Duran vs SRL 3

I think Duran showed up for the money & wasn't really interested in chasing Leonard round the ring for 45 mins.

 

Such a horrible forgettable fight.

 

They were great friends by then Duran was getting paid to relieve the tax man. Leonard won but Duran gets the ultimate final victory. Everytime he looks at Leonards face at autograph shows he gets the pleasure of seeing the scars deep around Leonards eye from the great right hand in the 11th that opened 3 deep cuts broke his nose & scarred him for life. As Clancy said live, if that punch had been on the chin Leonard would still be out. Meanwhile Ray once more never could hit Roberto hard enough to even ruffle his hair.

 

sh*t

 

I was disgusted by these two, who were obviously in there for a paycheck and had no desire to mix it up until the last round when Duran FINALLY threw a meaningful punch and made a big cut on Ray's face. It was basically a sparring match that we had to pay big $$ to see.

 

This is the Duran who was coming off a thrilling win over Iran Barkley, but Ray wasn’t going to linger and trade like Iran did.

It’s a 38-year-old Duran at the end of his 21st year as a pro, fighting outdoors on a chilly night in Las Vegas. I don’t think he ever got the engine revved up, and Ray’s corner was smart enough to bring blankets to cover him in the corner so he wouldn’t cool off between rounds ... while Roberto’s didn’t think of it.

I don’t think it was any gentlemen’s agreement or sparring session. If so Roberto never throws the shot(s) that opened the cuts. Just bad conditions for Duran and the wrong matchup. At this stage he was never going to walk down Ray and be able to make him rumble.

 

I wished I had never watched it.

 

Why is Leonard shot? I see no signs of significant decline

 

i think Duran gave him too much respect. He seemed intimidated by Leonard's foot speed and combinations

 

As he got older and up in weights Duran's problems were against speed and movement. Certainly slickness. Benitez beat him with speed and slickness, Hearns speed overwhelmed him and Leonard beat him easily in this fight by sticking to a very safe conservative strategy based on movement.

Put him in against guys that would stand in front of him like Moore and Barkley however and out came the greatness.

I don't think the style would have worried him near as much at 135.

 

Horrible fight. I was pumped up for it after the Barkley fight and the Hearns draw. What a let down.

 

Took the words out of my mouth. Well said.
There's no reason Duran would not want to win this, or not have the obvious motivation to do so.
He looked great against Barkley because Iran fought that kind of fight that made Duran look good, and allowed him to exploit his strengths.
Leonard didn't.

 

A legendary 3 fight trilogy consisting of one pretty good fight and two disappointments.

 

Yes Duran was coming off the barkley win....but 10 months inactivity for a 38 Yr old Duran was always going to be a factor.hed blow up bad and training camp was always on losing weight rather than getting his reflexes 100%.

On the night he didn't put in the effort ...he couldn't be bothered...I think he knew if he forced it more...it would've forced Ray more too....and Duran would've looked foolish like no mas 2.....so this time Duran played a cautious waiting game...its not he wasn't trying ...he just wasn't trying 100% more like 75%....trying that other 25% may have made it worse for him.....a shame....a real shame...obviously at that stage of his life he wasn't about to do a chase and defend a title every 2 months/do non title fights....the MW division was very tough ...Duran could conceivably lose to a Milton or Sunderland Williams....

The Duran leading up to the barkley fight had been very active from his 1986 comeback fight against aims...I think he won that fight too...if he'd been given it....who knows we may have seen duran-srl 3 in late 88 as the comeback not lalonde