How highly do you rate Duran's win over Buchanan?

[Counter-puncher]

I suppose the answer to the question largely depends on how you rate Buchanan, but...

Buchanan was a well-established and respected lightweight champion, doubtless a top 10 135lber from 1970 onwards, and Duran pretty much ragdolls Buchanan.

one of the most impressive demolition jobs you will ever see of a truly world class fighter, IMO.

what I am thinking, though, is how many times does a very very good champion get beat up THAT badly? and is that fight alone a measure of Duran's greatness, IE if he could do that to Buchanan he was almost a great by default already?

for example, would you say Duran - Buchanan in terms of both level of performance and level of opponent is any better than JCC - Rosario? I would, i rate Buchanan as a tougher nut to crack than Rosario was at that point, and I think Duran did a more scary job on Buchanan even that the paintjob JCC did on chapo.

i wanted to put more comparisons forward but it seems my brain isn't working very well I will have to ask you'all to come up with some, cos seriosuly, I am scratching my head trying to think fo a time a great or near-great champ got beat up that badly in losing his title.

what say you?

[Ezzard]

It’s the exact comparison that came to mind.

Duran and Chavez put on aggressive, come forward, balls-out demolition jobs on very respected champions of the time. Both Buchanan and Rosario were probably at the peak of their powers and neither of them put in a poor performance. They were simply painted across the canvas and the four corner posts. Both men put up great resistance but came up against special fighters.

I’d put Cerdan’s win over Tony Zale at this level as well as Honeyghan’s demolition of Curry. In these fights the champion took a sustained beating.

[Counter-puncher]

nice one ezz and good calls.

I rate Duran-Buchanan higher than JCC-Romario as I say but there aren't too many other obvious candidates- the ones that came to mind, either the opponent just wasn't up to Buchanan's level, or the beating dished out didn't match what Buchanan (utterly heroically, in my opinion) managed to soak up, without buckling.

i'm stumped for any better comparisons, though.

[Syntax Error]

Would Dwight Braxton's (Qawi's) first win over Matthew Saad Muhammad count?

Saad took a fearful pummelling in this fight, but that was nothing new for Saad, as he often did anyway; it's just that Saad always managed to find a way to win.

On this occasion he didn't have any answer to Braxton's onslaught.

[Counter-puncher]

Would Dwight Braxton's (Qawi's) first win over Matthew Saad Muhammad count?

Saad took a fearful pummelling in this fight, but that was nothing new for Saad, as he often did anyway; it's just that Saad always managed to find a way to win.

On this occasion he didn't have any answer to Braxton's onslaught.

thats an excellent call syntax, MSM definitely *somewhere around* the Buchanan level and the beating he took was right up there, top man. the mnain problem for MSM wasn't that he was taking a beating, IMO< but that he couldn't land nearly enough of significance back.

[Ezzard]

I’d also say that MSM was past his best by that point. Too many wars. Took it bravely though.

[Datsue]

Took me about a week to get over it, but Pacquiao doing Barrera was... Almost horrible to watch. The way he rolled right over him. Extenuating circumstances I know, & Barrera had had so many many wars by the time it happened, but I remember it being quite horribly one-sided. Not rewatched in ages.

Though thinking about it both Buchanan & Rosario fought better on their nights, & I think Barrera was certainly passed his physical peak.

So... Yeah. On reflection, Duran vs Buchanana & JCC vs Chapo > PacMan vs MAB.

[Counter-puncher]

I have only ever seen that fight once, for similar reasons I suppose.

[Seamus]

Wasen't Duran saved by the ropes from a knockdown early in the Buchanan fight ? I watched some of it last year and thought I remembered something like that happening.

[Ezzard]

Wasen't Duran saved by the ropes from a knockdown early in the Buchanan fight ? I watched some of it last year and thought I remembered something like that happening.

Do you remember the round, Seamus?

[Seamus]

I think it might have been the first or second. I actually remember Duran winning the LW title in the paper the next morning, but only have seen the fight in it's entirety maybe twice. I'll check later today when I'm on a higher speed connection.

Buchanan actually landed a decent number of punches in that fight, but like most of Duran's opponents at LW, except for Esteban, they usually had little effected.

[orbtastic]

Not an extended beating per se, but certainly eyebrow raising in the manner of which it was achieved - Pac Hatton. Ok so Hatton had been outclassed and out thought by Mayweather previously, but most people predicted that and despite the conclusive outcome, it wasn't a 10-11 round panelling.

