June 16, 1983: Duran vs Davey Moore...25th Year Anniversary

[elmersalsa]

Twenty-five years ago this day, the great Roberto Duran recaptures again the lost glory and becomes a triple crown champion by beating Davey Moore into submission in 8 rounds. It was one of the most unforgettable and greatest magic moments that ever happened at the New York's Madison Square Garden.

16,000 fans were in attendance including the greats like Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Jose "Chegui" Torres, Emile Griffith and Floyd Patterson among others.

Duran with tears in his eyes, was in sight of relief after the "No Mas" fiasco 2 and a half years earlier with Leonard in New Orleans. He was the King of the Hill once again and started leading the crowd in a chorus calling his name: "Duran, Duran, Duran, Duran, Duran". It was also Dura's 32nd birthday.

Many thought of him of being washed up before the fight with Moore, but Moore could not withstand the excellent body punching and savvy of the great Duran.

After the fight, Ali told him "Duran, tonight, you are the GREATEST!!!"

Yes he was....On that night, June 16, 1983, Duran was the greatest.

[BoxBuzz]

You know there is a poster here who will have great criticism for your take on this. As I recall his "expert" opinion is that this is a very bad win for Duran. One highlighted by fouls and dirty tactics on the grandest of magnitudes. Along with a referee that was bias toward Roberto. Now I just watched this fight again and can not concur. Looks like top flight work turned in by a master craftsman to me. Anyone else care to weigh in on this?

[Goodnight, Irene]

It was despicable. They should have strung the ref up & tortured him with cooking knives. Duran's flith was critical to his victory, which is why I will always regard it more lightly than others.

[I Feel Fine]

One highlighted by fouls and dirty tactics on the grandest of magnitudes. Along with a referee that was bias toward Roberto. Now I just watched this fight again and can not concur. Looks like top flight work turned in by a master craftsman to me. Anyone else care to weigh in on this?

Can't it be both?

With that said:

After the fight, Ali told him "Duran, tonight, you are the GREATEST!!!"

Yes he was....On that night, June 16, 1983, Duran was the greatest.

Why, then, do you find holding intolerable, while being able to look past low blows, elbows, putting your laces in your opponents eyes, along with who knows what else Duran did to Moore? Duran's kind of fouling is much more serious, and is much more conducive to drawing point deductions. Why is Duran-Moore not, by your criteria, a "fake"?

All that aside, Duran was an old lion giving a young belt holder a boxing lesson, several weight classes above his best weight. I feel sympathy for Moore I suppose, and the fight should have been stopped much earlier, but this was one of the greatest and most savagely brilliant performances in boxing history. Moore was an inexperienced fighter, but he was clearly gifted with great natural ability. Duran used his experience, his intelligence, his subtle defense, his still impressive punching power, his great chin, his body punching ability, and, yes, some dirty tactics, to break down and absolutely destroy a very talented young boxer. Duran dominated Moore in nearly every facet of boxing, both legal and illegal. I guess Moore's handlers had the excuse that Duran looked to be a shot fighter going into the match, but it was a pretty big risk that they took, with disastrous consequences for their fighter. It could not have gone any worse for Moore than it did. And the referee was one of the worst I have ever seen; Duran's mother might as well have done the refereeing in that fight. Barkley later fought Duran with the intention of avenging Moore, and it was a similar kind of situation, Duran coming into the fight being thought of as a shot fighter, fighting a guy who was not great but who was bigger and had a belt and was gaining some recognition; and that fight with Barkley brought the same kind of impressive and unexpected performance out of Duran and another big win, along with another belt. Both of those fights showed that if you were in front of Duran he always had a chance to beat you, even if you were bigger and much younger.

[Ezzard]

IMO dirty tactics are in the hands of the ref and I don't criticise fighters... It's the ref's fault if he lets them get away with it.

I don't really like watching this fight. Moore should have been pulled out by the ref or his corner long before the end.

I heard a rumour that Moore had some kind of dental work done in the build up to the fight and that the drugs or treatment may have impaired his performance. It was also said that this had an impact on the odds as those in the know piled into Duran as the fight drew near.

[elmersalsa]

Duran was considered a washed up fighter after the "No Mas", and to pull this win, a MIRACLE, I was shocked by the outcome.

Duran, the greatest!!!

[Ambling Alp]

Truly a miracle. Who could have seen this coming? Coming off of a win over Cuevas, Duran actually beat Davey Moore (who had been a pro for more than two years and won 12 fights.).

