I love his stamina, grit and durability combined with an all round good skill set. A sharp but not hard puncher using classic methods and carrying it out until the end. Carmen Basilio with much better boxing skills. I'd definitely pick him over Alexis Arguello, and in the past have chosen him over Julio Cesar Chavez and Beau Jack. He was better than Esteban De Jesus, and would have likely split a 2-1 series with him had Duran not been around. There is not a single lightweight I'd expect to have an easy time with Buchanan. Somebody say some more things.
That's all good and well, but the guy had testicular durability issues that seperate him from the true greats of the sport, clearly.
This is always going to hold him back in H2H match-ups with the true greats like Duran and Golota. Buchanan could never hang with a guy like Golota with those glass balls.
He probably would have caught up with DeJesus over the distance, but I'd expect him to get badly whipped for the first 6 or so rounds before his trademark grit and stamina bring him back into the equation. Ken was a great fighter, but besides a strong jab his offense was pretty poor and his defense is overrated.
Buchanan was a very good fighter, better than Watt for sure, but Kenny has enjoyed the exposure that modern media hype and the overating that comes with todays modern game. Scotland has produced many fine fightetrs far better than Buchanan, some who were simply just National Champions in a period when the British Title was like a world title - little Jim Brady (Dundee), for example. Tommy Milligan Elky Clarke Jake Kilrain Bert Gilroy Johnny McGrory Ken Shaw And Peter Keenan, just to name a few. Buchanan is slightly overated, there were many better!
Roberto Duran once named Ken as his toughest ever opponent. This was after he'd fought Leonard,Hearns and Hagler !!
Not so much better. Watt gave Ken a gruelling fight. Buchanan maybe just past his best by then, Watt an up and comer. Still, Watts prime was much later.
Ken Buchanan a good fighter. Gets alot of credit for the way he performed versus Roberto Duran. Did that fight with Duran take alot out of him,,??? It sure appeared that it did. He reminds me of Hilmer Kenty. Tall, good jab, mediocre power, average defense.
Hes the guy who once claimed Buchanan couldn't be great because he lost a street fight in coatbridge.
Buchanan was a very good fighter, better than Watt for sure, but Kenny has enjoyed the exposure that modern media hype and the overating that comes with todays modern game. Buchanan is overated the same way ALL modern greats are because of vast media coverage & hype, Past fighters who were better never had the same pleasure and many are forgotten to modern fighters... the same applies to most of the fighters since the late 60s onward, and Scotland and other boxing nations had countless better fighters than these modern great/so called greats. I'm sure some of the older posters here feel the same as is eveident in hundreds of threads.