Iran Barkley vs Roberto Duran

Not every post.

 

Barkley and Duran both fought well. I wouldn't say that Barkley was the one who looked 'shot' simply because the old veteran won a close decision against him. I viewed this fight a few months back, and I came to the conclusion that both boxed and brawled at times. Nobody really had the upperhand over a sustained period of time at long range or close quarters.

Duran's defense was probably even better against Leonard.

 

On every page I meant, not the thread. Sorry.

 

No worries.

 

I ****ed that up. The last page, sorry.

 

Yeh, look what it's done for mefireblood:huh:twisted::silly:toney:****off

Highly recommended:good

 

Why do you think this wouldn't go down well? It's fantastic to read someone who has been petulant and unfair about Duran in the past (I have been a Classic observer for a long time) giving the man his due for one of the very best wins of all-time. I think your thread will go down very, very well indeed. It does with me anyway. I think you are bang on in everything you say here. There are "wins" like Leonard's win over Hagler, where the winner executes a calculated gameplan and nicks a decision. Duran doesn't use those tactics here, he stands right in the eye of the storm, and, 17 years after winning the lightweight title, fights his way to the middleweight title like a timeless warrior.

There was one thing I would like to add though which I'm not sure if you noticed or not, and it is yet another layer to Duran's indisputable greatness - this fight is the best example I have ever seen of someone absorbing incredible punishment to the body without ever flinching, retreating, or modifying strategy to increase protection of that area. This is a slightly thick-around-the-middle, ageing Duran, and he takes rounds of vicious, vicious bodyshots from a huge and hard-hitting middleweight, and takes them superbly well. If Duran's body was a chin, it would be Jake LaMotta's!! :nut

 

Barkley's tactic of going to the body was sound strategy; You really cannot fault him in any way for his performance. He fought well and his gameplan was sound. Great fighter he wasn't, but in this fight he was very, very good.
Duran was just unreal that night, that's all.

 

It had to be with the accuracy & speed Ray throws those punches, Barkely was ponderous by comparison but then again, Roberto was 37 v Barkely & a prime 29 v SRL.

 

A good post and a good thread :good

 

Bloody surreal to see the size difference in this fight. This may be the best win overall in boxing history given all the circumstances,even better than foreman beating moorer at 45. Can anyone see any other lightweight in history doing this?
****in awesome is roberto....

 

It wasn't too long before the Barkley bout that Duran was in the UK and sparred with Nigel Benn. All the journos were shaking their head at watching the old man. It was universally echoed that the great man should quit. He was an overweight shell of the legend and the fact he was still fighting was bad for boxing.

I agreed with them. Nobody wants to see a faded legend getting beaten up by a much bigger man.

Iran was great friends with Davey Moore.

The truth is that Duran was faded and way past his best when he beat Moore at 154.

Unbelievable fighter. What I loved about Roberto is that he always took fights, even whent he odds were stacked against him. With all these so called legends of the ring stipulating all sorts of sh1t in their contracts I always got the feeling that Duran would have slept in his car the night ebfore a big fight if that's what he'd had to do.

As good a fighter as you'll ever see.