Vasyl Lomachenko vs Roberto Duran...

We need to slow down with Loma he has just barely gotten to lightweight where Duran was at his very physical peak of his powers at lightweight before moving up and thrashing bigger fighters

 

Loma hasn't even got to lightweight yet Rich.

 

Oh hell good catch I thought he was moving up there his next fight but you are right he isn't there yet.....has he really made 8 title defenses already?

 

The difference in size and workrate would probably nullify Rigondeaux's stylistic advantages sooner than later. He's tiny. He was small for super-bantamweight, downright tiny at 130, and would have been criminally undersized against a top lightweight.

I'm a believer in Lomachenko and I think he's probably one of the absolute all-time best at 130, but I don't know how to think about him at lightweight yet.

 

Lets be honest, you couldn't get any featherweight to move up and fight a prime Roberto Duran at gunpoint!

 

People sure are quick to get ahead of themselves when it comes to the hype game.

 

Ridiculous, isn't it?

 

Something new and flashy and some just can't help screaming it to the heavens.

Experienced and knowledgable observers sit back that bit longer and let things unfold some more.

Lomachenko when it comes to 135 hasn't yet proven he could mix it with Buchanan and De Jesus yet. He hasn't even fought there!!!

Immensely exciting talent so we will see what transpires.

 

dksab would be apt.

 

The spiteful, cynical part of my brain wants to see Lomachenko derailed just to shut Mendoza up. I know it's not fair, but I can't help it. It was the same a few years back with asero and Donaire. Loma looks a special fighter thus far, no doubt, his footwork and upper body movement are mesmeric. Like everyone with a whit of common sense has said, let his career unfold before we go chucking him into fantasy fights against the greatest fighting machine ever captured on film.

 

Duran just probing and feinting would be a fine sight to see against Lomachenko. I feel after 2/3 rounds Lomachenko's lavish style, exuberant confidence and wide smile would be smacked off his face and resort to back tracking for the remainder, after realising he's in a fight he can't win.

Give Lomachenko a second pop at the cherry he might be able to adapt a game plan, let's not downplay how good an athlete Loma is, I don't want to start comparing him to a certain someone, but his movement is up there with the best

 

As an aside, I've never understood the idea that Duran in his prime had trouble with movers. Buchanan had some of the greatest footwork and peripheral movement that the division has ever seen and Duran tracked him down with frightening closing footspeed. He never really fought that way again though I suppose, with that level of abandon.

He tracked Marcel down too and kept him in range, albeit in a competitive fight, and he chased down DeJesus when the latter opted to box and move in fights 2 and 3.

He certainly coasted against Bizzarro and Viruet when they more or less ran from him all night and he got into a rut of complacency, but they never looked remotely like winning and I think Duran knew as much. That said, I could see the likes of Chavez and Armstrong doing a more consistent tracking job against mobile non-threats of that ilk.

Duran's troubles with movement only really started imo after his legs started to diminish and the fire went out. I know people see this as making excuses and whatnot, but it's visibly true as far as my eyes can tell. Benitez, Leonard II, Laing etc.

 

Personally I'd pick Henry Armstrong to beat Lomochenko something like 7 to 8 times out of 10, as things stand as of now.

 

Duran's ability to cover ground so quickly was just one of the facets that made him so formidable and exciting to watch.