Almost as surprising as when the sun came up this morning.

[I Feel Fine]

I don't think it was considered a miracle, I'm not even sure that it was considered an upset. But Duran was coming off the loss to Benitez and more importantly the loss to Laing in the '82 upset of the year (the Duran that lost to Laing could have lost to Moore) and was thought of as washed up, and while Moore was young he had scored some nice wins. And I don't think that any Lightweight champion had ever won a belt that high up in weight.

Certainly not at all surprising in hindsight, and I'm sure that I would have picked Duran to have won if I had been a boxing fan at that time, but it did revitalize Duran's career for a while.

[bennie]

The thumb in the eye "fight."

And some retards swallow such garbage as their "greatest of all time."

Fritzie Zivic thumbed everyone. Were you not hailing him as one of the greatest of all time recently?

[elmersalsa]

I don't think it was considered a miracle, I'm not even sure that it was considered an upset. But Duran was coming off the loss to Benitez and more importantly the loss to Laing in the '82 upset of the year (the Duran that lost to Laing could have lost to Moore) and was thought of as washed up, and while Moore was young he had scored some nice wins. And I don't think that any Lightweight champion had ever won a belt that high up in weight.

Certainly not at all surprising in hindsight, and I'm sure that I would have picked Duran to have won if I had been a boxing fan at that time, but it did revitalize Duran's career for a while.

The MAJORITY of the experts picked Davey Moore to kill Duran...To me, it was a MIRACLE for someone that was considered washed up and finished. The Cuevas fight just gave Duran confidence, but it was hailed as "The Fight of the Washed up Legends"...The winner keeps fighting and the loser goes home and retire.

Let's look in all the physical attributes of Moore compared to Duran's, the only thing that Duran had over him was EXPERIENCE....Nothing else I Feel Fine.

[I Feel Fine]

The MAJORITY of the experts picked Davey Moore to kill Duran...

Ok, I wasn't sure about that. But, no, this was not a miracle, people at the time had just seen Duran go through a bad stretch in recent years and had figured that he was shot when he in reality still had a lot left. And while experience was one of the main factors it was not the only factor; Duran still had the chin, toughness, punching power and all of the other things that made him a great fighter. He did go the distance with Hagler in his very next fight.

[granberry]

The thumb in the eye "fight."

And some retards swallow such garbage as their "greatest of all time."

Fritzie Zivic thumbed everyone. Were you not hailing him as one of the greatest of all time recently?

collins clone bennie arrives to post what his master collins told him to post when they pm'ed each other.

Dance for your master, bennie.

[Collins2000]

The thumb in the eye "fight."

And some retards swallow such garbage as their "greatest of all time."

Fritzie Zivic thumbed everyone. Were you not hailing him as one of the greatest of all time recently?

collins clone bennie arrives to post what his master collins told him to post when they pm'ed each other.

Dance for your master, bennie.

Gran, do you remember that time you PMd me and asked what I was wearing?





Is the fact that I didn't reply what this is all about?


Did you PM anyone else with the same question and, if so, who replied?

[Rick Farris]

I'll never forget the the ass-whipping that Duran laid on Moore. I have it on DVD and had it for years on VHS. I spent many evenings replaying in stop-action slow motion, Duran's hands of stone breaking the health and spirit of a very tough young champion. Moore was in way over his head, but that's nothing to be ashamed of, Hell, how many of Duran's best opponents were truly "better" than Duran? I've seen him lose fights, but I never saw him defeated by anybdy but himself. In reality, and in MY opinion, Roberto Duran has no equal since the days of Robinson, Pep, Ike Williams, etc. That's just my opinion, of course, but let me make it very clear that when I say Duran has "no equal", I mean in any weight class, certainly not Muhammad Ali. Now those of you who disagree, that's cool, you got your favorites and I've got mine, Roberto Duran.

-Rick Farris

[Ambling Alp]

I don't think it was considered a miracle, I'm not even sure that it was considered an upset. But Duran was coming off the loss to Benitez and more importantly the loss to Laing in the '82 upset of the year (the Duran that lost to Laing could have lost to Moore) and was thought of as washed up, and while Moore was young he had scored some nice wins. And I don't think that any Lightweight champion had ever won a belt that high up in weight.

Certainly not at all surprising in hindsight, and I'm sure that I would have picked Duran to have won if I had been a boxing fan at that time, but it did revitalize Duran's career for a while.

