If we takeout his Lightweight Career, Would Roberto Duran still be an ATG?

Just based on his lightweight career, i wouldnt rank him in the top 25. His wins over leonard, cuevas, palomino, barkley and moore are far more important. Beating Buchanon, de jesus twice, and other contenders doesnt make you a top 10 atg.

 

I wonder how many people would even have him as their #1 LW based solely on his lightweight career. His resume at 135 was respectable, but not necessarily spectacular (Ike Williams' and Carlos Ortiz's were far better, for example). It was his wins at the higher weights that elevated him to the "god-like" status he eventually attained.

 

Asero isn't all there.

 

I undertand your position. And that is valid considering Duran's accomplishments during his real career.

However, Duran moved from LW into WW/MW during 1978-1980 I think. By then, Duran had stll 8-10 more years of career.

Who knows how succesful had Duran been had he stayed as LW? How many additional victories he would have had as LW? How long he would have stayed as champion? :think

My impression is that, had Duran stayed as LW, perhaps he would have been as succesfull as he was as WW/MW, statistics and records wise, but, of course without all the hype and pyrothecnics of his great fights against Leonard, Hearns, etc. And in that case, we would be here talking about the "Fab Three"

 

Well turning pro late (27) and beating Adolfo Viruet, Brooks and Palomino in your first five fights and then defeating Ray Leonard in fight nine would simply be amazing!

Duran's work in the 80s undoubtedly has a very solid Lightweight base backing it up, but for a man in his 30s to fight everyone at mattered at the decades premier divisions and hold his own would be a brilliant achievement, just on it's own. Probably not great, but just a level below.

 

Unless you put 100% emphasis on in the ring dominance and his form on film then I cant see how his lightweight reign puts him that high. Even then there are probably a few fights that probably dont score well for him there.

Some of best wins around that time werent even at the weight...Marcel, Kobayashi, Edwin Viruet I, Villa, Mamby, Adolfo Viruet...all technically not at lightweight.

 

I agree with this,he makes my no 4 at Lightweight, but p4p he must rank high,imo.

 

I don't think he would make the top 10 all time, but he would still be an all time great.

 

Duran's all-time great status is based on his career as a lightweight. Duran's subsequent accomplishments, such as beating Leonard at 147 lbs., etc., were just additional considerations.

It's amazing that Duran could have put on 12 to 20+ lbs. and fought successfully after his prime days as lightweight champion. His later accomplishments -- when he was past his prime, really -- only serve to show how great the young, lightweight Duran really was.

 

Its like Juan Manuel Marquez in that his career above his main weight (feather in JMM's case) shows how good he was when ranking all time.