Duran explains why he quit (April 1981 Ring interview)

what blows your entire theory out of the water is your eyes. Just watch the films of Roberto up to June 20. If you cannot see his greatness it can only be because you don't want to. And as you watch look and see he neve4 again fought the way he did from 67-80 after Montreal. Even in the rematch he was just a standup counterpuncher . Not a bent for hell aggressor as he has always been. After Montreal and forever after he was never again the savage Roberto Duran. Whether against ordinary contenders or extraordinary champions. A person sees greatness in fighters and with Roberto Duran the greatness is obvious.

 

great inside skills and boxing instincts and knowing when to pour it on and a great front runner who probed for a weaknesses. He never faced guys like Floyd or Pernell or Ray, who would easily outbox him. I think his weaknesses,which were exposed by Ray and Benitez were he was great until he met elite speed. I don't hold the Hearns fight against him, but any excuses saying he could beat Hearns at 147 to 160 are eliminated by how Hearns won.

 

I have seen many aggressors turn into ineffective counterpunchers when counterpunches or against a faster guy, which makes great guys look ordinary. He looked great and was, but not near 1-10 because he did not have 2 ways like a Leonard. Could he box and punch. If someone had Duran's number, they could win all the rounds, but at lightweight there was no one there to expose that.

 

I don't want to discuss boxing with you anymore. Your an idiot.

 

actually you are the idiot. You want everyone to agree with your opinion or you don't want to hear them, which is the typical and followers approach. This is a message board, yet ok I won't discuss boxing with you anymore on any subject. That is fine.

 

Goodnight mate.

 

What the hell. He fought Ray and he beat him.

For one thing, he beat Ray.

Other Duran victims with elite speed and movement:

Ken Buchanan

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Ernesto Marcel:

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Esteben DeJesus

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And of course the Viruet Brothers. What the Bentiez fight proves is that an older Duran was troubled by elite speed at higher weight classes. Benitez was a significant favorite over Duran, because normal people can apply context.

Duran was older, on a decline, moving up yet another weight class, and conceding every physical advantage to a younger prime opponent. Nobody was thinking, "Duran finally running into some elite speed to expose him." As already explained to you, Duran already was a legend that had seen it all.

So what if he couldn't beat Hearns. Nobody could conceded that much height, reach, and age to Hearns and expect to beat him.

Bull****. As I already shown.

 

A lot of excuses for Duran always. His lightweight competition of Buchanan, Dejesus were not as great as Hearns,Benitez and Leonard and Hagler. Who were the great elites he really beat besides Ray, who beat him easily the 2nd and 3rd fights. Barkley and Moore? No that is not elite. Fact is regardless of anything he lacks great elite wins. The excuses for his losses are rather ridiculous in light of the fact he gets credit for beating Moore and Barkley after people say he was on the decline. Yet Hearns beat Virgil Hill at 32 years old almost 33, who was better than anyone Duran beat after 32. That is my point. He gets excuses for losses in a way no one else does. I think Floyd or Pernell at lightweight beat Duran at lightweight easier than anyone would ever think.

 

Duran Duran Duran !!!!

 

Floyd wasn't great at lightweight. Duran ain't losing to a guy who went life and death with Castillo. Swap Castillo with Duran and what is the outcome ? Floyd could beat some of the past prime versions of Duran who showed up post Montreal but prime Duran eats him up. Pea would give Duran far more trouble than Floyd would.

 

What excuse did I give? It's a fact he was the betting underdog fighting younger, taller, rangier fighters well above his best weight.

Marcel, Buchanan, and DeJesus are as great as Benitez. DeJesus is actually the only guy on that list to fight and beat a prime Duran and he did it without any of their physical advantages.

Nothing easy about that 2nd fight for Ray, he had to work for that win.

You know who Duran beat, you are just willing to stretch the "great elites" label for your favorite fighters and ignore context.

Good arguments are strengthened by context and information. Weak arguments get crushed by them.

Of course he gets credit for pulling off upsets while said to be on the decline. Why would he not?

At 38, Duran beat the guy Hearns couldn't in two attempts.

And at 47, Duran beat a better middleweight than Hearns ever did in Jorge Castro. It's about upping your game against a favorable match up.

Hill was a favorable match up for Hearns, just like Barkley and Castro was for Duran.

Given how much Mayweather struggled wiih Castillo I sincerely doubt that. I'm not sure Pernell beats Duran at LW, I have more confidence in Duran, more proven at that weight.

 

You're better than this. I don't care what SRL said after the fight about what he was told to do or that he wouldn't listen. That's the same BS narrative he's tried to peddle for years now. Dundee is ON RECORD saying SRL is going to fight just as he did. He's going to control the center of the ring, and fighter like the bigger, stronger and faster guy he is. Then we see that exact thing play out, but then you want to pretend that, Dundee pre fight comments didn't happen, the fight didn't play out just that way, but choose to believe what SRL says after the fight, which contradicts what we see? Weird logic there.

 

He's recollecting something before the fight. We have a taped interview of Dundee specifically SAYING how he's going to fight, and it's just as we see. I'll believe that over a reporter recollecting what he heard pre fight.