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against marvelous marvin hagler, he stuck, and ran...and at no time, was marvelous marvin hagler, hurt in that fight...
btw...sugar ray leonard, never makes the mistake of going toe-to-toe with roberto duran again, and would win every fight that would take place after the first fight, which the third fight, between sugar ray leonard and roberto duran, confirms...Comment
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I've never believed Durans excuses for fight 2. The majority of fans back then didn't either. Duran was too good to say he had cramps. He was clearly frustrated by Leonard.Comment
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I think you're wrong. Leonard couldn't get away from Duran and was absolutely forced to fight, most often with his back to the ropes. Duran was the best I've ever seen him on that night. In the second fight he was a sick as a dog before and after. He'd been partying for months, in fact ever since he won that first fight. It was obvous that he wan't in any condition.Comment
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If you watch the 1st fight and 2nd fight closely, Duran came after Leonard in the same manner. But this time, Leonard knew what to expect and wouldn't stand and trade with him. This time when Leonard went to the ropes, he wouldn't let Duran get off. He would throw fast flurries ending them with hard hooks or uppercuts and then spin off the ropes. It was Ray's counters that not only frustrated Duran, but somewhat intimidated him. Ray's hand speed was nullified in the 1st fight because he didn't use his legs and foot speed to get out of harms way. In that case, Duran's hand speed worked to his advantage because Ray was still there to be hit. In the second fight, Ray's hand speed was more apparent and effective because he switched styles and focused more on countering Duran and dancing out of the way. If you study Duran's face in the fight, he was frustrated very early from the counters and not the antics. He was getting caught by some huge hooks that he took well. Once he realised Ray wasn't going toe to toe with him and Ray began showboating, he felt humiliated. He knew Ray would embarress him worst if the fight would continue so he quit. Styles make fights. They could fight 50 times and the results would be the same if Ray chose to fight that style. Duran was a beast in the 1st fight without question. He did all the right things in the fight and before the fight. He got in Ray's head and made him fight his fight. That's what great fighters do. That 1st fight was the best of the 3 and it was historical. But Ray realized his mistakes and made the right adjustments for the next 2 fights. That's what made him great. He was a very smart boxer who knew how to take advantage of every situation in the ring. Duran for one night took that away from him.Comment
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I'd favor Duran and it annoys me when people say that Leonard made the mistake of trying to fight Duran. He didn't have a choice.Comment
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