Let's face it - Duran was the most complete, ever

Jabbing, crossing, slipping, countering at range - 9/10

Duran often outjabbed his opponents. Only the best lightweight jabbers may have held an advantage, the only deciding factor being height and reach. A counter right hand better than Archie Moore's.

Hooking, uppercutting, ducking, weaving - 10/10

You've never seen anyone better than Duran in this department. He could bend at the waist quicker than anyone and deliver every punch with power and from any angle. The single best uppercutter I've seen.

Body punching, finding space, strength - 10/10

Same as the last category. Duran folded a lot of opponents with body shots. Nobody held any significant strength advantage. He would stay in range and maintain the right amount of space to get off his punches, using his elbows, shoulders and head as a barricade.

Overall speed & power - 9/10

Duran was quick. He wasn't top of the tree when it came to power, but neither was he very far off. He'd take you out with a single shot after round ten.

Athleticism & combination punching - 9/10

I think the 10/10 spot is reserved for those more exquisite combinations delivered by the likes of Ray Robinson and Jose Napoles. Duran's punches were quick individually, but the time elapsed between them was longer - deliberately, I should imagine, to ensure good placement. Duran was incredibly athletic.

Balance & timing - 10/10

Perfect again. Always had that low centre of gravity. Duran's ability to throw a punch from any angle owed a lot to his balance, it all stems from that place. His timing made him a very good counter puncher and judge of distance.

Endurance & durability - 9/10

Maybe you could put him up a mark. Not sure. I always thought Duran, at lightweight, was as durable & endurable a fighter as you could ever see, more or less, however, fighting heavier opponents left him breathless and stunned on rare occasions.

Planning & pacing - 8/10

Duran's early record says a lot. He only lost once and avenged it twice. He was wild in the especially early days, however, he learned quickly and was still in his twenties having mastered most aspects of the game. He knew how to smother a fighter, take his time and ensure victory.

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These were some thoughts running through my head just now. Wasn't going to comment on the determination or 'heart' side of things, too much hassle.

Anyone want to rate other fighters using the same criteria? Or your own, doesn't matter. Did this quickly so there's probably some stuff missing. Be sensible though - Ray Robinson wasn't a 9 or 10 for infighting.

P.S. - I'm fully aware that some attributes don't go hand-in-hand - like speed & power. That's up to you to decide how many points to take off. Ali, for speed & power, I'd think of as a 7.5 or 8. Blinding speed, average (5) power. In a way, it may weed out the complete fighters from the not-so-complete, although you will come across some really great fighters who won't do very well on this, like Carlos Monzon.

 

You are very correct. What I should have said was speed & strength. Power needs speed to be power, or else it's just strength. And you're right in that depending on the style it can vary. I'm sure Ali was very strong, and he had the speed, but then his style wasn't suited to converting that into power.

 

Intriguing post, McVey :good

I don't think there's any one fighter who'd consistently beat all of his contemporaries, let alone the greats in his weight class of all time.

For me, Duran's only conqueror is Ike Williams. After that, his biggest challenges would be, in order:

1. Carlos Ortiz
2. Henry Armstrong
3. Pernell Whitaker
4. Tony Canzoneri

I think Duran would have a comparatively easier time with Benny Leonard, but that Leonard would beat others with ease that Duran may struggle with.

 

Duran lost to the best fighters he fought because they were bigger than him, he wasn't at his best, and they weren't far off his own skill set.

Tell you what makes me laugh though. 'If De Jesus could do it, what could McFarland do?' I can't believe there are people who still believe boxing is this straight forward. If things worked like that, we'd have Foreman beating Ali, wouldn't we?

Every fighter has black marks. Let's look at what we know.