Overrating Past Greats?

Agreed.

Also look at WW of now and then - It's like night and day!

Manny is a midget, yet Hearns was the size of a LHW! Hell, even SRL was massive at the weight.

@ Dubblechin - Fantastic post, sir! :good

 

Each matchup is different. There's some nostalgia going on but there's ignorance on past fighters. People will watch a fight or two and think that's how a fighter ALWAYS fought, which is why you get so many dumb "Hagler was a slugger" or "Leonard was a runner" comments.

As a whole, the overall skill level and talent level has gone down, I'd say the decline started probably around the 80s and 90s.

The evolution in boxing technique and skills came around the 1940s. With a few exceptions, fighters before then seemed just crude technique-wise

 

Because those of us who saw them, know beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the Duran, Leonard, Hearns , Hagler and Benitez combo would put some losses on Mayweathers Cherrypicked record. Its that simple.

 

one of the best replies I've ever read, yes many of us have been following boxing for a while, so we have developed a point of reference

 

It's easy to make a fake ip you clown. And I said it could be you, not that it was you.

 

Go get another lobotomy

 

Everything has to be taken in context of the times. It is human nature to think of the past being better than it was, and everything new is a lesser version of its predecessor. So, I believe we all have a predilection for older boxers because of our nostalgia, plus among boxing fans, it makes you look cool when you honor the past greats. Don't get me wrong, they deserve their praise, just making a point about a possible inherent peer pressure within boxing fandom.

 

Another excellent example would be Tyson in 1986, it was thought by many that he was unbeatable.

 

If nothing else, this makes logical sense. Boxing, having a history of over 100 years is bound to have produced better fighters cumulatively than the one's of today. But that doesn't mean fighters like Mayweather and Pac don't get added to the list of fights who are ATG's it just means it takes very special fighters to get to the very top echelon and it's not just a matter of skill set, or even record, it's also a matter of the quality of a fighters comp.

 

i doubt that duran would beat mayweather

 

styles make fights

 

Yes they do. And the style match up supports Duran. Here's what Angelo Dundee and Lederman think about this match up.

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Angelo Dundee (Hall of Fame trainer of Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard, among many others): “Oh gosh, Duran’s a living legend. And one of the best fighters today is Floyd Mayweather. That would be some fight. I tell you – it would be Floyd Mayweather’s toughest encounter. Duran against a guy with quick hands like Mayweather – he could nullify that. Duran offset quick hands through feints, head feints, foot feints and foot movements. He was a complete fighter. He had all that stuff going for him. Then he nails you. Then he bulls you too. Mayweather would be facing something he never faced before. You’re saying the fight would be at lightweight? I like Duran. Duran was slick, smart, body puncher, made you fall short with punches. At lightweight I would like Duran. He could get under your skin too. He could con you. He had ways to bother you. He was like Muhammad Ali in that way, but he couldn’t speak English. Duran was a real psyche artist.
“It’s tough. Mayweather always rises to the occasion. He impresses the hell out of me. I knew Duran from the inception – he trained at the Fifth Street Gym (Miami). I watched him all the time. A guy I trained, Duran was working with him – Vinnie Curto. A lightweight hurting a middleweight. There was no smarter, cuter fighter than Vinnie Curto. The only thing that bothered Duran was a long, left jab. And Mayweather doesn’t have that. Certain guys give certain guys problems. We haven’t seen what gives Mayweather problems. Are we talking 15 rounds? I like Duran. I like Duran. You’re talking about Mayweather going 15 rounds. Duran was pressure, pressure. He was strong. He could punch. God, he was a great lightweight. He takes advantage of every little thing. And he did it smooth, with grace. Everything was slick and smart. I like Duran.”


Harold Lederman (World-renowned boxing judge): “Duran in his prime vs. Mayweather in his prime…without question, I think it would be no contest. I did see Roberto Duran in his prime. I was in Madison Square Garden the first time he came in he fought Benny Huertas in that incredible one round fight. When he knocked out Benny Huertas. But they went toe-to-toe for the better part of one round. And at the that time Duran made such a big hit that they brought him back after. And I was the judge in that first fight that Roberto Duran ever lost to Esteban DeJesus in Madison Square Garden, where Duran walked into a left hook in the second round and he was sitting on the canvas looking up at DeJesus. And DeJesus just cruised to a ten-round decision. They fought two times after that for the Lightweight championship and Duran won both of them.
“But interestingly enough, Roberto Duran was an aggressive, very, very quick, very, very well trained, very well conditioned fighter. And when you look at Floyd Mayweather’s career, he did have trouble with a big Jose Luis Castillo at lightweight. And I think that, without question, I just don’t think that Mayweather, as good as he is, and he’s a very, very talented fighter, can hold off Duran. I mean, Duran was extremely aggressive. Hit very, very hard. Just an awful guy to beat. I mean, you had to be very, very strong and have a heckuva punch to hold him off. And Mayweather, although he has a good jab, has hand problems. I don’t think he can hit Duran hard enough, jab him hard enough without breaking his hands. And boy, when Mayweather hurts his hands you just know it. Because he starts going straight backwards, like he did with Famoso Hernandez and Victoriano Sosa.
“But with Duran, you had to have a heckuva punch or a heckuva great left jab to keep him off of you. Duran would have hammered him to the body. Eventually probably stopped him in eight or nine rounds.”


http://www.boxinginsider.com/columns/experts-contemplate-duran-vs-mayweather-at-lightweight/

 

im not saying it would be a walk in the park , but if sugar ray can trouble duran with his speed and frustrate him enough to quit im pretty sure mayweather who is arguably as fast and as skilled (and im not saying May would beat Ray) IMHO could do the same. Maybe not make him quit but beat him on points.

 

Did you read the part about Mayweather not having a left jab good enough to slow Duran down, or not having the punching power?

You just can't automatically equate SRL with Mayweather. SRL punched a lot harder and slightly taller than Mayweather and he had better offensive weapons. If anyone is going to know the difference between these three fighters it's Dundee.