Could The Older,More Experienced Duran, Do Better Against Hearns?

Agreed it's all about styles ... if Duran didn't come prepared that's on him ... after No Mas , Benitez and Laing he should have known ..

 

Agreed

Nobody is going to outbox Hearns. Not even Leonard

Hearns' weakness was against the relentless attackers who could take some of his best shots and keep coming.

Duran had that relentless ability but he was too small to take more that 1 or 2 of Hearns' devastating shots.

 

The older , more experienced Duran already got KO'd early by Hearns. 160 wasnt Tommy's weight so Duran might last a few more rounds but Hearns would always be a terrible matchup as Duran slowed down carrying around the extra weight ... BUT this might bake your noodle , an Earler version of Duran does the best against Hearns at 147, Duran needs to weigh less not more, he needs his quikness going in

 

Honestly, no, it wouldn’t be much different.

The Duran that beat Barkley in '89 was still a master technician, smart defence, great inside work, tough as hell mentally, but Hearns was just a brutal stylistic nightmare for him, regardless of the version.

The problem was never just Duran’s age or experience. It was the size, the reach, the speed, and the fact that Hearns could hit like a truck from long range where Duran couldn’t get inside safely. Barkley was aggressive and left openings Duran could exploit, Hearns stayed disciplined behind that monster jab and forced Duran to walk through heavy artillery just to get close.

An older, more experienced Duran might survive longer, maybe he doesn't get flattened in two rounds, but the fundamentals of the matchup don’t change. Tommy would still be controlling the distance, still landing the right hand early, and still having a huge physical advantage.

At best, Duran might last a few more rounds. But the end result would still be a clear, possibly brutal, Hearns win.