Who was a better fighter? Roberto Durán or Sugar Ray Robinson?

Robinson. It's not even close. He'd outboxed Duran at Welterweight and Middleweight.

 

SRR - more talented, more versatile, more consistent, deeper resume. he "wins" this debate from almost every angle IMO.

I rate SRR among the top 3 best fighters all-time (alongside Greb & Langford) & Duran around #7-8, in the same company as Ali.

 

that's like two peas in a pod

 

Duran is like a nut's inside and SRR is like an avocado's seed, there's a big difference.

 

Gotta go with Ray here for consistency over a much longer period of time.

Actually being in shape is part of the deal.

 

Sugar Ray Robinson is the better fighter. He had more tools to beat other elite fighters. Duran is the better inside fighter, but Robinson is no slouch inside whereas the gap between them at mid range and on the outside is much wider.

 

A debate over who’s greater shouldn’t come down to which guy has better excuses, haha.

Roberto was a Goldilocks fighter: Sometimes he trained too soft, sometimes he trained too hard … and once in a while he trained just right.

 

They were both incredible and genuine ATG’s but Robinson deserves the higher rating in both legacy and ability. No knock on Duran at all though. In fact he might have given Robinson one hell of a fight

 

It's Robinson for me. Duran may well be in second place tho.

 

It's a dumb and cliche answer, but it depends on what you like, they're the 2 best fighters ever. Now for the non cliche and more detailed, smarter answer:

Robinson was the storm, an unparalleled specimen on offence. He didn't fight like he was trying to beat you, but to prove you weren't even in the same universe. Long, loose, explosive, he'd touch you up with the jab just to make you lean into a left hook. And if that didn't end it ? The uppercut or right body hook came gift wrapped from Satan himself. Athletically ? Unfair. His footwork left him balanced and poised enough to throw 8 shot combinations with full power, speed, rotation, and leverage while simultaneously pivoting to put you in disadvantageous positions. His nastiness still leaves people wincing. Making space for double left hooks off a collar tie and stuff like that. He moved like God left the prototype unfinished, and said ''Eh, close enough".

Duran though ? Duran was the razor in the glove. Every feint was a question you didn't know the answer to. I was speaking with@George Crowcroft about this when he was doing an analysis of the Palomino fight, and even he got outsmarted by Duran when watching the fight. Literally paused mid feint to write about an exchange, about how Duran slips jab to counter to the body, and then the punch didn't come. Every missed punch was a trap you just walked into. Defensively? Slippery, coiled, infuriating. Offensively? Mean and surgical. Robinson came at you like art on fire. Duran came in like a bad decision you made two rounds ago catching up to you. And his clinch game ? Unparalleled. I'd bet my entire savings that 99% of this forum has missed half of the stuff Duran did on the inside, no matter how much they've watched his fights, now matter how much they've read about his infighting skills, and no matter how much they think they know. There's always something new to learn and appreciate about Duran's game.

@Mandela2039 You're Panamanian right, how close to Duran's home are you ? It'd be absolutely amazing if you can go and ask for tactical, technical, strategical and clinch work tips (or whatever else Boxing related) from the great man himself, and share it with the forum. He's a fountain of knowledge, and it'd be a damn shame if the stuff he knows get lost in time. The guy trained with Freddie Brown and Ray Arcel, who were there during the sport's absolute peak in the corners of many fighters. He's the last of a dying breed, a fighter old school even for his time, very much like he came from Robinson's era.

 

It's Ray for me hands down.