Duran's strong showing.

I have always held that a foe could "get in the back door" with Marv by getting into his head. I believe Duran managed to do this on some level, and that Marv afforded him too much respect early in the match. In any event, Hagler won by a good margin in my books.

 

This is what I was alluding to when I wrote my first post in this thread:

"A brief editorial from a Duran fan more sensible(? honest?) than Duranimal. I am not sure that Duran's willingness to fight Hearns was courage or obliviousness. Duran was a tough hombre who did not have a normal man's fear in him -despite what Manny Steward has said."

I take his observations with a 7 lb grain of salt.

Maybe Duran was having real stomach cramps that day or was otherwise ill.

Maybe he just received word that his wife just gambled away that $500 grand Duran got up front.

Maybe Hearns looked like voodoo on a stick to his superstitious Panamanian mind.

.........Maybe Steward has Bert Sugaritus.

 

I can't really provide an accurate answer since my knowledge of a lot of lesser known, but great boxers like Barney Ross, Ike Williams, etc, is lacking. All i can say is that i'd have Duran in my top20 p4p, and top10 at LW. And in the latter case, he could probably take any of the ten spots in the top10.... there have simply been so many great lightweights that it's hard to separate them. For instance, i don't have the impression that there are one or two who are so far ahead of the rest like Ali and Louis are at heavyweight, that they are a lock for the top2.

Just in case this conversation becomes to civilized, i'll finish by saying that i consider Duran vs Mayweather (Jr.) a 50/50 fight, and if forced to pick, going with Predator's child by UD. :yep

 

Man he's put on so much weight. He tells a good story though.

 

BoxingInsider.com: Hardest punchers you faced?

Roberto Duran: “Hearns and Barkley. And DeJesus.”

 

"I never felt it hit," said Duran. "It was like, suddenly, I was down, and when I got up I was terribly confused."

"My problem was that I brawled with him and lost my head. That's when I screwed up. My corner told me something after the first round, but I can't remember what it was because I am still a little dizzy. Damn, I tried to get under those long arms, and he knocked me crazy with that right hand. Now I have to go home to Panama to see what they think."

 

Of course you would. I'm guessing that you've seen "A Clockwork Orange". I'm considering chaining you to a chair, clamping your eyelids open, and forcing you to watch every Duran fight on film from 1971-1978. I'd analyze the fight via microphone and stick a speaker in your ear. That'd learn yah.

This conversation should remain civilized. We are discussing a gentleman's sport after all. Which means that I will shake your hand after you wake up.

 

Yep. And then he went home and got arrested.

 

"The better man won," Duran said, after two judges had given Hagler the victory by one point, the other by two.

I guess that's one occasion in which he wasn't making excuses.