Mayweather or Duran: Who was more skilled?

He's making a joke pal, I think it's about PernellSweetPea.

 

One was a gifted prodigy the other a natural streetfighter who was refined
into a awesome fighting machine . I go with the streetfighter.

 

They are both among the 20 or so most skilled fighters ever. Splitting hairs.

 

Toney, Gans, Duran, Langford, Burley, Charles, Moore, Napoles, Benitez, Tunney, Jofre, Pep, Louis, Whitaker, McCallum. I don't have Mayweather top 15 just off top of head. I have Duran top 3-5.

 

Floyd is not in my opinion

 

Duran, without question. Far more versatile skill set.

 

But the difference is that Duran was a supremely elusive defensive fighter, too - whereas Floyd was not an elite offensive fighter. In other words, if you assume Duran's offense and Floyd's defense cancel each other out, then Duran's defense was far superior to Floyd's offense.

Indeed. This guy would probably argue that Leon Spinks beat the prime Ali. Jesus.

 

duran





floyd

 

Mayweather at his best (vs Corrales) is more like Robinson but without Robinson’s power, height or reach.

Mayweather did have beautiful footwork, great jab, countering, excellent infighting and grit. That Floyd had a chance at rivaling Duran in the skills department.

However, when he moved up to 135 he started overly relying on his shoulder roll and started fighting inferior competition. Example: Chop Chop Corley, a very light puncher, rocked Floyd a few times because Floyd stopped using his skills.

Duran was in someways crude at the beginning but over the years and into his prime, he turned into a combination of Pacquiao and Mayweather and added still a craftiness that could only come from trainers that worked with some of the greatest boxers in history: Benny Leonard, Ezzard Charles, Tony Zale, just to name a very small few.

Mayweather at 135 does not make the final bell with 135 Duran unless he puts away the shoulder roll and gets on his toes, but that Mayweather didn’t exist anymore at 135

 

It's a fair opinion. I certainly struggle to find 20 fighters that have been more skilled than him.

 

I did right off the top of my head in seconds

 

I saw your list. Didn't want to go slightly off the topic as this isn't a 'most skilled fighters' thread. As unlikeable as they might have been, I'd have Floyd and SRL in that list.

I always like to go back to Monte Cox's article on boxing skill when I think of who I'd rank in there:

http://coxscorner.tripod.com/boxingskill.html

It's not gospel by any means, but I think he captures most of what it means to be a skilled boxer, when reading it I feel he is describing Floyd as much as any boxer on film.