Duke McKenzie is a legend

[MightyWarrior]

Very nice bloke, met him a few times and he used to get my old mate who was a novice boxer free tickets to all his world title fights...but just not very good as boxing commentator, master of the bleeding obvious, never really says anything of interest and that’s going back 20 years.
I’m sorry but he’s a bit dull.

Unlike Naz, Now there is someone worth listening to !! ha ha

[tobyh5]

I remember that Clapham Junction rail crash in 1988, 30-40 people killed, huge story of the time and one of the carriages landed in the back garden of Duke

[East End]

I think the best win on McKenzie's record was Gaby Canizales, and Gaby wasn't nearly as good as his brother. Rolando Bohol, who Duke beat for the IBF Flyweight strap back in '88, was one of the weakest world champions I have ever seen. DM was flattened inside a round by Rafael Del Valle who had only had 12 fights beforehand, none of which were against particularly high level opposition. Benavides, prior to losing the super-bantam belt to Duke, was 34-1-1 but , again, that record doesn't really stand up to close scrutiny in terms of level of opposition.
Respect to the man for winning three world titles but does his record constitute a Hall of Fame career? I would say not.

As a pundit, I actually quite enjoy his insights into the technical aspects of the sport, although I find Richie Woodhall to be far more articulate in this respect.

[Taansend]

I have always ratee Duke as a commentator, as a fighter he won 3 world titles at 3 different weights, while he was no sugar Ray Leonard he was still in the same class as McGuigan

I'd say McGuigan had a significantly better record.

Finbar had a better win in Pedroza but other than that, Duke's wins were better.

Both British legends & we're rightly proud of them.

[bennie]

Duke wasn't as good as McGuigan but he was an outstanding fighter who went particularly well to the body and moved up the weights smoothly. He also had a nice line in headbutting. He impressed me every time he fought as a developing flyweight so I was expecting a little bit more when he stopped the Filipino Rolando Bohol late on for the IBF flyweight title in 1988 but I put it down to the level he was at. He then took a non-title fight with Mexico's Artemio Ruiz and looked terrible on the way to a decision. Next came his first defence against Tony DeLuca at the Albert Hall in March 1989. I was at ringside and Duke won on cuts in four rounds but again he lacked sharpness. I couldn't understand it. Duke's secret was out after a 12-round pounding at the hands of Dave McAuley in 1989: the man was dead at the weight. He looked much better at bantamweight, trouncing Gaby Canizales, and again at super-bantamweight where he edged out Jesse Benivades, another Kronk fighter. He also did well against Steve Robinson at featherweight before a body shot took all the fight out of him. Quality fighter, Duke.

[banjo]

Absolutely. He deserves his place in the hof.

I don't think that he does.

What a surprise!

[Horse]

Finbar had a better win in Pedroza but other than that, Duke's wins were better.

Both British legends & we're rightly proud of them.

I'd say Bernard Taylor was better as well.

[Taansend]

Duke wasn't as good as McGuigan but he was an outstanding fighter who went particularly well to the body and moved up the weights smoothly. He also had a nice line in headbutting. He impressed me every time he fought as a developing flyweight so I was expecting a little bit more when he stopped the Filipino Rolando Bohol late on for the IBF flyweight title in 1988 but I put it down to the level he was at. He then took a non-title fight with Mexico's Artemio Ruiz and looked terrible on the way to a decision. Next came his first defence against Tony DeLuca at the Albert Hall in March 1989. I was at ringside and Duke won on cuts in four rounds but again he lacked sharpness. I couldn't understand it. Duke's secret was out after a 12-round pounding at the hands of Dave McAuley in 1989: the man was dead at the weight. He looked much better at bantamweight, trouncing Gaby Canizales, and again at super-bantamweight where he edged out Jesse Benivades, another Kronk fighter. He also did well against Steve Robinson at featherweight before a body shot took all the fight out of him. Quality fighter, Duke.

[jamamb]

I have always ratee Duke as a commentator, as a fighter he won 3 world titles at 3 different weights, while he was no sugar Ray Leonard he was still in the same class as McGuigan

I'd say McGuigan had a significantly better record.

Finbar had a better win in Pedroza but other than that, Duke's wins were better.

Both British legends & we're rightly proud of them.

who would you say are dukes 5 best wins or so. genuinely curious as im not totally sure how to rate his record, though it does seem imo to fall well short of most fighters in the hall

if we use the 'well hes more deserving then the worst guy in the hall' standard, then theres probably still loads of fighters who should get in before duke id imagine.

[jamamb]

thing is ppl mention gatti and mcg as if they dont really belong in the hof, but then bring them up to argue that other fighters should be in

but if they were weak inductees relative to the overall hof standard, isnt using them to argue others should be in like saying well bradley got the decision vs pac, so this other guy who seemingly got dominated shouldve got the decision too, since bradley did vs pac? that just keeps bringing down the standard if you go by the lowest

[mickey1975]

thing is ppl mention gatti and mcg as if they dont really belong in the hof, but then bring them up to argue that other fighters should be in

but if they were weak inductees relative to the overall hof standard, isnt using them to argue others should be in like saying well bradley got the decision vs pac, so this other guy who seemingly got dominated shouldve got the decision too, since bradley did vs pac? that just keeps bringing down the standard if you go by the lowest

Gatti and Barry are in for a lot more than boxing. They were icons.

[Boxerbeetle]

thing is ppl mention gatti and mcg as if they dont really belong in the hof, but then bring them up to argue that other fighters should be in

but if they were weak inductees relative to the overall hof standard, isnt using them to argue others should be in like saying well bradley got the decision vs pac, so this other guy who seemingly got dominated shouldve got the decision too, since bradley did vs pac? that just keeps bringing down the standard if you go by the lowest

Maybe. But as the bar has already been set relatively low, there’s no reason to pretend it’s only for elite fighters, as it clearly isn’t.