I think Benitez would always be a very difficult fight for Duran. Excellent defence good power and blinding speed are tough to get past .
Oh. Duran wanted to win. For sure.. He is a fighter and always has the motivation to win and fight, even if he put on gloves now. He was cemented, but it cannot be ignored that he fought greater fighters after lightweight. Had he beaten Banitez and Hearns his legacy would have increased tremendously.. Had he beaten Leonard in the rematch and Hearns and Benitez and Hagler, he would have been thought of as the greatest of all time no doubt, so it was significant. Duran needed always guys to be in his range and that was when he was at his best.. To work his magic on the inside and in range and he was fascinating.. A natural fighter. When guys moved or had speed it could nullify this natural ablity.. and the guys who could exploit that so well were greats also with speed. Hearns, Benitez. Leonard.
Who questioned Durans will to win? Duran is already a contender for the GOAT. That's a fact. If he beat all those men, he'd be God. Every fighter in history needed guys to be in their range. That isn't saying anything. Duran was one of the fastest fighters of all time. He beat lots of very fast men at Light Weight when he was young...Buchanan, Marcel, DeJesus...etc and then matched speed with one of the fastest ever in Sugar Ray. Duran's weakness was high IQ fighters with speed and size...when he was an older man at higher weight classes. So basically you just made this the same old argument.....you had a 1000 times on this forum already.
Xac. He had a few good moments and wobbled Benitez once but other than that brief moment, never looked like a threat to win the fight. He was in there fighting for all he was worth but was just outboxed and outfought and just about every turn. Benitez beat him up at his own game, inside.
People forget how good Benitez was at 154 because he'd already won two titles at lower weights and when he fell apart it was fast and drastic. The version of Benitez who beat Hope and Duran and performed well against Hearns is one of the best ever at 154. Just didn't last very long though.
Wilfred Benitez was the naturally heavier fighter at 154 lbs. Also the fact that Benitez had the height to grow into 154 lbs, Roberto Duran did not have the height to carry 154 lbs into his frame as Wilfred, Duran was devastating at 135 and 147 lbs but as he got heavier he lost his punch, he usually won by attrition and skill. Styles make fights.
I agree that Duran's speed was vastly underrated. He often beat Leonard to the punch in their first fight. In their second fight Leonard was able to frustrate Duran by moving in and out and taunting him, but this WAS NOT the strategy of Benitez. Benitez went right after him, much as Leonard did in Montreal, and Duran had few answers for him. So the obvious question is why was Duran able to deal with Leonard's speed in Montreal, but not Benitez' speed?
They were BOTH great fighters and NEITHER were fighting at their natural best weight. Anything can happen under those circumstances.
Benitez was at his peak and had filled out to where 154 was an optimum weight class for him. His physical advantages, radar like defense and boxing iq proved too much for the experienced but physically overmatched Duran.
no, guys have to also make the range. hearns would draw guys in and make them reach, other guys counterpunch. Mike McCallum had to lean in and hit Donald with that awkward left hook...
Duran might be the greatest ever at drawing his opponents into his range. Armstrong maybe better....very close call. So what are you suggesting? Duran couldn't get guys into his range. As everyone in this thread but you at this point seems to understand, even Benitez had to fight in his range to win. Even if you want to argue it was Duran's machismo that magically hypnotized master boxers like Buchanan, Hagler, and Sugar Ray into his range...well, guess what, it worked. Of course Hearns opponents had to reach, until he fought Barkley he always had a considerable height and reach advantage over his opponents. He had to adjust at higher weights....just like Duran had to adjust when he was no longer the fastest and strongest guy in the ring. McCallum...a great technician but he couldn't carry Duran's skill jock pound for pound. You also seem to be suggesting Duran didn't counter punch? ...... *Thumbs up. This feels like someone only watching Ali's 70s fights and trying to lecture people how he didn't know how to create distance...when we all know in his prime he was one of the best at that.
