Does anyone think Roberto Duran deserves a higher ATG ranking than Sugar Ray Leonard?

i don't rank duran above leonard either but there is definitely an argument to made......i have them neck and neck in my atg list with duran just one spot behind leonard

leonards achievements are paralled....by duran. duran faced the best for 20 years and didn't have the size advantages leonard had.

so yes it is definitely understandable

 

Duran is the greatest fighter of all time.
His victory over Leonard proves it.

 

What people don't pay enough attention to is what he did at lightweight before he moved up (72-1) and beat one of the top 5 best welterweights of all time in his prime. He then went the distance with one of the best middleweights of all time, and at aged 37 beat a prime middleweight in Barkley who had every advantage a boxer could hope for. He was younger, a natually bigger fighter and had a huge height and reach advantage. It was a remarkable victory.

The problem with SSL is he fought less than 1/2 of the number of fights Duran did. That said, they're both great great fighters, but Duran's body of work clearly beats SRL's body of work. You want to watch great fights, watch the De Jesus trilogy.

 

leonards career post 1st retirement is a lot of smoke and mirrors.
Duran was already lightweight goat when he faced leonard in 80 and won, he fought well beyond his prime and did well in some big fights.
Leonard beat hearns via tko which is great, rushed roberto in the rematch quickly but duran quit.
The benitez win was great as well, the rubbermatch between duran and leonard was bull****, he played hagler for years till he thought he could take him on and then ran from him all night and used a big of show tricks to get a sd, he lost to hearns after taking the fight thinking tommy was shot but got away with a draw.
Fought lalonde at 168 for a newly invented divisiontitle catchweight and the 175 one because he couldnt take it that tommy was the first 4 division champ.
Leonard likes to be the centre of attention and doesnt let others outshine him, he abused his starpower to get advantages.
Thats why post 81 its a lot of smoke and mirrors, I dont like how duran is excused constantly for his mistakes but he ranks higher than srl imo.

 

Leonard would have lost his undefeated record very early in his career if not for some "overly" friendly referees who would stop the fight when
he would flurry punch to protect him when it was clear he was overmatched!!!
Leonard was the true GoldenBoy who got a huge contract right after the Olympics and he was well protected!!!

Duran earned everything he got!!!

 

My thoughts too.

I also had him level after 12 rounds againts the greatest MW of all time (and was a natural LW)

 

I can't respect anyone that put Leonard ahead of Duran as they completely ignore Durans career before his fight with Leonard.
Duran was pretty much a ATG before he even had his first fight at Welter, everything after was just icing.

 

Yes, Duran is the greatest lightweight of all time.....bar none!!!

 

Duran's resume has just as much depth as Leonard. Y'all don't even know who Ernesto Marcel is so you have no right to be making a judgement on the nuances of Duran's resume. Well, those naysayers anyway.

Leonard is undoubtedly great. But the smallest of the Fab Four was the greatest, and probably the most all-round technically proficient fighter of all time.

 

Roberto Duran was one of the 3 best lightweights of all time but Sugar Ray was not really a great Welterweight when he took the title from Benitez ( SRL at WW not that much better than Duran to whom he lost once in Montreal 1978, not that much better than Tommy Hearns against whom he won but in a very hard fight), Ray was not a great middleweight even tho he beat a great middleweight in Marvin Hagler after a 5 year layoff ( but take for case J Buster Douglas was not a great Hwt even tho he beat a great Hwt in Tyson or M Spinks who was a great LHWT but only won twice and controversially against a great Hwt in Larry Holmes or L Spinks when he beat Ali in their first match) and neither was he a great SMW having that draw against Hearns, beating Lalonde and Duran in the rubber match and much above Duran's natural weight and after Duran won the MW title from Barkley in Panama City, even when he was stopped by a former LWW in Macho Camacho and soundly outscored by Terry Norris at LMW. I believe P4P Leonard is one of the 10 best of all time but Duran is also a legend.

 

Are you saying Leonard isn't a 'great' 147lber? Because he is one of the greatest at the weight.

 

He was a very good welterweight and I can mention his career but you better look up in another site, Benitez, Hearns, the best names but he didn't fought much there once having a hold on the titles or am I wrong? You know how many LWT title fights Duran fought Flea Man?

 

Duran= Overrated despite beating Leonard the once he pretty much got beat by every other elite fighter he faced including a couple of C/B class fighters, he is this era Mayorga, but people here who don't know **** about boxing, will criticize me...........................

 

dealdeal