we need a poll on this shite. this is getting good :yep i dont think many will disagree with me when i say duran was a beast at the lower weights. floyd too but in a different way. floyd is a masta at defense. but, duran was 1 of the most complete fighters ever at the lower weights. he was like a wall, literally. excellent combo puncher plus u couldnt hurt him
When people see the word skilled on ESB they read it as defense eventhough there is more to skill than just defense. In terms of defense Floyd is better because that is the basis of his style, sitting back and counter punching. Now he can do more than that but that is the foundation of Floyd's stlye so it stands to reason that he can sit back and counter better than Duran. However, Duran has one of the best defences that I've seen for a come forward fighter. Duran was very skilled at coming forward and slipping shots as he was being the aggressor. People seem to have this notion that he got hit with lots of shots and relied on his chin but it isn't true to anywhere near the extent that people believe it is, Duran slipped shots very well. Duran is undoubtedly the better boxer when it comes to offense. While Floyd is good - throws certain shots well and has under-rated pop on his punches, he just doesn't have the variety, power or application that Duran has when attacking. That also stands to reason since Duran has a more aggressive style than Mayweather. I would go with Duran on the reasons above and the fact that he did it against a better level of opposition for such a long period. As I said, it all depends on what you look at though. 'Skilled' has almost become a by-word for defense and counter punching on here but all areas should be taken into account.
On paper, one could argue Floyd has better skills, and thats HIGHLY debatable........but boxing isn't fought on paper. Mayweather has never faced a thunderstorm quite like Duran.