Lamotta vs Duran 15 rds

Oh hell I don't even know. In one way I like LaMotta for the win just cuz he was a better middleweight than Duran, but then I favor Duran just cuz he was much more skilled than LaMotta. Both were powerful and tough as nails tho, and this would have been one of the most exciting fights I can imagine.

 

LaMotta gives a beating while taking a beating. Jake wins. A great Middleweight against a greater fighter, but not at Middleweight. LaMotta all the way. Duran would face a great body puncher like himself in this one. Great fight.

 

LaMotta would have to start faster and have to know to do it. I favor LaMotta, but he wouldn't be able to knock Duran out late. If LaMotta would apply sufficient pressure early and then flurry late, he could take it. Really, both were so high-stamina, strong, and tough I think it would more be a fight 2 see who outworks who. Either way, it would be an exceptionally torrid 15 rounds. That can't be said enough.

 

If they fought at welterweight, I like Duran big time. His skills were far superior, and at that weight he could match Lomatta's physicality. To be honest, I believe Duran at welterweight would beat Lomatta much more convincingly than Robinson did. Styles make fights, Duran unlike Robinson could fight Lomatta much more effectively in close, Lomatta's wheelhouse, but also Duran's. Duran beats Lomatta convincingly at welterweight. Possibly stopping him.
At Middleweight, a different story. Lomatta seemed to retain his physicality as he went up in weight, he was said to have legs like tree trunks. Most of his weight was carried in his lower body. Its very possible/ probable he would out work Duran at Middleweight. Especially if Duran was lackadaisical as he sometimes was at that weight.

 

At middleweight I favor LaMotta. I don’t think Duran is going to show Jake anything he hasn’t seen from Robinson.

 

No doubt Duran was the greater fighter but most of that greatness took place south of middleweight. I think most would agree the best version of Duran at Middleweight was the guy we saw fight Hagler. No doubt his win over Barkley was his best win at 160 but the fact that he put up such a brilliant fight against Hagler who I think most have in the top five greatest middleweights of all time with Monzon, Hopkins and of course Sugar Ray Robinson makes me think he is in this fight all the way.

It's really a pickem fight but if I had to money on this one at middleweight over 15 rounds I would go with Lamotta. Neither man gets stopped but at that weight I favor Lamotta to win on points after trailing Duran early. Lamotta's pressure ,work rate and strengh takes over the second half of the fight.

 

One of the most interesting fantasy matches I've seen on here for a while in that I'd never considered it before and it's not an obvious matchup either but is genuinely intriguing.

We all know that an out of shape Duran could give very mediocre performances and lose to far lesser fighters than himself but LaMotta sometimes suffered from the same issue. If we're taking the best above-welterweight version of Duran, that of the Moore fight, the Barkley fight, and more significantly the Hagler fight - giving one of the four greatest middleweights ever real problems - then he has a genuine chance of springing an upset here (and it would be an upset).

Duran was a better boxer than LaMotta imo but LaMotta should have the edge physically, although not so much that he would overwhelm Duran. Duran's best chance though is to be as cute as possible and find ways to keep LaMotta guessing, rather than allowing LaMotta to walk him down. The question is whether he could do that without significant movement (a la Robinson).

I see LaMotta wearing Duran down gradually and taking it on points as Duran runs out of puff in the championship rounds while LaMotta gets stronger. It would be highly competitive all the way, though.

 

Spot on

 

Was LaMotta ever a welter? I wasnt aware.

 

I'm almost positive he never fought below middleweight and in fact from reading his book he struggled to make the 160 mark his entire career until he finally moved up to light heavyweight after losing the middleweight belt to Sugar Ray.

Keep in mind he fought during the same day weight era and likely would have been able to make Jr. Middle and maybe even WW if he fought today although WW would probably be a stretch.

I was thinking about this matchup and one fight that could possibly give us a glimpse at least from a size and style standpoint would be the first Duran vs Jorge Castro fight. Castro and Lamotta were very similarly built and both had notoriously strong chins. Definitely wasn't the best version of Duran in those fights but we can at least get a glimpse of the size difference. Castro was an absolutely bad ass middleweight that went all the way up to Cruiserweight and was still competitive at the end of his career.

 

I think that it makes a great fight, two fighters that had the same temperament, and could box and hit. After such a brutal war, Jake La Motta rages on to win a split verdict over a bull in Roberto Duran.

 

Hagler wide UD. LaMotta never impressed me but that's just me.

 

Sorry not awake yet thought it was Hagler v LaMotta. My mistake!

 

Honestly, at 160 I think LaMotta wins a clear decision. Duran's feinting and defense would bother Jake in the beginning, as it did Hagler, but unlike Hagler Jake would not stay cautious and would quickly ramp up the stalking. Middle rounds, he would definitely start getting in with that beautiful, aggressive jab of his and would eventually take control with it, alongside his physicality which Duran couldn't compete with. It is very likely this would happen given Jake was out-jabbing Robinson himself for consecutive rounds.