Duran's best wins at lightweight and how he rates at that weight?

Duran rates at the top for me number 1 LW all time. He was as close to unbeatable at that weight as one can be. His wins over Buchanan and De Jesus were probably his best. Benny Leonard I rank 2 and Gans at 3. Duran was just so intense and on another level at lightweight, its a shame so many have only seen his fights against Leonard Hearns, Hagler etc. He was an all around package of power and skill.

 

Has there ever been a lightweight as great as Duran? That might be a rhetorical question.

 

Duran went 36-1 at or around LW, his best wins were - De Jesus (2-1), Buchanan, Lampkin, Kobayashi, Hector Thompson, Edwin Viruet x 2, Fernandez, Bizarro. None make my all time top 20 at LW, though De Jesus and Buchanan would be close.

He ranks #3 all time at LW, for me. I've no problem with people ranking him 1, but for me that is Benny Leonard, who from the age of 20 went 81-0 in fights contested at or around LW. He beat Welsh (2-1), Tendler x 2, Jack Britton (139lbs was my cut off for non title fights I considered as slightly over the weight LW contests, so I dont consider Leonards 2nd win over Britton, in a fight contested at 141lbs, as contributing to his LW resume), Kansas x 4, Jimmy Duffy, Johnny Dundee x 5, Pal Moore, Johnny Kilbane, Ritchie Mitchell x 2. Welsh is my #9 at LW all time, Tendler didnt make my 20 at LW either, but would also be close, and Britton would go on to become a great WW, where I rank him #5 all time.

Of all LWs, Duran ranks highest p4p for me, when you also factor in his body of work at higher weights.

 

Duran is the best Lightweight of all time in my humble opinion.

Buchanan
de Jesus II & III
Lampkin

Those above were more than likely his BEST wins in that division but most of them were pretty awesome.

 

I lean toward Duran being the best ever at 135 and he’s certainly one of my favorite fighters to watch, but what makes the Lampkin victory so great?

Ray was 29-3-1 and had lost to DeJesus twice in one-sided fights and doesn’t have a signature win on his ledger, does he?

 

Duran's best wins are Buchanan and Dejesus

 

I dont think Lampkin was great. DeJesus x 2 and Buchanan are Durans best wins at LW. I do think Lampkin was one of Duran's top 10 wins at LW though, which is why I listed him.

 

Sure, top 10.

I’d rate Duran’s five best lightweight wins as …

Buchanan

DeJesus x2

Kobayashi

Edwin Viruet (the title fight)

I’d rate Vilomar Fernandez above Lampkin as a win as his overall body of work by career end shows him to have been a more accomplished fighter than Lampkin.

Marcel was at 130 but that merits a mention.

 

Can't say that I disagree with any of that

 

The fact that Roberto even HAS a top 10 wins at lightweight is pretty impressive in its own right.

 

At 135 he has some stiff competition for the #1 spot all-time. Ike Williams, Beau Jack, Carlos Ortiz, Sammy Angott, and of course Benny Leonard. In a head to head contest I’m not sure how he fares against Williams and Angott who I think give him his toughest contests. I have no issue with anyone ranking him #1.

 

Kobayashi (both overweight) and Viruet 1 were both 140 fights.

 

When I completed my analysis for ranking fighters in the original 8 weight divisions, I had to decide on a criteria to assign a fight to a weight division. A non title fight between 2 lightweights who weighed just over 135lbs seemed better assigned to LW than WW. As I said in the post you quoted, rightly or wrongly I included non title fights up to 139lbs as contributing to a fighters LW resume.

Duran vs Kobayashi was staged at 136lbs. Its reasonable to me to classify that as a slightly over the weight non title contest between 2 LWs. Viruet 1 was contested at 138lbs.

 

I lean towards Duran being a Welter cum Middleweight...

he passed through a lower weight as most young fighters do, so even though in his case where he was given opportunity at titles, it still doesn't make him a LW. thats how I see it for all fighters, likewise, neither are they north of their main weight either.

Kenny too me is like Turpin a great fighter sure, but British nut huggin overated.