Montreal Duran vs. Hearns (Leonard 1)

Mighty good thing Leonard's camp didnt make the fight when Hearns and co. were clamoring for it a year prior to the actual bout with various media accusing SRL of ducking Hearns. He mightve been given only half the credit today.

Not so dissimilar to people saying Leonard didnt fight his fight no matter how true and able he was to control the action. Why? Because prior to, they had every inclination that Leonard could outpunch Duran and win the fight anyway. He certainly gave a good account of himself if nothing else.

I just dont see the pinpoint nitpicking. There are various ATGs who have fought and clear instances one or both were completely out of prime. These two arent it IMO. Nor is No Mas.

 

I think many people put a great like Leonard or Hearns as prime before they really were. Hearns beat Virgil Hill in 1991 for the 175 pound title 10 years after the Leonard fight at welt. Hill was not just some title holder who held it for one or two defenses. 10 defenses, and Hearns outboxed him easily. Hearns a decade before in 1981 was sharp and had skills, but he did not have the experience to go to 15 like he did with Benitez in Dec. of 1982. And Leonard was not prime when he fought Duran in 1980. The fact he needed the lesson of not fighting his fight in June of 1980 to fight his fight in Nov shows that he had more to learn. He was in the process.

 

I know what you're saying MAG, its just that for me the two versions of Leonard and Hearns in discussion rate as the #2 and #3 welterweights of all-time for me respectively in terms of ability. I'd agree that perhaps they werent PEAK which I consider the pinnacle of one's general prime, a longer time period.

These two guys were just absolute animals.

 

i feel like hearns was too inexperienced at the time. big difference between the hearns leonard fight and the hearns duran fight. i used to train at petronellis gym (Haglers gym) and Goody (margins trainer as well as my own) once told me that the hearns of the mid 80's was probably the p4p the best fighter. imagine if hearns boxed hagler instead. anyways back to the subject a lot of younger guys discredit duran because they only saw his welterweight and up fights. very different fighter. what he did in the leonard fight was pure smarts. its not that he was stronger or faster he simply psyched leonard out, made him do what he wanted. the young hearns of 81 would have fell prey to durans mind tricks. and for the young guys or anyone who hasn't seen Durans fights at LW check them out. He was like a vast more skilled paquiao

 

Hearns by stoppage.

He wouldn't demolish Duran in as clinical a fashion as he did in 1984, but he's simply all wrong for any version of Duran.

He's taller, longer and supremely skilled with murderous power in each hand. This is one fight that Duran simply can't win.

 

True, and I'm not an old-timer by any stretch.

There were three supreme ATGs who were overshadowed by Ali and the heavyweight division's golden era throughout most of the early-to-mid 1970s: Roberto Duran, Carlos Monzon, Jose Napoles.

 

Either Hearns early or Duran late. An early Hearns KO is much more likely. Hearns has the advantage as the fight starts and he could KO Duran anytime they fight, but if the fight goes to the late rounds, (that is a big if) the advantage starts to shift towards Duran and Duran will beat him up and KO him.

 

Ya but what's interesting is that Duran beat Barkley who is about the same size as Hearn's and had beaten Hearn's twice. So who's to say for sure how a rematch would have unfolded. What if SRL never fought Duran again? or Lewis never fought McCall or Rahman again? People would obviously be picking the winner to win the rematch even thought the first result was never repeated. That's the funny thing about boxing, you can't just take one performance and extrapolate it was certainly as to what happens going forward. That said I certainly think the rematch favors Hearn's but the outcome isn't a forgone conclusion.

 

Could not the same be said about Barkley? And yet Duran did find away to win.

 

I`d pick Duran by stoppage. Pretty certain about it.

Hearns was still a little green at `47 when he faced Leonard. Duran was a seasoned vet this time though still in his prime or near it and on top of his game.

Duran had excellent speed both handspeed and footwork moving in and cutting the ring. His reflexes especially his defense were on another level. I think Duran could exploit Hearns lack of balance and possibliy his durability or lack of.

Hearns did the job when he faced Duran in `84 and he was lucky to get him at that time.

 

I agree, in 84 Duran was just a bored fat Miami party animal.

You've only got to look at the 6th round of the SRL/Hearns showdown in 81 when Leonard stopped poncing about doing his faux ali routine & went straight at Tommy, walked him down & smashed him all over the ring. Hearns was done! Saved by the bell! After that Tommy hit the bike! Robert would have done the same, he'd have beat that version of Hearns up, suffocated him, people get carried away with the Cuevas blowout where Pipino was stood up like a weather vane. Tommy showed in that 1st leonard fight he was ****ed once you got onto his chest, he panicked, did'nt know how to hold on & survive, he's said so himself, he said his pride always got the better of him in that situation, doing that against the Duran that battered SRL for pillar to post spells certain doom for Hearns.:deal

 

I just believe Tommy flat out had Durans number. Roberto gets KO'd even in Montreal.

 

At 147, Duran was seasoned (and for Montreal, hungry) whereas Hearns hadn't peaked physically yet. I don't think Duran would bully Hearns, but eventually exploits his weaknesses. Most likely a mirror of Leonard/Hearns I, as Duran grinds Tommy down in 12 or 13.

154 would always be another story, though.

 

1980 Duran wins, Duran was much more of a force in 80, than 84, he also was more mature than Hearns, who was only 21 in 80, and I don't think Hearns had the chin to take the punches Ray took in the Montreal fight, lets be real Hearns chin and legs were a liability in long hard tough fights against tough opposition..
I think Roberto takes Tommy into deep water here, Hearns loses a wide decision or gets stopped late...