Duran v Pryor

Even with his special water bottles he loses.

 

I saw him fight in the 70s which is where I started my viewing of Duran and he was ferocious and I loved his fighting, but he was dominant over good fighters, but not great. Chavez was the same in the 1980s. Then when they step up the fight seems to slow down and they are getting hit. As for Duran, then the 1980's start and he stepped up his competition when he moved up in weight, so when he lost he had the excuses. What I discuss is not Duran as a great, but more where does he rank. I don't think anyone he beat in his career warrants a top 5 ATG ranking like some say. And the fact he really could not beat the elite guys when he fought them, regardless of weight, since if he never beat the elite guys, how can he be rated so high regardless of weight or the fact he didn't have elites at 135, although some argue Dejesus and Buchanan were elite, and there is no way.

 

It's strange how things work. If Duran had retired after beating Leonard, even his detractors wouldn't begrudge him a top 3 spot in the ATG rankings. I dunno. I don't think Duran was the same guy after winning the welterweight crown. It was like the fire had cooled, like there was nothing left to prove. It flared up from time to time, enough to enable him to win titles in two more weight divisions, but if you saw the 70's Duran, you know what I'm talking about.
I do know this: During the 80's, Boxing had it's last hurrah, with fighters like Duran, Leonard, Hearns, Hagler, Holmes, and dozens of lesser knowns that came along to give them great fights. I miss it.

 

I think when a guy is beaten conclusively, other fighters consciously or unconsciously see what it took to beat him and apply that to when they fight that fighter. After Hagler beat Hearns, many fighters tried to pin Hearns on the ropes like Hagler did and made it a struggle, but Tommy usually won. Same with Duran. People saw how he was not as tough mentally as he was when he had intimidation working for him and the Duran machismo. Leonard sort of stripped him of that, so other fighters were not as intimidated. Also, he never would have fought a Benitez or Hearns at 135. That was a skill level of fighter which Dejesus and Buchanan were not.

 

Welcome! I'll mark yer card here mate! MAG1965 is the classic's resident Duran hater & holds the gold/silver & bronze when it comes too denial about Duran's status & especially how Duran handed SRL his arse in Montreal when both fought on a level playing field. MAG's answer has always been that SRL was Green or Duran never KO'd leonard so it was'nt that great a victory or SRL fought the wrong fight

MAG can turn a Marciano/Tyson thread on it's head just so he could slip in a bit of his Duran hate & it's always with the regard to Duran/Leonard.

Oh by the way! MAG's dad was a Duran fan

 

BUT in things not duran related, MAG is a pretty solid poster

 

9% of MAG's post's are duran related & 5% are Hearns/Hill & the rest????

 

Ahh, I don't begrudge a guy for having a particular dislike for a fighter. I'm kind of the same way about Tyson.

 

MAG... your favorite fighter... NEVER beat SRL.. What does that say about him.. In fact, he was KO'd in one fight and the other... did all he could to survive at the end again and come away with a draw. He got murdered by Hagler inside 3 rounds... Duran went the distance and closed Hagler's eye. Barkley crushed Hearns on two seperate occasions... Duran wiped him well best his best... That doesn't look good for your boy. Here are the facts...

The two best fighters each of them fought SRL and Hagler... Duran actually beat one of them and did better against the other. This is why Duran is rated so much higher.. that and his dominating run at LW.. a run tommy never enjoyed at ANY weight. That must burn you alive doesn't it MAG. What's worse... Duran did all this past his prime and WELL past his prime weight... Hearns couldn't win these same fights IN HIS PRIME and AT his prime weights... That is pretty pathetic and why there is no comparison between the two.

 

The TRUTH:deal The whole TRUTH:deal & nothing but the TRUTH:deal

 

OK:yep

I give yer 1 month of yapping with MAG & then you'll CRACK

 

you guys have had a nearly mendoza/mcvey level brawl for years :bbb

 

The fighters you've listed all had a significant size advantage. Pryor does not.

 

and that's the crux of the argument. No one at that weight could have handled Duran in his prime.

 

He doesnt seem to acknowledge that moving up weight classes means anything.