The Duran that beat Leonard and Palimino

[beez721]

Yeah its strange. All we know is that at the time he was not really losing, which only makes it stranger. One theory is that he pulled a Jack Johnson. When johnson knew he was not going to be able to continue due to the weather (the sun in Cuba) and his own lack of conditioning for the fight he sort of cleared the galley (asked his wife to leave) and went down. I do believe that against Willard in this fight he was actually winning, but the steam engine ran out of coal!

I believe duran blamed it on a big steak he ate right before the fight if I recall correctly. wasnt the smartest thing to do if hes telling the truth. anyway,,,,he must have really been hurting mentally or physically in there to quit because he showed no quit in him whatsover in all his other fights

[Anthony342]

What if Leonard had used the same strategy from the second fight in the first fight and moved more? Does he win the first fight with Duran too? I think he could.

[billeau2]

I believe duran blamed it on a big steak he ate right before the fight if I recall correctly. wasnt the smartest thing to do if hes telling the truth. anyway,,,,he must have really been hurting mentally or physically in there to quit because he showed no quit in him whatsover in all his other fights

I can see it! Duran moves to the less....suddenly a turtle starts coming down the ole poop shooot. He grimaces, holds it in the belly starts rumbling! Duran now realized that either way he will make history: as the first fighter to **** himself in the ring, or as he concedes the fight.

Seriously though I have found that when I am really exerscizing hard red meat slows me don horribly and screws my endurance up. And if I really indulged? before a major amount of energy is necessary? I would not be able to (especially at age 51). The muscles just get really tired and sluggish and after a while one cannot even will them to move. So again, its not impossible that something like this happened. The lactic acid just feels like it is burning up and nothing is flushing it out in time.

[Mugwump]

What if Leonard had used the same strategy from the second fight in the first fight and moved more? Does he win the first fight with Duran too? I think he could.

If Leonard wasn't at 100% in the first fight - he wasn't far from it. Ray was what he was - a boxer puncher. Yes, he could make adjustments. But he wasn't the kind of fighter who could overhaul fundamental aspects of his style and emerge as something entirely new. If anything I'd say Duran was the more flexible tactician.

Let's not forget that Leonard made several adjustments in the first bout. Some were more successful than others. But the salient point is that Duran found a way to beat all of them.

To be honest, I doubt Ray could have beaten Duran with a baseball bat that night.

[GOD-FR33]

What if Leonard had used the same strategy from the second fight in the first fight and moved more? Does he win the first fight with Duran too? I think he could.

I agree. SRL could've fought Duran in the first fight, like he did in the rematch. People don't seem to realize that. They think Duran was the reason Ray fought the way he did. That's simply not true. Anyone with common sense and boxing knowledge, knows that Duran was talking about Ray's wife and son. It pissed him off and he vowed to make Duran pay by fighting toe-to-toe. He promised not to run. He did what he said he was going to do, for 15 rounds at that. He said it was his hardest fight ever. Put it like this, if they fought 10 times, SRL wins 9 of them. He was a true boxing god. You see what happened in the 2nd and 3rd fights. They were old in the 3rd fight, but it was still good. SRL outboxed him AGAIN.

[them_apples]

I agree. SRL could've fought Duran in the first fight, like he did in the rematch. People don't seem to realize that. They think Duran was the reason Ray fought the way he did. That's simply not true. Anyone with common sense and boxing knowledge, knows that Duran was talking about Ray's wife and son. It pissed him off and he vowed to make Duran pay by fighting toe-to-toe. He promised not to run. He did what he said he was going to do, for 15 rounds at that. He said it was his hardest fight ever. Put it like this, if they fought 10 times, SRL wins 9 of them. He was a true boxing god. You see what happened in the 2nd and 3rd fights. They were old in the 3rd fight, but it was still good. SRL outboxed him AGAIN.

Actually srl did try and box, his usual style. Duran forced him to fight. If you mean run? He would have lost all the same, he wasn't even winning in the rematch with this what makes you think he'd beat the demon that showed up in the first fight

[rightsideup]

Actually srl did try and box, his usual style. Duran forced him to fight. If you mean run? He would have lost all the same, he wasn't even winning in the rematch with this what makes you think he'd beat the demon that showed up in the first fight

They fought from a distance in the first two rounds Duran wobbled Leonard badly forcing and quoting him in his book to hold on and fight on the inside to clear his head for three rounds. He admits in an interview with Howard Cosell that he was forced to ropes and Duran was very strong plus being difficult to hit. He did not chose to lose he lost. He chose to observe that Duran was partying and gaining a incredible amount of weight in between the two fights and took advantage of Duran's poor physical and mental preparation. Do I blame him no . It is a business as well as a sport and he took advantage of tactics

By the way sugar Ray Leonard was a entertaining and talented fighter with a lot of heart but he was not a God.

[them_apples]

They fought from a distance in the first two rounds Duran wobbled Leonard badly forcing and quoting him in his book to hold on and fight on the inside to clear his head for three rounds. He admits in an interview with Howard Cosell that he was forced to ropes and Duran was very strong plus being difficult to hit. He did not chose to lose he lost. He chose to observe that Duran was partying and gaining a incredible amount of weight in between the two fights and took advantage of Duran's poor physical and mental preparation. Do I blame him no . It is a business as well as a sport and he took advantage of tactics

By the way sugar Ray Leonard was a entertaining and talented fighter with a lot of heart but he was not a God.

Agree 100 percent. Any of the shots srl landed that night were actually in the inside.

[rightsideup]

What if Leonard had used the same strategy from the second fight in the first fight and moved more? Does he win the first fight with Duran too? I think he could.

He may have but Duran in the first fight employed movement and some feints to get Ray into the combination that clearly hurt ray. Its my believe Duran did not have that type of quickness in the second fight for various reasons. They are both great fighters and there first fight was a special. The second was bizarre. The third both were slipping and on the down side of their careers.