Is Roberto Duran A TOP 10 ATG?

[Bushidō]

Definitely is a top 10

[wmute]

He is my top 10, but I wrote possibly, because when you have to pick only 10 fighters out of more than 100 years in the sport, you might be possibly find 11 or 12 that you would be comfortable putting there, someone might put Duran in the 10, someone might have him at 11.... you know what I am saying?

Let's try, in random order are here listed fighters that would make my top 10 (today and at the current state of my boxing knowledge, I reserve the right to change my mind on a whim or at the acquisition of new information).

Ray Robinson
Ezzard Charles
Bob Fitzsimmons
Harry Greb
Joe Gans
Benny Leonard
Roberto Duran
Barney Ross
Henry Armstrong
Sam Langford

before anyone points out that I am biased towards alltimers, let me point out that this is my list of "greats" not of "best fighters", so achivements have to factor in, and modern fighters pay fight in the modern pro boxing industry, which simply does not really allow them to be "great" in terms of acheivement.

if we have to talk about best, I can't even make a top 20, because Leonard, Whitaker, Jones, Mayweather and many others would become relevant to the discussion.

How is Henry Armstrong below Roberto Duran, Bob Fitzsimmons and Harry Greb?

Just curious why he is so low as he is arguably the greatest fighter of all time.

that's not my top 10, just the fighters I would put in the top 10 in no particular order.

[TBear]

Yes he is!

[BennyST]

Possibly? I would like to see your top 10. That must be some list. And to answer the TS question, yes. In part because of his great prime and also what he was able to do out of prime. How far his skills carried him in higher weights. The latter part is why I get irritated when people compare Manny Pacquiao to Duran in terms of where they rank. Duran fought at a high level into his late 30's.

Why do you say this? Some people don't have him in there. There are quite a few things that go against that many would say, such as quitting against Leonard in the rematch, and then being beaten by guys who didn't deserve to be in the same ring with a top ten ATG. Being knocked out by Hearns.

Wmute's post was very good and I think he was being very objective about it. He didn't say he isn't a top ten, he said quite possibly he is. Like anything it just depends on what you like etc.

I'm sure those that don't have him there would have him around the ten to fifteen mark anyway. Not much difference.

[BennyST]

**** no unless you only talk about him as a lightweight....if you wanna talk about him in the 80s then you have to bring up all his losses in big fights, ray leonard beating him after he beat barkley and the fact thomas hearns made 2 minute pancit out of him....80s=up and down career....

I agree. I think he scrapes into the top 100, but only just. He has nearly twenty losses!

[DeepSleep]

I would imagine him to be in the 10 to 15 range. For as much hooplah he gets for running the lightweight division for years I do struggle to see a large quantity of great wins at that weight compared to the other ATG lightweights.

[boxing boy]

I think Duran is a top 10 for sure.

I used to rank Duran #2 behind SRR.But having learned more about Harry Greb,i now rank Duran 3rd behind only SRR and Harry Greb.

[Mud]

bump

........

[TAC602]

Sure he is. I personally have him as the greatest fighter of the last 50 years, although I don't necessarily view him as the clear cut greatest lightweight. In a P4P sense, absolutely.

His 135 run was surely sterling as it is. He was all but unbeatable @ the weight, reigning as world champ from 1972-78, 12 title defenses (11 by KO) beating the likes of Ken Buchanon a masterful technician who's enshrined today, Esteban DeJesus (x2) who was the No. 1 contender on both occasions Duran met and stopped him in title fights (the first in which DeJesus handed Duran his only loss in 73 fights was a non-title bout at 140 lbs), beat No. 1 contender Ray Lampkin and No. 3 Edwin Viruet (x2). In terms of traditional divisional dominance, I actually have Carlos Monzon as the best of the decade for his run @ 160.

But Duran didn't stop. Next he beat a still highly rated, ex-champion fellow HOFer in Carlos Palomino before becoming the only fighter to beat a prime Sugar Ray Leonard, and doing so 12 years, 72 fights deep, two divisions out of his natural weight class. This is the Big One. A win comparable to any in boxing history IMO. After No Mas and his career in a downward spiral, Duran managed to stop Jose Cuevas inside of four rounds and get a shot at the No. 4 rated/WBA Light Middle Champion Davey Moore. A 5-2 underdog, Duran battered and stopped him in brutal fashion. Six years later he'd go in as a huge underdog again, this time @ middleweight to decision Iran Barkley, fresh off a stoppage of Hearns.

[SBleeder]

I agree. I think he scrapes into the top 100, but only just. He has nearly twenty losses!

That scrub Ezzard Charles lost 25 times!

For my real answer, I have Duran at #13:
1. Sugar Ray Robinson
2. Henry Armstrong
3. Harry Greb
4. Muhammad Ali
5. Willie Pep
6. Ezzard Charles
7. Sam Langford
8. Joe Gans
9. Benny Leonard
10. Archie Moore
11. Joe Louis
12. Carlos Monzon
13. Roberto Duran

I think a good case can be made either way. I think the 12 fighters I have ahead of him belong there, but Duran was indeed a phenom in every way. I do think Gans is the clear cut greatest Lightweight of all time, though.