The MAJORITY of the experts picked Davey Moore to kill Duran...To me, it was a MIRACLE for someone that was considered washed up and finished. The Cuevas fight just gave Duran confidence, but it was hailed as "The Fight of the Washed up Legends"...The winner keeps fighting and the loser goes home and retire.

Let's look in all the physical attributes of Moore compared to Duran's, the only thing that Duran had over him was EXPERIENCE....Nothing else I Feel Fine.

Thats funny, I don't remember anyone picking Moore.
The Cuevas fight is usually considered one of the best performances of Duran's career. elmer himself has mentioned this in previous threads as a big win. Now it's a just a win over a washed up fighter, so it doesn't mean much. You can't have it both ways.

It didn't even occur to me that Duran would lose. Moore had a total of twelve fights. He had only one fight over 8 rounds at this point. He seemed like a fighter who had some potential but certainly wasn't remotely close to being a great fighter. He wasn't going to knock out Duran and it was doubtful that he would be able to win a decision. The only doubt was if Duran would be focused. Considering that he seemed focus in his previous fights and that this was for a title, it seemed likely that he would be focused.

Roberto "Forever a lightweight" Duran was a natural Jr Middleweight by then. He already had 6 fights at this weight class by then. His body was used to carrying this weight and he was used to fighting fighters of this size.

This fight occurred on Duran's 32nd birthday. He wasn't quite ready for the old folks home. He certainly had more than enough left to beat a fighter this inexperienced. Add to this officiating, it's almost impossible to see how Moore was going to win.

[bennie]

Duran was an official 3/1 underdog. Most people gave him no chance and felt he was flattered by the Cuevas win. Before Cuevas he had looked awful against Jimmy Batten and Kirkland Laing, and he also indulged in an infamous exhibition with Simon Smith at MSG where he looked shockingly fat and was roundly booed. But Duran whipped himself into the best shape he had been in for years and killed Moore to the body, before switching to the head. Moore is a right dirty bastard. To me, he started the rough stuff and Duran finished it. Watch the fight on youtube. How many times does Moore hit Duran after the bell? A little while later, Moore was disqualified for chinning a Frenchman after the bell.

[BoxBuzz]

Duran was an official 3/1 underdog. Most people gave him no chance and felt he was flattered by the Cuevas win. Before Cuevas he had looked awful against Jimmy Batten and Kirkland Laing, and he also indulged in an infamous exhibition with Simon Smith at MSG where he looked shockingly fat and was roundly booed. But Duran whipped himself into the best shape he had been in for years and killed Moore to the body, before switching to the head. Moore is a right dirty bastard. To me, he started the rough stuff and Duran finished it. Watch the fight on youtube. How many times does Moore hit Duran after the bell? A little while later, Moore was disqualified for chinning a Frenchman after the bell.

I was SO waiting for someone to mention this. I refrained due to my "target" status. But am especially pleased and impressed with your keen eyesight and obviously quality judgment.

I suspect another shoe will drop soon as this is all it takes 'round these parts for person's un-named to come after you with an axe. So hide the women and children 'cuz a storm is likely to ensue.

[elmersalsa]

I don't think it was considered a miracle, I'm not even sure that it was considered an upset. But Duran was coming off the loss to Benitez and more importantly the loss to Laing in the '82 upset of the year (the Duran that lost to Laing could have lost to Moore) and was thought of as washed up, and while Moore was young he had scored some nice wins. And I don't think that any Lightweight champion had ever won a belt that high up in weight.

Certainly not at all surprising in hindsight, and I'm sure that I would have picked Duran to have won if I had been a boxing fan at that time, but it did revitalize Duran's career for a while.

The MAJORITY of the experts picked Davey Moore to kill Duran...To me, it was a MIRACLE for someone that was considered washed up and finished. The Cuevas fight just gave Duran confidence, but it was hailed as "The Fight of the Washed up Legends"...The winner keeps fighting and the loser goes home and retire.

Let's look in all the physical attributes of Moore compared to Duran's, the only thing that Duran had over him was EXPERIENCE....Nothing else I Feel Fine.

Thats funny, I don't remember anyone picking Moore.
The Cuevas fight is usually considered one of the best performances of Duran's career. elmer himself has mentioned this in previous threads as a big win. Now it's a just a win over a washed up fighter, so it doesn't mean much. You can't have it both ways.

