what made duran so great?

[SouthPawHitman]

Are you trying to imply that Roberto Duran is overrated?

[rightsideup]

let me change/clarify my question a bit..
i mean why is duran rated so highly at lightweight when everyone talks about him and his "accomplishments" in higher weight classes??

and regarding 11 KO in 12 defenses, why don't people say anything about golovkin defending his middleweight title with straight ko streaks?

ggg is a very good fighter but is only defending a portion of the title and has never fought a name yet not saying he cannot beat a name fighter but it has not happened yet I enjoy his fights

[rightsideup]

Duran also engaged in a lot of nontitle fights during his lightweight reign against some fairly good fighters

[bklynboy]

i still dont understand,
everyone basically says "hes the greatest lightweight ever"
yet, everyone speaks of his accomplishments at middleweight..
and in hagler fight, he clearly showed he cant adjust/fight on the inside...

Duran was 21 or so when hebeat Ken Buchanen to become lightweight champ. He held that title for 7 or 8 years before moving up to welterweight.
He fought an insane number of fights (granted some were ridiculous non-contests) but many were against TOP 5 fighters and lost only once to de Jesus. (And he avenged that lose twice).

He basically fought EVERYONE in the lightweight division for 8 years and just mopped up the divison.

And then - he confirms his greatness by moving up and beating HOF fighters.

[joeandthebums]

He basically fought EVERYONE in the lightweight division for 8 years and just mopped up the divison.

Never honoured an agreement to rematch Buchanan.

[NChristo]

Watch some more Duran, you just accused one of the best inside fighters ever of not being able too fight on the inside.

and regarding 11 KO in 12 defenses, why don't people say anything about golovkin defending his middleweight title with straight ko streaks?

There's a difference between being a title holder and being the Champion.

People talk more of what he did in the higher weights because beatin Davey Moore and Barkley in the fashion he did is remarkable for how past his prime he was, also there's more footage of him in the higher weights and Leonard - Hagler - Hearns etc are more recognizable names so people are more likely too watch those fights.

Peoples top 3 at Lightweight usually consists of Leonard, Gans and Duran, Leonard for the quality of names, Gans for his longevity and Duran is a mix of both, doesn't quite have the longevity of Gans or the quality of Leonard but he's still top tier in both categories, add to him being one of the most skilled boxers ever and there being plenty of footage of him rates him up there.

[nivek535]

thanks for clearing things up XD.
i was not implying anything about duran, was simply asking.
makes sense now

[Tony Trick-Pony]

Whenever a fighter conquers a division for 8 years, it is major no matter the era. But when he dominates them the way Duran did, knocking most of them out and even in his non-title fights, he fought some pretty good opponents. Esteban Dejesus was very exceptional and Duran beat him down twice. And when he lost the non-title fight, he'd recently been in a car wreck. He did foul Buchanan at the end, but I have never figured out why. He was well ahead on the cards and had his number and Buchanan was no push over- definitely one of Scotland's best ever. From what Buchanan himself said about a rematch, he claimed that Duran's managers would not let a rematch happen, but had no doubt that Duran would have fought him again.

As was stated in an earlier post, Duran would fight anybody at any weight. There are not many fighters who will do that these days or well, ever. Most guys are particular and try to get the fights at the best possible times, but Duran truly did not care. It cost him some wins maybe, but it definitely propelled him to a higher level of greatness and machismo. I'm a big GGG fan, but let's give him time. He may not even be in his prime yet and comparing them is ridiculous at this point, although I have noticed both men used the "shifting" technique which can be very effective at positioning. I hope to see more similarities between them as GGG goes on.

[rightsideup]

Whenever a fighter conquers a division for 8 years, it is major no matter the era. But when he dominates them the way Duran did, knocking most of them out and even in his non-title fights, he fought some pretty good opponents. Esteban Dejesus was very exceptional and Duran beat him down twice. And when he lost the non-title fight, he'd recently been in a car wreck. He did foul Buchanan at the end, but I have never figured out why. He was well ahead on the cards and had his number and Buchanan was no push over- definitely one of Scotland's best ever. From what Buchanan himself said about a rematch, he claimed that Duran's managers would not let a rematch happen, but had no doubt that Duran would have fought him again.

As was stated in an earlier post, Duran would fight anybody at any weight. There are not many fighters who will do that these days or well, ever. Most guys are particular and try to get the fights at the best possible times, but Duran truly did not care. It cost him some wins maybe, but it definitely propelled him to a higher level of greatness and machismo. I'm a big GGG fan, but let's give him time. He may not even be in his prime yet and comparing them is ridiculous at this point, although I have noticed both men used the "shifting" technique which can be very effective at positioning. I hope to see more similarities between them as GGG goes on.

Ken hit duran after the bell and duran was grabbed by the ref causing his response to hit south of the border

[Sugar Adam Ali]

Duran is most known for the 80s superfights, because those were some of the biggest fights of the era.. But duran wasnt a peak fighter then..

Duran was at his most famous in the 80s, but was at his best in the 70s..


There might be a handful of lightweights (ortiz, leonard, etc) that have comparable lightweight acheivements, but it's the 80 superfights up in weight, past prime that gives duran the edge over those guys in ATG rankings