Is Leonard More Skilled Than Duran

[ShoulderRoll]

This is the history forum. The agendas of NSB aren't welcome here.

Just letting you know, GOD-FR33, before one of the moderators does.

[StarshipTrooper]

This is the history forum. The agendas of NSB aren't become here.

Just letting you know, GOD-FR33, before one of the moderators does.

I suspect it won't be long.

[TBear]

Actually it does as it pertains to fighting the best. Both Leonard and Duran did that their entire careers. Manny does the same and has never ducked ANYONE, Floyd has and continues to do so. As I've said before, *******, I can say whatever I want. **** you!

GOD-FR33, keep the MAY-Pac debate in the NSB where it belongs and discuss things respectful as long as you are in this section!

[Panamaniac]

Duran's boxing skillset and ring generalship was more extensive than Leonard's. It's no accident that while Leonard was a great fighter, Duran is a legend.

[BennyST]

What are you talking about? Don't you think I know how many times they fought? Leonard boxed his ears off in the 2nd and 3rd fights. Why was there a need to respond to what I said, anyways?

Clearly you didn't know, or you just didn't understand that Duran won one of their three fights, otherwise you wouldn't have said "Leonard would win all of their fights if they fought ten out of ten times".

Get it?

If they fought ten times, clearly Duran would win some of their fights, because they already fought three times, and at their best, Duran won one out of two fights. That's also a smaller, older Duran moving up in weight.

Saying that Leonard would win all their fights if they fought ten times is ****ing daft as it gets, because they already fought three times and he didn't even win all three.

It's not a difficult concept to grasp. There's nothing left up to fantasy, because they already fought!

[BennyST]

Tough one this, Leonard and Duran are my 2 of my all time favs.

Leonard was faster, had a better chin, great footwork, possibly better than Duran, had sharper reflexes and was, in my opinion, a better all round fighter and what I mean by that is, that he could switch from fighting on the backfoot to the front in a heart beat, or vice versa.

Duran was more aggressive, had pretty good defence himself, lacked that SRL chin, lacked immense speed and reflexes but made up for it in ring craft and a real foxiness (Read: rule breaking). I think Duran was a good all rounder fighter but not as gifted as Leonard, so often in his career, he hated fighting on the backfoot or trying to chase a fight not going his way.

So SRL edges it but I've seen the opposite argument from some here, so it just goes to show how close these two were.

If I ever made a list of most skilled fighters ever Id have these names

Ali, Robinson, Duran, Leonard, Chavez Sr, Whitaker, Lopez, Pacquiao, Charles, Moore, Louis

Obviously not in that order but just a taster of who I'd have

I'm not sure I'd agree with that or at all. The rest maybe. Getting knocked out by Hearns while Leonard was only dropped twice and hurt a few times doesn't prove it at all, if that made up some of your thinking. That was Durans 8th division and the size difference was immense.

Leonard was hurt and dropped as many times, and also knocked out by the soft punching Camacho when past it. But Leonard rarely fought bigger men.

I'd even strongly argue the opposite, particularly considering Duran fought such bigger men for much of his career and it took one of histories greatest one punch KO artists with a foot in height and reach in his prime, against an older Duran to take him out.

Imagine if an older, past his prime, natural lightweight version of Leonard had fought prime Hearns at 154....different story?

[BennyST]

The truth hearts. I am not here to argue. I said what I said, and I meant it. Manny WILL fight anybody. It's a fact. What part about that is debatable? Get mad at Floyd, not me.

Why is this guy asking us to get mad at Floyd in this thread?

What type of NSB nonsense is this? Is this guy one of those "Floyd is the biggest ducker ***** ever, in history, of all time, but Pac rawks bro" knobs? How could you possibly manage to get 'Floyd is a *****' into this thread?

[soul_survivor]

I'm not sure I'd agree with that or at all. The rest maybe. Getting knocked out by Hearns while Leonard was only dropped twice and hurt a few times doesn't prove it at all, if that made up some of your thinking. That was Durans 8th division and the size difference was immense.

Leonard was hurt and dropped as many times, and also knocked out by the soft punching Camacho when past it. But Leonard rarely fought bigger men.

I'd even strongly argue the opposite, particularly considering Duran fought such bigger men for much of his career and it took one of histories greatest one punch KO artists with a foot in height and reach in his prime, against an older Duran to take him out.

Imagine if an older, past his prime, natural lightweight version of Leonard had fought prime Hearns at 154....different story?

Let's take out the Camacho loss, that's like talking about Ali/Holmes. No point.

I'm not saying Duran didn't have a great chin, Leonard's was just better. I think it's fact.

And how can you say Leonard didn't fight bigger men, heck at welterweight Hearns was bigger than him, he fought Hagler and won, Lolande, though drained, was a big guy, are we forgetting Leonard's move up to 154?? Yes, because Duran was so small, only 5'6'' he almost always, outside of the LW division, had to fight bigger guys but the vast majority of people are going to be taller than 5'6'' and heavier than 135.

Duran failed for a long time at the higher weights and only legitimate championship post Leonard II was against Barkley, maybe we can add the Moore win to that too. The reason he failed was because he just didn't have enough of that skill edge to win consistently against the best at the higher weights...Leonard did, going back to my original point, Leonard was better.

Having said that, I'm emboldening this so people don't go off on one, Leonard was better but not by much. Both are exceptional, both are legends, Lenard I'd rank higher but by the skin of his teeth.

[IronDanHamza]

This is my original post. Can you read? I didn't make it about Floyd *******, I simply mentioned his name along with Manny's. How the **** are you going to tell me not to mention a certain fighter's name? WTF? My ENTIRE post is about Leonard and Duran.

"Leonard is more skilled than Duran, overall. Duran is the better inside fighter, though. Leonard is the greatest fighter P4P in the history of boxing, IMO. He was the perfect fighter who could only lose when he wasn't focused, or old. Both happened to him. To give you a better idea of WHY Leonard was more skilled, just look at their first encounter. Leonard purposely fought Duran's fight and Duran STILL couldn't stop him and in fact, Duran was tired in the 15th, a round that I thought Leonard won because Duran was tired. In the rematch, you saw Leonard at his best style. If they fought 10 out of 10 times, Duran wouldn't be able to touch Leonard, PERIOD. He was too long, too smart, too fast, and his conditioning was 2nd to none. No shame in that, at all. Duran was the most violent fighter I've ever seen inside the ring. He is one of the greatest defensive fighters ever, as well. He is also a top 5 all-time great. They were to of the best that ever did it. Both of these guys were animals and they fought who the people wanted them to fight. No ****** demands like extreme drug testing, wanting ALL of the pay-per-view money, worrying about their opponents bank account, record, etc. Boxing has gone straight DIVA!!! Floyd is a BIG part of the DIVA movement. It's why you can put Manny in the conversation with such greats, he's a throwback fighter who doesn't complain and he will fight your Daddy if he has to."

And why did you mention them? This thread has nothing to do with them but of course you mention Floyd and follow with Pacquaio.

Try and go one thread without talking about them especially if the thread has nothing to do with them it's not that difficult.

[Ham Porter]

When will this myth that Duran was "moving up in weight" to fight Leonard die? He'd been fighting as a welterweight for over a two year period by that point and even before that had over a dozen or so fights as a junior welterweight in the years leading up to his official move up.