It didn't even occur to me that Duran would lose. Moore had a total of twelve fights. He had only one fight over 8 rounds at this point. He seemed like a fighter who had some potential but certainly wasn't remotely close to being a great fighter. He wasn't going to knock out Duran and it was doubtful that he would be able to win a decision. The only doubt was if Duran would be focused. Considering that he seemed focus in his previous fights and that this was for a title, it seemed likely that he would be focused.

Roberto "Forever a lightweight" Duran was a natural Jr Middleweight by then. He already had 6 fights at this weight class by then. His body was used to carrying this weight and he was used to fighting fighters of this size.

This fight occurred on Duran's 32nd birthday. He wasn't quite ready for the old folks home. He certainly had more than enough left to beat a fighter this inexperienced. Add to this officiating, it's almost impossible to see how Moore was going to win.

C'mon Alp...You know deep inside that that was not THE REAL DURAN at 154 lbs. He was years PAST HIS PRIME, HE WAS CONSIDERED WASHED UP, AND THE WRITERS WROTE HIM OFF ever since the "No Mas" fiasco. He was 20 pounds over his greatest weight, which was lightweight. He could not carry the weight as easy as some other fighters for example Thomas Hearns and Oscar De La Hoya because they are tall fighters. Duran is only 5'6' or 5'7" in a weight class that he was not accostumed to. A weight class way out of his weight range.

Duran after "No Mas" had 2 fights at 154lbs against Nino Gonzalez and Luigi Minchillo. He looked TERRIBLE even though he won. But in no way were great performances. Then he challenged the great master Wilfred Benitez for the title. HE LOOKED AWFUL. This is his 3rd fight at 154 that he does not look like the Duran in his prime. Then came another loss against an unknown named Kirkland Laing. HE WAS FINISHED AND WASHED UP.

Then, he won another fight in the Arguello-Pryor post fighta against Jimmy Batten. People were already leaving the stands after the Arguello-Pryor fight. NOBODY CARED. Then, came the fight with Pipino. A fight billed "The Night of Washed Up Legends" by the Panamanian press...Duran won convincigly by knockout. His career still alive. Pipino's career was over. Then, came the fight with Moore and won....IT WAS A MIRACLE.

YOU CANNOT NAMED ME A FIGHTER THAT HAS COME CLOSE OF WINNING A GREAT FIGHT AFTER WRITERS HAS NAMED HIM "OLD AND WASHED UP" to come back and win in electrifying fashion. Probably Sugar Ray Robinson was the closest after losing to Tiger Jones, or Ruben Olivares, but Duran went through some harder moments than Robinson and Olivares. He was put aside after "No Mas", he was living away from his people and counrty for a while, some fans hate him and abandoned him and even they made a quote in a salsa song about him with derogatory remarks by a Puerto Rican singer.

Even his closest "friends" left him. And to come back the way he did, that is stuff of legends. Give him credit, alp. You want to denigrate Duran's victory by saying that Moore had only 12 fights. That is hogwash and baloney. He was confident that he could beat Duran, he was 8 years younger than Duran, not to say at least TALLER, STRONGER, BIGGER, FASTER AND HIT HARDER.

You are saying that he only had 12 fights. But, ain't this Moore killed former champion Ayub Kalule? Our boy Sugar Ray Leonard beat Kalule, right?...Now Moore beats him better than Leonard, BUT YOU DON'T SAY NOTHING ABOUT THAT.

But when Duran beats Moore, someone bigger and in his prime, now he got 12 fights?...Ain't this guy Moore almost killed Benitez afterwards in 2 rounds? He only had 15 fights then.

I DON'T GET IT AMBLING ALP....I DON'T GET IT!!!....You probably HATE Duran.

[Ambling Alp]

I didn't say that Duran was at his absolute best when he fought Moore, but he was close enough to it. He was only 32. Past his best, but certainly not even close to being shot.
He had plenty of fights at 154 to be ready. That was his natural weight by then.

