Is saying 'no mas' in the middle of a fight an indication of cowardice?

I've not voted as none of the options apply to my view.

A coward in holistic terms? No, of course not.

A moment of weakness, which should detrimentally impact that fighters ranking? Yes, sure.

 

Well he wasn’t afraid of Leonard, so I wouldn’t call it cowardice per se, certainly a significant moment of weakness. I think it fair that he be judged on his merits good & bad though, & on the strength of his whole career, I cannot call Duran a coward.

On that night though, he’s probably at least a little ashamed of himself.

 

I think he knew he wasn't in shape mentally or physically and didn't have a thing in the world for Leonard that night and was about to get embarrassed, and he decided he didn't want to be embarrassed. Attribute it how you will.

 

A thing is what it is. It is not something else.

Quitting is quitting. There’s nothing noble about it, at least in a situation where a fighter isn’t hurt and isn’t in danger of taking permanent damage.

It damned sure isn’t courage or bravery.

 

I don't think Duran is a coward.
Leonard simply outsmarted Duran.
Duran expected a "fire for fire" fight, and he got everything but that.
Duran was disappointed, waved his hand, and simply gave up.
This is IMO the best example of "boxer chess" ie. mind game in boxing history.

 

Duran a coward? NO

But certainly he was inmature, cocky and irresponsible.

He got outplayed and frustrated by Leonard and decided to quit.

That's it.

 

Very probably.
Funny thing is by quitting Duran embarrased himself way more...
His reputation took a huge dive with the "No Mas" and he spent the next few years making amends for it.
Even today, the "No Mas" is still a significant stain in Duran's legacy.

All things considered I suspect Duran deeply regrets quitting that night instead of staying and taking his defeat like a grown man.

 

This ,, Durans lifestyle at this point finally caught up with him. There's a huge difference between making weight and being in fighting shape. I recall reading where Arcel wanting to postpone the fight but his manager said," Well even if he loses we'll get big money for a 3rd fight" Of course in public they said Duran was ready which was a lie as people who saw him train said he looked listless most of the time. Fight should have been postponed but even if it had been there was no guarantee Duran would have gotten his head screwed on straight. Sometimes you just have to fall before getting back up.

 

I don't think he was a coward but at that moment in time, he was definitely a quitter. He quit for whatever reason and he didn't want to fight anymore. Obviously, he "atoned" for the moment and went on to championship fights and titles. I'm not a Duran fan but do have respect for his achievements. This blemish didn't hurt his career over the long run. I wonder if he ever thinks about the moment and feels shame?

 

Think this is it, the chess game, sugar wouldn't play the game and Duran had a mental melt down.

 

Seriously?
Look at the man's overall career his resume how many decades he fought and you Seriously ask this question. SMH

 

Nothing wrong with quitting. I saw the Duk Koo Kim vs. Mancini fight live on tv. It'd have been much better if Kim had quit. No boxing match is worth dying over.

 

Weren’t the exact words “I don’t want to fight that clown anymore”?

Anyway, it was a terrible moment. Duran is one of the greats, but it was inexcusable.

The guy is moving around a lot? Then your job is to cut off the ring and get to him. Lou Bizzarro ran more than that against Duran. The guy is taunting you and playing mind games? So do many boxers, including Duran.

Duran quitting doesn’t define him or take away from all the great things he did, but it shouldn’t be excused either.

 

I take it as a TKO 8 win for Sugar Ray Leonard, and assign weight to it accordingly. I really do not care who stopped it, the referee, ring side physician, the corner, or Roberto himself.

Boxers sometimes quit in their corners. Those are TKO losses, whatever the reasons.

To answer the OP's question, no, I do not think Roberto Duran was or is a coward.