Benny Leonard v Roberto Duran

Amen. Benny Leonard was champion for SEVEN years, ruling over the greatest array of lightweights in history.Alltime greats such as -
johnny Dundee
Freddie Welsh
Johnny kilbane
Lew Tendler
Charlie White
Richie Mitchell
Rocky Kansas
Joe Welling
Ever Hammer
Leonard kod 69 out of 212 bouts, carrying many it is said ,so he woulkd get fights...He was the Ray Robinson of his times, a great mobile boxer,
and a murderous two handed puncher, by all accounts..Never ducked
anyone of note his weight...
Conclusion= Leonard and Ike Williams [primes] over Duran IMO...

 

Well, Duran was champ for over 6 years, but of course his competition was not as exalted as Leonard's.
Leonard had a fast ,accurate, and heavy straight right ,but I don't think of him as a murderous puncher. I too would put Ike and Benny above Duran, but I would slot Gans in at no2 behind Benny.:good

 

Agreed-Leonard could hit..a fast and explosive puncher with two hands...He kod a bull in rocky kansas, noted for his strenght and durability
and kod the rugged Ever Hammer..A faster and bigger boxing Arguello...
Everyone of the writers i have read,who has seen the peak benny Leonard
called him the greatest lightweight they have ever seen..Including Ray Arcel, whi did seethe prime Leonard, although NOT his trainer at the time.
Nat Fleischer, picked Joe gans as No.!, followed by Leonard..
The best I saw was Ike williams in prime when he annihilated the great
and poweful Beau Jack in Philly, 1948...
P.S. I mean Benny Leonard, "a faster, bigger Alexis Arguello "...

 

ike williams, roberto duran and alexis arguello are my top 3 of all time at lightweigh

 

ripcity, you're such an amazing poster. I wish I were as great a poster as you.

 

Howdy Burt. Nice post and a great list. Hard to argue with a resume like that. But here's my POV:

I picked Duran based on the power factor. Guys like Charley White, Richie Mitchell and Lew Tendler proved that Leonard can be reached, hurt badly and even floored on occasion. I believe that, like the above mentioned three, Roberto would indeed hurt and floor Benny during the fight. The difference is that Duran would be able to finish what those three couldn't.

As you pointed out, Leonard's skills were never better when he was faced with a straight-ahead, "damn the torpedoes" fighter like Rocky Kansas or Ever Hammer. But when faced with a multi-talented battler like Freddie Welsh, Lew Tendler or Johnnie Dundee Benny had his problems(Benny was never able to figure out Dundee and their many fights were more evenly matched than Jack Britton and Ted Kid Lewis in their series). Duran, like those three, was a mutli-talented fighter who could beat you in a number of ways- boxing, punching, counterpunching....you name it. Plus he hit harder than those gents and was deceptively slippery on defense(watch him slip and roll with punches vs Davey Moore). It's hard for me to imagine Benny being able to survive a Duran onslaught once Roberto had him hurt.

But strong arguments can be made either way:smoke

 

I disagree I believe Duran, Whitaker, Williams and Armstrong would all of beaten Benny Leonard when all were at their best .

 

I don't know that Duran hit any harder than Charlie White, who was a devastating left hooker.White knocked Leonard out of the ring, in the 5th, only to have Benny get back in and knock him down 5 times in the 9th rd for a stoppage.

 

I should have made myself more clear. I meant that Duran hit harder than Dundee, Welsh and Tendler. White may indeed have been the harder hitter, I agree. Good call.

But Roberto was definitely the greater FINISHER:bbb. That's ultimately what I think wins him this one.

 

I agree,arguments could be made for several great lightweights...
It is true that Leonard had his troubles with johnny Dundee, certainly
one of the greatest and fastest little men of them all.
But the peak Duran had troubles with the likes of Estaban De Jesus,
Edward Viruet, Saol Mamby,who certainly not in the pantheon of
the great Johnny Dundee who had 335 fights, and was stopped only
TWICE..
Yes Benny Leonard was cdropped by the great powerful left hooking
Charlie White, and hard hitting Richie Mitchell...But like Joe Louis'
Benny Leonard was not to be denied, got up and kod, these two
powerful punchers...i believe Leonard certainly faced and BEAt better
lightweights than Roberto Duran...b.b.

 

Could you please name who Leonard faced and beat that was better than Duran :blood

 

Although I think Duran was the best fighter I have seen in my era and that includes Ali. I think if we could have enlarged Duran he would have beaten Ali. When we talk of Leonard and I look back at his career and the few films I have seen of him but talking to a lot of old time experts I have heard over the years he was the best at 135 ever. Neither man has faced an opponent like the other but both were great. I think it would be a competitive fight but I lean towards Benny in a battle of the 2 top2 in overall skill at 135

 

I implied that Benny Leonard beat better lightweights than Roberto Duran
FOUGHT...I did not say better than Roberto Duran !
Duran to me was a pocket Jack Dempsey of his prime...Roberto was a GREAT fighter for sure...

 

good analysis Burt. I always thought Duran reminded me of a smaller version Jack Dempsey, a ferocious quick handed puncher. A lot of people don't see him that way. Leonard I was told was one of the smartest fighters to enter the ring and although he had very good power, it was his clever instincts and ring intelligence along with his power and agility that made him the # 1 lightweight of all- time. This is a competitive battle but I favor Benny in a classic battle

 

An early Duran circa the Buchanan fight may've resembled Dempsey in some respects. The more polished Duran from the mid to late 70's was a far superior and more varied technical fighter, though.