keithmoonhangover wrote: ↑02 Dec 2022, 05:42
elmersalsa wrote: ↑24 Nov 2022, 20:12
On the other hand, Duran was 37 years old, and wasted. He was considered washed up by the American media. He was fighting a weight class that was too large for his frame and the experts of KO Magazine predicted a 6th round knockout win for Iran Barkley in a war.
The prediction convinced me that it was going to be so. But, Duran overcame a bigger, stronger, taller, younger, and a 360 degree almost knockout in round 6 that until this day I can't believe he survived that.
Duran went TOE TO TOE with a legitimate middleweight puncher for 12 dramatic rounds. And won the fight.
That told the world that Duran is without a doubt a top 5 greatest pound per pound all-time great boxer. No doubt about that in my mind. I don't give a two cents who thinks differently. Just look at his extraordinary career.
Can I ask you a genuine question...... Do you know that you're biased towards Duran?
Roberto Duran is my favorite fighter, but I don't think that I am so biased.
I recognize that Duran above the Welterweight limit had problems with himself moving and slick boxers that were movers.
Guys that beat him were above his weight range, plus he was in his 30s, an age that lots of boxers retire. But, still, the guy won 2 more titles above his weight range. Something that he shouldn't. He was a Lightweight fighting middleweights. That's like Sugar Ray Leonard fighting at 168lbs and above and fighting guys like Matthew Saad Muhammad, Michael Spinks, Dwight Muhammad Qawi, Yaqui Lopez, Marvin Johnson, Victor Galindez, John Conteh and Bob Foster. Would Leonard or Thomas Hearns beat that type of opposition? I think not.
Comparing Leonard's wins against Duran's wasn't a true measurement. Leonard beat Wilfred Benitez and Hearns at 147lbs, not above that. Duran fought them above 147.
I don't care what anybody thinks about me or that I am biased towards my favorite fighters. I called it like I see it. To me, Duran's win over Iran Barkley was much more INCREDIBLE than what Leonard's win over Marvelous. Marvelous was on the way out. If Leonard thought that he could beat Marvelous, why he didn't challenged him in 1982? In Marvelous' prime. Why he had to wait 5 years for that? Duran was the first one to challenge Marvelous. The first one. But, many people don't give him credit for that.
When did Leonard, being washed up, beat a fighter bigger, stronger, taller, younger and in his prime? Tell me when?
That he had 1 fight in 5 years to challenge Marvelous was bogus to me. Now, thinking about it, it was one of the most overrated wins of his career. Marvelous was just fighting for the millions that he greatly deserved. He knew that he was about to retire. That's why he took the fight and every stipulation (bigger ring, thumbless gloves, 12 rounds) to get those millions. Anybody would.
To me, Duran is the greatest boxer pound per pound since 1965. And I will go to the grave with that.
