Kirkland has just beaten Duran in a big upset . Micky Duff is over the moon and Lang starts taking his job serious . What big fights could of come off and what would of happened. Could be interesting.
Kirkalnd Laing put in very good performance against Duran. And deserves alot of credit for the win, but i think Duran had a very poor night. Duran was also coming off being convincingly outpointed by Wilfred Benitez aswell, but it also could of been stylistic issue, as Duran sometimes had some issues against slick boxers. A good version of Kirkland Laing lost twice to Colin Jones, and to my knowledge had no notable wins after the Duran upset. Also Laing's chin wasn't exactly granite either, he got stopped and knocked out numerous times. So to answer question he might of had a better record overall, but i don't see him beating any of the top Welterweights/Jr Middleweights of that era.
Just putting this out there as I don't know and wonder if anyone will have insight but was Laing really so averse to training and the gym? He was very skilled and that must have come from some serious dedication at some point. Also, he stayed at or around welter, despite being big framed, and throughout his career he looked to be consistently in shape. Whatever photo you look at, whether he be sporting shortish afro or long dreads, he was ripped. I wonder how he gets that level of skill and maintains that physique without spending a lot of time in the gym. As I say, I am seeking rather than offering opinions.
Wasn't Laing's problem more of a "lifestyle" and "bad personal habits" issue rather than a lack of training?
