Duran's place amongst the 4... Over ranked?

[Suckmedry]

Plus, if tommy hearns had a slightly better chin he would be the unquestioned no.1!!

[bojangles1987]

He probaly quit becuase he was getting embarassed and schooled

"Schooled" implies he wasn't in the fight. He very clearly was.

[Redd Foxx]

I stopped ranking them because they all had something really special going and I hate thinking of one being overall better than the others. Tommy was the most naturally gifted. Leonard was smart, Haggler rugged and patient, and Duran had several things going.

Side note, Tommy's chin want his problem! It was the fact that the ***** wouldn't back down when he was hurt!

[Boxfan7819]

Now your catching on to why an undefeated record means nothing... look at the atg list

[New England]

because he was the greatest lightweight ever prior to moving up and fighting those guys from ww to MW.

duran didn't just "do stuff in the lower weight classes." you clearly don't know much about his career if that's how you characterize it. he was the greatest lightweight ever. he had unreal power at the weight, an iron chin, and high level skills.

[New England]

Leonard-(he beat all of them)
Hagler(beat both Duran and Hearns)
Hearns(almost killed Duran)
Duran(lost to all the other 3)

duran beat leonard in their first fight.


so in your little parenthesis, write: leonard (beat all of them, lost to duran, who was LW champion for most of a decade)

and write duran: (lost to all of these bigger fighters, yet beat the best of the four, ray leonard.)

[soul_survivor]

Why is it that he seems to get so much love and is even ranked higher by most when compared to the rest of the 4 horesmen? He did tremendous things at the lower weight classes and was smaller than all three of the other guy's but he lost to every single one of them... with the exception of the one win over Leonard in the first fight (you could argue Leonard won that one too)... Hearn's nearly decapitated him, Hagler beat him, No Mas' and he lost to "Radar" Benitez...

Why is he ranked so high ... not in the lower classes but the work he did in those superfights...
He was exciting, ruthless, a wild man both in and out of the ring but he lost damn near every single one of the fights that mattered most...

I'm admitting my ignorance on the subject as I'm pretty weak with my boxing history pre 1990. So take it easy on me... but It's always been something that bothered me and I've never really gotten a good answer.
When I speak to old timer's guys my father or uncles age it's alway Leonard and then Duran that come up and maybe in close 3rd it's Hagler.

Are you trying to ask who is the best H2H? That's clearly Leonard.

Are you asking who has the best legacy, combining everything from resume to world titles to skill/technique/natural ability? Then it's pretty close between Leonard and Duran but I'd probably rank Leonard higher. What with Duran's "No Mas" and his several high profile losses.

[nacho daddy]

Duran is one of the most skilled fighters of all time

not only skilled Duran was never on PED's moved up in higher weight divisions more then any fighter . fought haggler when every one feared him and almost beat him. not like the cowardly cotto scared of GGG. KO'd a young strong bigger Davey moore fought a LH posing as a MW in Iran "into a right" barkley who fought as a HW. nobody but no body had his courage along with the skill he was a little guy

[Joe Beamish]

All four of those guys were incredible. So was Benitez.

So were Arguello and Pryor, fighting close to the same time.

How you rank them depends on your criteria. If you're impressed by fighters moving up weight classes with great success while developing their game, then Duran especially deserves top billing. Or if you just love one fighter dominating his weight class, then you have to love all of them except Hearns.

Leonard, to me is the best because of the guys he defeated. Duran is a close second, Hagler a close third.

[nacho daddy]

yet, if you ask TBE to do the same you'll be labeled as a hater

Duran was the greatest fighter there ever was. no PED's little guy with short arms looks like a kid fighting barkley. I don't give a fu uck about ali leonard robinson or payweather. no body went up in weight as much AND fought the caliber of fighter Duran did