Roberto Duran vs Pipino Cuevas - Puncher vs Puncher

Duran the intelligent pressure fighter, his seamless offence-defence shows here (especially as the fight goes on and he really controls Cuevas).
Starts at 1:40 ish.
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Pipino Cuevas was performing surprisingly sharply in this fight, but Duran was setting his gameplan into motion very well. Cuevas was great with power shots on the inside so Duran most often tied Cuevas up when they were getting too close. Taking Cuevas's threats away from the get go.

Duran was throwing the jab whenever he took a step to the side when circling Cuevas. Duran also gained success by countering on the outside.

Duran in between this would also send pawing jabs with no intention to land, but rather programme Cuevas into being vulnerable to the faux jab to set up a right hand which eventually became Cuevas's undoing.

To keep Cuevas at bay when Cuevas was trying to pick up momentum and launch an attack, Duran would change levels slightly and feint an attack responsively whenever Cuevas looked to propose an attack.

Duran, now programming Cuevas with jabs to the head, resorted to jabs to the body to surprise Cuevas.

Whenever Cuevas launched an attack, Duran would avoid it by changing levels ducking and tying up.

When Duran did engage in an inside battle with Cuevas, he baits Cuevas into an attack and counters him for the most part, so the battle is under Duran's terms.

Duran goes back to the jab and then uses the faux jab to set up the great straight right hand and Cuevas is clubbed.

It was a good gameplan by Duran, Cuevas did not do anything to adapt to any of this however.

Cuevas turned pro when he was 13 years old, almost 14! This had a big effect on the longevity of his career, but he still achieved a Hall of Fame career and is renown as one of the biggest punchers in boxing history.

 

I completely agree. With Cuevas not adapting/not responding to Duran's gameplan, he just didn't have the smarts for Duran.

Amazing though, kept the title from the age of 19 for four years, just knocking virtually all of them out left right and centre. He was such a tricky fighter on the inside. The leverage he gets behind these close range shots were what made him such an elite puncher.

 

Both are big punchers, that's really just what I meant. But Duran put on a boxing clinic :good