[Seamus]

1st round, shortly after Duran is credited with a knockdown, he get's saved by the ropes from a knockdown himself after Buchanan catches him with a counter left to the jaw.

[BoxBuzz]

I rate Duran's win very highly.

I also very much like the style and substance of this thread.

[elmersalsa]

The fight was an example of a classic boxer vs brawler. Duran was considered a brawler at the time, but he showed great underrated boxing skills also. He was a natural. Buchanan is my favorite of Duran's opponents. It was a hell of a performance by Duran. He was on top of Buchanan like if Ken slept with his wife or stole something from him. I have never seen nothing like it.

Buchanan showed that he had one of the most underrated chins I have seen in a boxer. He could take it. Duran hit him with some shots that another lightweight would have gone down. That was the only time in Buchanan's career that he was knocked out. And to tell you the truth, the TKO in the 13th round looked like it was a foul. But Duran was winning the fight anyway.

The other great performance I got to say that it was just like Duran's was the great Salvador Sanchez beating up a good and almost near great champion like Danny Lopez. Lopez always found a way to win, but this time, he just couldn't. Sanchez was too exceptional.

[Counter-puncher]

1st round, shortly after Duran is credited with a knockdown, he get's saved by the ropes from a knockdown himself after Buchanan catches him with a counter left to the jaw.

great call seamus, I remember it well, it wasn't a hard shot per se but he caught Duran on the point of the chin and running right into the punch (as was his wont back then), and it still doesn't really change your earlier proviso that Buchanan actually landed a decent number of punches in that fight, but like most of Duran's opponents at LW, except for Esteban, they usually had little effected as Duran was all over Buchanan straight after.

[Counter-puncher]

The fight was an example of a classic boxer vs brawler. Duran was considered a brawler at the time, but he showed great underrated boxing skills also. He was a natural. Buchanan is my favorite of Duran's opponents. It was a hell of a performance by Duran. He was on top of Buchanan like if Ken slept with his wife or stole something from him. I have never seen nothing like it.

Buchanan showed that he had one of the most underrated chins I have seen in a boxer. He could take it. Duran hit him with some shots that another lightweight would have gone down. That was the only time in Buchanan's career that he was knocked out. And to tell you the truth, the TKO in the 13th round looked like it was a foul. But Duran was winning the fight anyway.

The other great performance I got to say that it was just like Duran's was the great Salvador Sanchez beating up a good and almost near great champion like Danny Lopez. Lopez always found a way to win, but this time, he just couldn't. Sanchez was too exceptional.

good post

[elmersalsa]

The fight was an example of a classic boxer vs brawler. Duran was considered a brawler at the time, but he showed great underrated boxing skills also. He was a natural. Buchanan is my favorite of Duran's opponents. It was a hell of a performance by Duran. He was on top of Buchanan like if Ken slept with his wife or stole something from him. I have never seen nothing like it.

Buchanan showed that he had one of the most underrated chins I have seen in a boxer. He could take it. Duran hit him with some shots that another lightweight would have gone down. That was the only time in Buchanan's career that he was knocked out. And to tell you the truth, the TKO in the 13th round looked like it was a foul. But Duran was winning the fight anyway.

The other great performance I got to say that it was just like Duran's was the great Salvador Sanchez beating up a good and almost near great champion like Danny Lopez. Lopez always found a way to win, but this time, he just couldn't. Sanchez was too exceptional.

good post

Hey, thanks. Duran vs Buchanan is one of my favorite fights of all-time

[Counter-puncher]

i rewatched this fight last night.

it reminded me just how often Buchanan landed on Duran. i'm pretty confident in saying nobody ever hit Duran that often again.

[elmersalsa]

I could make another call in another fight. Jose "Mantequilla" Napoles when he took the welterweight crown from Curtis Cokes. It looked like if Cokes paid for all those frustrating years that Napoles suffered. From lightweight to welterweight, no champion wanted to give him a title shot.

[Aftermath]

Chavez-Rosario is a standard example of a terrible beating of a highly regarded Pound-for-pound champion. Rosario was left helpless against the ropes with his face a grotesquely disfigured mask of pain. Duran manhandled Buchanan, but Buchanan and his corner cried foul and accused Duran of throwing a low blow after the bell sounded to end the 13th round.

Still, two great performances from Chavez and Duran.