I seriously think that the closest fight to memory that compares best to Duran v Leonard is Pac v DLH ... I know that it's hard to compare the fighters as far as their careers but their legacies match up well. A hard hitting lightweight (not as powerful as Duran but waaay faster) against the goldenboy of boxing. (Leonard was undefeated tho)
Comparing Duran and and Pacquiao I can see without a doubt yes, but not Leonard and DLH. Not even close. IB was quicker lol.
What the ****? De La Hoya was drained down to just his frame. We're talking bones and skin. He nearly lost his life trying to make it on the scales, and we're supposed to compare this debacle to one of the greatest skill matches in the history of the sport? ****ing sigh.
I would say it was less Oscar's age and more his weight. Oscar could probably still make noise at 154lbs. At 147lbs he has no life to him.
He could only make 147lbs with the kangaroo diet. If he didn't, he never would have made weight - which would have been the smart thing in the first place. Oscar never should have attempted to come down that low. He saw Shane Mosley going back down to Welterweight, probably, and somehow thought he could duplicate it. Well, it was a horrible miscalculation. De La Hoya was beaten on the scales. Bottom line, this "fight" should never be compared to Leonard vs. Duran I.