YOU CANNOT NAMED ME A FIGHTER THAT HAS COME CLOSE OF WINNING A GREAT FIGHT AFTER WRITERS HAS NAMED HIM "OLD AND WASHED UP"

You have got to be kidding. (you mentioned two yourself, Robinson, and Olivares) But of course poor Roberto had it harder.
Off of the top of my head, I will name some more:
Leonard beat Hagler, Walcott beat Charles, Holmes beat Mercer, Braddock beat Baer,Holyfield beat Tyson,Foreman beat Moorer.
All except for Leonard (who hadn't fought in 3 years) were older than Duran when Duran beat the legendary Davey Moore. All beat far better fighters and far more experienced fighters than Davey Moore.
No Moore didn't beat Kalue better than Leonard did. It was a pretty routine win for Leonard against a fighter that had built a up a a gaudy record against weak competition. I have never made a big deal about it. Though I should mention that Leonard was still a welterweight when he fought Kalue; he wasn't like Duran who had been fighting at Jr Middleweight for some time when he fought Moore.

Moore did beat Benitez after Moore fought Duran. Are you really impressed that someone beats a drugged out fighter who broke his ankle?

If you are going to count what Moore did after he fought Duran, fine. Moore was 6-4 after the Duran fight, and 1-4 against top 10 fighters and 0-4 when the other guy doesn't break his ankle.
What a huge win for Duran.

[BoxBuzz]

Alp interesting point. But at that moment in time Moore was getting a lot of cred. So the question is was Moore a great fighter going into that fight that Duran disassembled so well that it virtually ended his momentum and capabilities. Or a guy who may have never been much to begin with that Duran managed to get some reputation mileage out of. Or a bit of both.

For the answer one needs to watch the fight. It appears that Duran's performance is pretty sterling, speed, accuracy, power, presence of mind. It seemed as if he was back to hitting on all cylinders and Moore looked capable for a bit of time but it looked like he just ran into a steamroller.

The actual fight makes me think it was 70% the former and only 30% the latter.

[bennie]

Looking at Moore's career after Duran is academic. Hands of Stone ruined Moore, totally ruined him.
Shame. Moore could fight. He just met someone who could really fight.

[Ezzard]

Duran was the butt of every joke in the US boxing media at the time. Moore, I believe, had a great amateur career and was being touted as the next superstar.

The truth probably was that Duran wasn't as bad as he'd looked in previous fights. He looks in decent condition again (still a litle soft here and there) and although his speed has faded and he no longer carried a punch he was still highly skilled and determined. As a rule lighter guys tend to peak earlier so 32 was getting on...

It's a really good win made all the better by the fact that Duran's physical abilities had worn away due to age, moving up the divisions and his less than spartan lifestyle.

[Ezzard]

I don't agree with Alp that Leonard's win over Kalule was routine. Ray's great ability may have made it look routine but Kalule was a good fighter. The win doesn't rank alongside Ray's greatest but it's one that deserves to be mentioned when asessing him.

[elmersalsa]

I didn't say that Duran was at his absolute best when he fought Moore, but he was close enough to it. He was only 32. Past his best, but certainly not even close to being shot.
He had plenty of fights at 154 to be ready. That was his natural weight by then.

YOU CANNOT NAMED ME A FIGHTER THAT HAS COME CLOSE OF WINNING A GREAT FIGHT AFTER WRITERS HAS NAMED HIM "OLD AND WASHED UP"

You have got to be kidding. (you mentioned two yourself, Robinson, and Olivares) But of course poor Roberto had it harder.
Off of the top of my head, I will name some more:
Leonard beat Hagler, Walcott beat Charles, Holmes beat Mercer, Braddock beat Baer,Holyfield beat Tyson,Foreman beat Moorer.
All except for Leonard (who hadn't fought in 3 years) were older than Duran when Duran beat the legendary Davey Moore. All beat far better fighters and far more experienced fighters than Davey Moore.
No Moore didn't beat Kalue better than Leonard did. It was a pretty routine win for Leonard against a fighter that had built a up a a gaudy record against weak competition. I have never made a big deal about it. Though I should mention that Leonard was still a welterweight when he fought Kalue; he wasn't like Duran who had been fighting at Jr Middleweight for some time when he fought Moore.

Moore did beat Benitez after Moore fought Duran. Are you really impressed that someone beats a drugged out fighter who broke his ankle?

If you are going to count what Moore did after he fought Duran, fine. Moore was 6-4 after the Duran fight, and 1-4 against top 10 fighters and 0-4 when the other guy doesn't break his ankle.
What a huge win for Duran.

I am sorry Ambling Alp, but as always, I am not letting you off the hook.

