Montreal Duran vs. Hearns (Leonard 1)

I always thought Tommy Hearns beat more top notch fighters than Roberto Duran did. He outboxed boxers and outpunched punchers. I would be surprised if Duran wuld win one fight in 10 against Hearns. Duran was always undertrained when he fought some great yet in shape when he fought someone shitty. Got to the point when you knew what he would say after the fight!!!

 

Taller rangier fighters are often cited as the kryptonite to their shorter counter-parts in fantasy match-ups, but one could also argue the opposite just as often. At 147, Hearns would be facing arguably the best most technical swarmer in the business with hard punches at either side at all times. While Hearns was skilled and gifted in many areas, his ability to take a punch (while sometimes underrated) is not conducive to an inside fight. Hearns wasn't terrible on the inside, but it's Duran we're talking about here. The way we imagine him winning this fight is if he can get inside on Hearns, which is ultimately the question.

Hearns is going to be one of the most difficult opponents for Duran to pressure, due to his lateral movement, elite and consistent jab, and raw power. In my opinion, Duran's best option is to rush him. Hearns is going to win the battle on the outside once he gets into a rhythm, so Duran has to pull a Hagler. His lack of physical strength and durability in comparison to Hagler would be a setback, but his relative height and superior upper-body movement would enable him to bring an inside war to Hearns' body and head through defensive access. Even if Duran doesn't stop him early or hurt him badly and only has limited success getting on the inside, intimidating him from the start with a rush of aggression would likely drop Hearns' output and turn him into a more gun-shy and negative fighter, similar to how we saw him revert in the first Leonard fight. Then at that point would be Duran's opportunity to strike with his alternative boxer-puncher mix of aggression and methodical setup, countering the now less threatening jab with his own right without the same fear of a confident Hearns timing a dangerous right hand behind it. Countering his way on the inside, getting closer each time, Duran could out-hustle Hearns and get a convincing decision or a late stoppage, with some scary moments (even a possible knockown) along the way.

This scenario, of course, is on Roberto Duran's best possible night, and the event of the Brawl in Montreal showed us just what that really was.

Could Hearns just end it all with one well-timed right hand? Of course. But we can never count out Duran's inner beast, driving his formidable durability and destructive relentlessness guided by the precision of a mind belonging to a master of his craft.

 

It took Leonard a lot of will and hart to beat Hearns. Hearns would beat Duran at any weight they shared.

 

that is what I think!! And they fought already and Hearns never knocked a guy out that cold before. The question is not will Hearns win this match at welterweight but how long will Roberto last!!! at welterweight I think he could last 5!! He would be more swelled up at welterweight than at junior middle just because he would take Hearns punch a little better and get destroyed on the outside by Thomas Hearns

 

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Hearns by ko again.

 

Hearns overcomes Duran by a mid rounds kayo after a firefight, possibly getting up off the canvas himself.

I don't think Duran had the power to simply spark Hearns...Tommy's chin REALLY started to become a liability at 160 and above, and generally, it took a puncher to do it.

In the end, as great as he was in Montreal, a world class operator didn't struggle to find his chin, and Hearns knocks anybody in the world at 154 or 147 out if he finds that jaw frequently enough.

Frankly, this fight was far from a defensive masterpiece for Roberto. That turns this fight into a who see's who off contest, and Hearns is the superior, sharper puncher. That's the issue for Roberto in this head to head matchup; his style doesn't allow him to outbox Hearns, and he eventually takes right hands, and Hearns did prove that his right can not only stop Duran, but absolutely KTFO him.

 

that is what I feel. Duran could not win!! It is hard to buy someone saying well Duran beat Lampkin and Dejesus, so we think he can beat Thomas Hearns!!! As we saw that was a different story and level of fighter!!!

 

Was he 2 slow 4 Leonard ?
(effective) reach disparity is d answer here , not speed

 

He was 4 years past the end of his prime and 18 pounds past his best weight when he fought Hearns. Let's remember this. They weren't exactly contemporaries in either primes or weight.

 

So many aliases in this thread.

 

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