Fights that never were...but should have been

He showed in the first fight that when in shape he could impose himself on Leonard. Leonard didn't just choose to fight that way, he had no choice. DURAN beat him to the punch all night, was stronger and forever harder hitting. Leonard did no harm to Duran physically in fight 2. He never hurt Duran in 3 fights.Duran hurt and busted up him though. You can still see the scars on Leonard from December 1989. Head to head, at their best, Duran kicked Leonard's as s and even Leonard admits he didn't fight him on any even field again. I had Duran winning 11 rounds in Montreal. He actually plays with Leonard. DURAN ALL THE WAY. LEONARD PUSSED OUT AND NEEDED SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES FOR FIGHTS EVER AFTER June 20, 1980. Oh, what a brave warrior. Btw, Duran faced Hagler at his absolute prime while Leonard ands Hearns each waited as Marvin said, "like vultures" for him to get old. And by that time, Duran was pure counter-puncher.

 

Leonard did not fight his fight in Montreal. I'm a huge Duran proponent but the way to beat a boxer puncher like Duran was to box him and Leonard was a great boxer as well as a natural welterweight.

 

Even Leonard himself said after the fight that as t he had no choice. Straight up, head to head, even field, Duran kicked Leonard's ass. He PROVED his superiority. Leonard never wanted to fight that Duran again. And didn't. In the 15th, Leonard can't touch Duran, who then proceeds to land seven left hooks on Leonard. Leonard did no hurt to Roberto in that second fight and still was not winning big against a statue with zero aggression and passion. Even Leonard says he saw it in the introduction. Hey man, if that fight tells you Leonard was better good for you. Leonard then should of overmatched straight up and proven it. Why do you think it bothers Leonard to this day and means nothing to Duran. Because they both know the truth. Sorry bud, but you are wrong.

 

Btw, as Happy Labor Day. I enjoy a good argument. You have terrific posts. I never , get To talk boxing anymore except on here.

 

Leonard was extremely intimidated prior to the round 1 bell. I remember watching the bout live and everyone I was with said the same thing. Duran fought a great fight and sure he would have been tough for any fighter to beat him that night however Leonard did not at any time fight his fight as he let the event get to him.

If you watch all of Durans career you would realize the way to beat him was to outbox him. At lt weight the boxers would frustrate him at times but just did not have the physical strength to keep Roberto off of them.

Leonard as a welterweight did have the physical strength and boxing ability to beat welterweight Duran. Although I did not agree with the scoring Leonard almost did win in Montreal even fighting his opponents fight.

 

Exactly. The real biggie is that there was ZERO CHANCE the public were going to come into a rubber match. Duran had been utterly disgraced and there were no calls for a third match after such a debacle. He was despised by many and it took a long time for him to find acceptance again.

 

I watched Roberto's whole career when it was happening in the 1970s (a great time for boxing fans) and I have had his fights on DVD and Leonard's for 10 years. Leonard couldn't hold Duran off in Canada and just like the lightweights, Duran got him. In early 81, I think he does the same but this time ends it with a knockout. On a side note; All the boxing fans born in 77 or later really missed fighting and the strategies needed over 15 rounds. Mayweather s entire career would be different.

 

The motivation? He's a professional fighter and an ATG and hated SRL at that time. Money up front shouldn't kill off a guys chances, particularly a true great. There's be no such need for these claims if it was a Holmes, Hagler, Hearns, Arguello or hundreds of other names.

 

The bout in Montreal was close however and SRL fought Durans fight. He was right there in front of Duran for most of the fight punching with Roberto. A boxing moving SRL poses a more difficult fight for Duran and based upon his lightweight bouts clever boxing was the way to win rounds vs Roberto. After fight one which I found thrilling I would have bet on Duran to win the rematch. However in retrospect Leonard was the ATG welterweight while Duran the ATG lightweight plus Leonard had the skills to outbox most anyone at that weight.

 

Leonard did benefit from the quick rematch but Eleta, Durans manager wanted to make a quick rematch too because he feared Duran would blow up in weight and the rematch would never happen. Read Hands of Stone it explains this. Durans backers wanted the check before it blew up in their face.

it wasnt all on Leonard to make this quick

Not a significant fight But I really wanted Miranda vs Taylor

Dirrel vs Ward recently was a good one

Wanted Bute vs Ward despite the way history actually played out

 

Bull****. The fight at the time I first said would have been bigger that f3&k. First off, Duran fans NEVER gave up on him. Everyone else would want to know the truth. The build-up would sell itself! They could have put it in Friday night on ABC, had a great undercard and half the country would have watched. NOTHING sells like controversy. Just like Holyfield~Tyson 3 would have set records. People love a great story and this would be huge. Think how big in Latin America. No, this fight in early 1981 sells itself. Man just ask yourself, would you watch? If you say no, your lying.

 

Another fight I very much looked forward to and was cancelled in the last week was Weaver-Cobb. A thrilling slugfest if it would have come off.

 

It wasn't controversy it was DISGRACE. They would not have been able to sell an immediate rubber match. A guy just got paid numerous millions and quit, uninjured and on his feet. Jesus Christ mate. You obviously have no idea of what the thought and disgust was at the time. Both U.S. and Panama press called the bout a fix. Adverts with Duran in them were dropped immediately. Many believed the first close fight and the SRL win in the second may have even be a dupe to sell three bouts.

This isn't opinion, it's fact.

 

THAT is horseshoe. No one thought the 2 fights were set up for a third. And I was there. An adult in America not anywhere where they used the word mate. I was in the gyms and at the fights. The fight would have been huge. Your boy Leonard wanted no part, anymore than he did of mandatory Benitez in 81 or Hearns after September. But he sure got HIS rematch didn't he? All this Bull**** is why Leonard is held in low popularity today compared to the others. He avoided the rematch and instead snorted his coke and beat up on Juanita. She got lots of rematch though.