Duran was never CLOSE OF HIS VERY BEST. YOU KNOW THAT. His boxing skills were ALMOST eroded. He was not as fast as to say lightweight or welterweight. He looked SLUGGISH at 154 pounds against fighters that moved and fight in circles, something that Moore did not do. Moore, of course, was BIGGER THAN DURAN, so he fought the fight to knocked out Roberto. He wanted to KO Duran, but his INABILITY TO FIGHT INSIDE cost him the fight. Duran was a master of the inside, plus, had better preparation for the fight. But in NO WAYS Duran was close his very best. NO WAY.

Second, you cannot named me a fighter that has won a fight in electrifying fashion like Duran did AFTER BEING CONSIDERED WASHED UP AND FINISHED. You mentioned:

Leonard vs Hagler: Leonard was not as his best, NEITHER WAS HAGLER. THE fight should have been in 1982 instead.

Walcott vs Charles: Walcott was fighting a lightheavyweight, a great lightheavyweight, the best that ever was at 175lbs. Lost twice to him, but you cannot compare Walcott's victory as in the same breath of Duran's. Why? Walcott was not considered washed up and finished, even though he was 37 years old. He looked super great against the great Joe Louis and Charles, even though he lost twice to the champion. After that, he almost beat the great Rocky Marciano. Duran was not a jr middleweight, he was a blown up lightweight fighting at 154lbs. Walcott was a heavyweight almost his entire whole career. He is accostumed to the weight class.

Holmes vs Mercer: Still does not match Duran's. Duran was coming from inogmanity. He was WRITTEN OFF BY HIS CLOSEST AIDES. Holmes beat a Ray Mercer that if you compare him to Davey Moore in terms in skill, he comes short. Mercer, after Holmes did not do anything else. At least Moore destroyed Benitez, like it or not. Great win for Holmes, but it was not as big as the Duran's magical night. In no type at all.

Holyfield vs Tyson: Holyfield was not considered washed up. He was considered an underdog. Plus, Tyson's prime was over after Buster Douglas. Every body knows that. Still does not match Duran's victory. Holyfield was not considered washed up like Duran. He was considered a guy that was sick of his heart condition. Great victory though.

Foreman vs Moorer: Great victory. At least Foreman had more experience, was heavier, hit harder, was bigger and was stronger than Moorer. Ain't that right? Was Moorer a blown up light heavyweight fighting at heavyweight? I THINK SO, SO DO YOU. The only thing that Duran had over Moore was EXPEERIENCE. Height, reach, weight, speed, punching power and youth were advantages for Moore. Can you agree with me? YOU GOT TO.

Ando now Baer vs Braddock: Great win for Braddock. He was not considered a great fighter at the time, even though he is a hall of famer now. He pulled off the Buster Douglas, in which he and Buster had the same similarities. And like I have said. This victory of Braddock is one of the very few that can match Duran's victory over Moore.

the other ones that can match Duran's victory:
Robinson vs Olson...Sugar Ray was considered WASHED UP after the loss to Tiger Jones. Wait a minute! Ain't he beat Olson twice already?
Olivares vs Chacon II...Olivares already beat Chacon. Great win though.

Ali vs Foreman...this one could match Duran's victory over Moore. Like I said, there are very few victories.

How about this one Alp?

Duran vs Barkley....Can any other fight surpassed this one?

Now why you got to say that Benitez was drugged up when he fought Moore? Ain't Moore was the INEXPERIENCED ONE with only 15 fights? Ain't Benitez was 26 years old? The ONLY EXCUSE WE COULD COME UP with Benitez is that it was not either his weight class at 154, but he did better than Duran in that weight class...Right? Was Benitez taller than Duran in which he could absorb the weight better? Yes.

You don't like Duran alp. I know.

[I Feel Fine]

Robinson vs Olson...Sugar Ray was considered WASHED UP after the loss to Tiger Jones. Wait a minute! Ain't he beat Olson twice already?

Yeah, but to my understanding Olson was the favorite in the third fight.

Ali-Foreman is way more impressive. Holyfield was considered past it, and so it was a similar situation to Duran-Moore where Duran was considered washed up and so I guess was made the underdog. But beating Tyson is more impressive. I would agree with alp that most/all of those wins were more impressive than Duran's win over Moore; and Duran was by no means shot, in his next fight he went the distance with Hagler in a somewhat competitive fight.

I think elmer is going too far with this, and I find it hypocritical how many, including elmer, can criticize Ali for clinching in some fights and yet look past Duran's much more serious fouls in this and other fights, but I do think that the win was good and that Duran's performance was impressive. I wouldn't put it in his top five biggest wins, but its one of his better post-Lightweight wins.