Why Roberto Durán is The Best Fighter Ever...

Hearns/SRR boxer-punchers with speed and power

 

Point is he started out with the war...
Rewatched that fight though, and Duran was very much firing on every cylinder that night. Like Frazier when he fought Ali the first time, so I could be wrong.

 

This guys goes much further than I do, and I don't cuss in posts. I said I think Duran was a bit overrated if people think he is top 10 ATG. I think Duran on the inside was one of the greatest ever and he had the greatest instincts when he fought someone, and if that guy had a weakness, Duran would zone in on it and keep it going. This is why Hagler had trouble. He fought Duran at Duran's range in a way and was getting hit with the right hadn even though Marvin's reach was 75 and Duran's 67 , yet Marvin was so much stronger which made the difference. A fighter who beats Duran has to almost fight with Duran thinking. Find the weakness and then keep it going.

 

If you rank Duran's opponents wouldn't you end up with SRR, Hearns, Hagler and Benitez as his four highest ranked opponents? If not, then fair enough, there won't be a point in that argument as we'll just go in circles. If you agree that those are his four best opponents, is he not 1-5-0 against them? How's that revisionist?
He fought these guys when he was between the ages of 29 and 32 (a day short of 33, I think) and let's face it, he hadn't been through a murderer's row of lightweights in the 70s so as to be finished by his late 20s and early 30s. He was still a very good fighter, formidable even, which answers the point of those guys getting credit for beating him (though if we are being honest, that credit is given to them with a truckload of salt, for reasons it's not worth derailing this thread into).

I believe Duran has some very good points going for him. He has one of the most seamless defense and offense games once he is in his optimum range, he is amongst the best two to ever do it in said optimum range and he is among 4 people with a legitimate claim to being the GOAT lightweight.
As for the thread title, I think SRR & Ezzard Charles were "better" than him, Benny Leonard, Henry Armstrong and a handful of others were as good. But there's not much in it, since at that level nobody is really better than anyone by much tbh.

 

He lost to De Jesus in a low key over the weight non title bout that was fought to keep busy. Duran had fought, however shortly, just 3 weeks earlier.

Obviously he came back and beat Esteban decisively in two big fights with the last being for all the marbles.

It's the only fight he ever lost south of Welterweight. Duran was 71-1 when he lost again at 147 to an ATG after having bested him in their first fight.

So he lost two fights all the way up to welter and won a gazillion. Not too shabby.

 

Yes, this is 100% true. Thank you, sir

 

Durán arguably beat Camacho first fight too. All he had left by that point was a chin, smarts and a straight right hand and it was still enough to give Camacho fits. That’s how totally at home in the ring Durán was.

A few fights later Camacho fought a comebacking Ray Leonard who thought he could go one better than Durán. Ray was badly mistaken.

 

I have Duran comfortably inside the top 10. DeJesus, Buchanon and Cuevas are right there in terms of greatness. Difference being DeJesus and Buchanan had to face a different animal than Benitez and the rest faced. Leonard got a taste of it in Montreal. Duran was peak at 135lbs. Sugar Ray Robinson lost to Middleweights that couldn't have touched him at Welter in his prime. Gene Fullmer won the series with him 2-1-1. How could he be over Duran? Just an example.

 

The second and third DeJesus fights, fought for the WBA Lightweight world title and WBC/WBA Lightweight world titles respectively were fought at light-welterweight? I don't know where we'd be if you weren't here to set the record straight, Ra's!

 

It was a great article mate. Shame the negativity of a couple of trolls are taking the sine off things.

You are following a similar path to another young gun here from years ago. After his rather intense and positive study of Duran he moved on to Armstrong and Williams and ended up being basically just as impressed by that pair once he gave them enough time.

 

Nah not the Flea hahaha. Moniker started with M but i think a lot of his posts got lost which just about killed him he was so proud lol

 

Manassa Mauler?