Roberto Duran vs Pernell Whitaker

Duran by body shot KO in 15 seconds.

 

peewee would be running but duran would catch him and it wouldn't be pretty

 

Did Peewee ever run?

 

I think Pernell would outbox him over 12 or 15 rounds.

 

Good fight, but as Joe Louis once said, He Can Run, But He Can't Hide. Roberto Duran did get frustrated at runners like Lou Bizzaro in 1976 and Vilomar Fernandez in 1977, but he wore them down with vicious body blows. Their mobility was short circuited and they became flatfooted fair game for The Hands Of Stone, Roberto Duran. Pernell Whitaker would trouble Duran early in the contest as he was slick, but Roberto slowly wears him down, Duran by TKO 13

 

In a one-off fight I'd favour Whitaker narrowly, something like 55:45 or 60:40 at most. The unorthodox element of his game might be worth a couple of rounds head start here, and Duran could be troubled by neat-boxing counter punchers.

I don't see Duran stopping Whitaker, personally. A shot Whitaker took flush bombs from a huge-punching Welter in Trinidad and still went the distance. His chin coupled with his defensive capabilities and intelligence at buying himself breathers when needed would see him last the distance here as well, I think.

I see Duran struggling early as he's confused by Whitaker's speed and defence, getting frustrated and walking onto too many counters as he loses his cool, coming on strong later and getting to grips with Whitaker's style as the fight progresses, but not quite clawing it back in time. Whitaker by close decision in a one-off fight, but over a series of say three fights I might back Duran to come out 2-1 ahead. He was beaten well enough by De Jesus first time out, struggled in their second fight early on before taking over from around the sixth round onwards, and then absolutely dominated De Jesus in their third fight. Though I don't think he ever dominates Whitaker like that, I could see a scenario where he eventually adapts and offsets Whitaker's advantages to come out on top.

Whitaker in a single fight, Duran edges a three-fight series.

 

No human being I saw box within my lifetime beats Duran either at 135 or in a pound-per-pound scenario.

 

If anybody is a serious threat to Duran at 135 it's Whitaker, but i'd favour Duran by close UD.

 

Of course you do.

 

1st thing Whitaker didn't run from Chavez, or the much bigger Trinidad, he wouldn't
run from Duran. Whitaker didn't fight like Fernandez, Whitaker was generally right in
front of his opponents, making them miss, pound them with combo counters, pivot
out, wash and repeat. Usually fighters that are lite punchers are boring, generally
they fight in a safety 1st mode. Whitaker was never that guy.
But this is probably where he would lose this fight.
Not having the firepower to keep Duran honest. Meanwhile the wrestling tactics,
and power punching of Duran would start taking effect, gradually wearing him down.
In a 10rd fight possibly a 12rd fight Whitaker could hold on and survive, get a dec
win.
But a 15 rd fight, Duran stops Whitaker, or wins the last 5-6 rds convincingly,
wins a dec. But Whitaker would be trying to win the entirety of the fight.

 

I don't pick anyone over Duran, and for good reason. He was an absolute animal at 135, with all of the tools and know-how to apply the gifts God gave him. Sweet Pea, one of the most athletic ATGs ever in his own right, wouldn't have the fire power necessary to keep Durán off him for long enough periods to win. I like Durán's shifting footwork and sheer aggression to take this one, vs a Whitaker who can't get off enough offense to build up points. Aside from Ike Williams, I find it very hard to envision someone stopping Pea, so Cholo will settle for a close(ish) decision over 12 and a wider one over 15.

Pernell's jab and movement are legendary, he could very well beat Durán, but I think Durán has answers for these. His head-movement was like liquid; he just found his way inside no matter what you did. Whilst Whitaker has faster feet, Duran has better footwork and was fast enough to close the gap between them and get his shots off. I basically just can't see Whitaker keeping Duran off him, and struggle to picture him coping with that pressure. Whitaker's crazy reflexes mean he isn't too bashed up, but his body would be sore the next day.

 

Excellent analysis. Whitaker would stay in your pocket and not run like Roy Jones.

 

Yes I always said this. We give opinions here. Pernell was a brilliant master at slowing the pace to his level and then controlling the action. Fast and defensive using his counters. I also underrated body punching. People think Pernell was a light puncher. If he was a really light puncher he would not have been able to control the action like he did. His success against Chavez was being strong on the inside, which I think surprised Chavez.

Now here is where I find it interesting. I think Duran at 147 might do better against Pernell than at 135 because Duran held higher weights better than Pernell. Duran was a heavy puncher even when he went up in weight. He couldn't have done some of the things he did at higher weights if he was not. Pernell either. It doesn't mean they will score knockouts all the time, but it slows the opponent. Look at Duran against Pazienza even and listen to the body punches. He can punch.

 

What I do on know is that it has to be 100% focused Duran at his absolute best to beat Sweet Pea.

That said, I'll pick Duran for a late stoppage.