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

I have them both in my top ten with Duran higher, actually.

 

i could put duran over leonard

problems would be leonard won their series and leonard beat hearns and hagler who beat duran

but duran fought longer had way more fights is higher ranked all time at his best weight class than leonard would be

 

Duran was the best of the Fab 4.

Resume wise.
Skill wise.
And longevity wise.

Hagler beat him only just.

 

Good post dude. :thumbsup

 

That's right - Duran fought 119 pro fights and first won that controversial WBA LWT title from Ken Buchanan in 1972, lost one fight and regained the WBA title in his next fight against Jimmy Robertson in 1973, avenged the loss to Esteban de Jesus in 1974 ( 3rd title defense), rematched in his 11th title defense and stopped E De Jesus to claim the WBC version 6 yers since first winning the WBA title, that is in 1978 and then beat SRL in Montreal...SRL had 40 fights and 36 wins, won the WBC title from Benitez in 1979 and made just one defense b4 losing it to Duran... Of course he regained the title in the Superdome, NO with Ray Charles singing "America the Beautiful" and all, but then made another defense and unified that WBA title with the WBC version against Hearns in 81, LV, and defended one more time those two versions... never again fought at WW... Therefore if SRL is one of the greatest WW of all time, Tito Trinidad is also one of the best WWs and either Floyd Mayweather Jr or Manny Pacquiao are gonna be all time great WWs too... There's a difference between being an all time great p4p and a great fighter in one particular weight class...

 

I have SRL over Duran but a case can be made for having Duran over SRL just not a great one.:smooch

 

I used to rank Ray higher but I got Duran above him now

 

:huh

 

Leonard's WW resume is very good:

Thomas Hearns
Wilfred Benitez
Roberto Duran (1-1)
Andy Price
Dave Green
Armando Muniz
Pete Ranzany

That is a top-notch Welterweight ring record despite not amounting to a huge number of fights. Would I have him over Kid Gavilan or Jose Napoles? Probably not. Obviously behind Ray Robinson. Jack Britton and Ray Leonard would be my 4&5 probably, Leonard higher. He has wins over Benitez, Hearns and Duran at the weight. That is madness, and guarantees a lofty ranking at 147.

He has a win over Ayub Kalule @ 154 FFS.

 

That you have to throw down support for SRL's welterweight resume.

 

I watched duran vs barkley last nite, barkley was coming off of beating hearns twice, and again duran was the smaller man, he was moving up. To doubt him is to not know him.

 

He's definitely greater. His resume is clearly stronger on the whole, his longevity is several leagues above Ray's, his general accomplishments a bit more impressive, and he was a genuine dominant force in his prime, suffering only one defeat in the first 12 years and 70+ fights of his career, and avenging said loss twice in brutal fashion. He was also likely the better fighter P4P straight up, as their 1st fight prooved.

Duran usually comes in at #8 on my ATG list, a good 10 spots above Ray.

 

Yes, Duran was a great Lightweight and there are guys such as Max Kellerman who agree with me and put Pernell Whitaker behind him.
You don't understand how SRL was not a great MW and I even gave you examples of how a great MW is beaten by a guy that has one great fight at that weight such as Michael Spinks at HWT against Holmes, Leon Spinks against a faded Ali, and James Buster Douglas who never was anybody but beat Mike Tyson. Just cause SRL dominated Hagler doesn't mean he was a great MW, is that so hard to understand?
Finally, obviously SRL is an ATG P4P cause he went from WW to SMW having great wins and dominant performances. What is the big deal about what I said?

 

If I'm over here, I might as well make a good account of myself :tong

 

:deal

Duran fought literally everyone. The man was a ****ing lightweight with a questionable work ethic and he beat an unbeaten Leonard at welter in his 71st fight. Duran had no business being in the ring with guys as big as Hagler and Hearns but he fought them anyway. Sugar Ray would never have been G enough to do **** like that.

Also, Ray lost to Hearns and Hagler. He may have got BS decisions, but he lost to both guys, and he was their size. Ko'ing Hearns in the first fight was big, but Duran shits on that with multiple wins.

Duran is the ****ing BOSS. His career owns the protected Leonard all day every day.