was Roberto Duran really that great?

[Panamaniac]

You have claimed that on many occassions saying things like "if he trained more he would be considered the best ever not SRR". Common man we all know Duran is one of the best EVER to lace up a pair of gloves but you have to weigh the pros AND the cons like we do to every great, Duran fans are quickly becoming some of the worst I can think of. He did so much good but don't you guys ever act like he was perfect and try to ignore his faults becase they ARE there just like they are for any fighter.

Duran retains a lofty stature in boxing despite his flaws, because his virtues. We are not ignoring his faults, we're simply overlooking them in our noble endeavor to accentuate the positive.

[SkillspayBills]

Duran retains a lofty stature in boxing despite his flaws, because his virtues. We are not ignoring his faults, we're simply overlooking them in our noble endeavor to accentuate the positive.

If you overlook you aren't painting the entire picture and that is a FACT. Wpink is laying everything out, EVERYTHING the good and the bad. That, my friend, is the way it should be.

[ksjb85]

ok....
I'm a Duran fan...
but let's look at the facts...
he was beatable from 140 and up...
Lenoard chose to fight a brawl type fight with Duran...even tho he knew that wasn't in his best interest, at any given moment he couldn't have decided to switch back to his regular style but chose to brawl with Duran, which gave him his 1st loss...
why Leonard wanted to rush Duran into a re-match is suspect...
nothing could have stopped Duran in their 1st fight...
he peaked in that fight, giving possibly one of his best preformances...
after no mas, he was good, but more of a shadow of the beast he used to be...
i truley belive he didn't get his juice back until he beat Pipino Cuevas in 1983..
at lightweight he was unbeatable, giving the fact that he owned DeJesus in the two re-matches..although DeJesus was arguably his toughest competition in that devision...
duran's career as a whole>>>Leonard's Hagler's and Hearns...
Duran wouldn't have ever been able to beat Hearns...bad matchup from the start...although it would've been an interesting fight @ 147...
Duran @ 29 was in prime condition...

[Panamaniac]

If you overlook you aren't painting the entire picture and that is a FACT. Wpink is laying everything out, EVERYTHING the good and the bad. That, my friend, is the way it should be.

"Everything" is tacit. It's all there for the record, but it doesn't detract from the BIG PICTURE: that Duran is a boxing legend! The fact that Babe Ruth was not a base-stealer doesn't detract from the fact that he's a baseball legend. The fact that Shaq is not good at free throws doesn't detract from the fact that he's a great basketball player. The fact that one is human doesn't detract from his greatness...

[wpink1]

Panamiac,,I understand your position now..and it is cool. You simply are debating the big picture not the details. I as you can tell by my long winded post ( I try to shorten them) study boxing, boxed (decent amateur career but chose football instead), study everything about it. The mindset, the fight itself, how they plant their feet, ring generalship, and usually not always usually when you dig that deep into the fighters you can tell how most fights will play out. I also debate via details, as when it come to two greats like Leonard and Duran, it simply comes down to what styles they fight. Duran's camp knew it the first time, Leonard camp though that Leoanrd could stop him by round 4. Wow what a shock when their man was getting the beating of his life up through round 4.

I understand you allegence to Duran, nothing wrong with that. He is true testatment to boxing. He would fight anyone anywhere and was a true beast. A legend, and it is great to see the other side of him. I recommend you read his book Hands of Stone.

However that being said. he was mortal. Tyson was Mortal, Liston was Mortal, all these beast that destroyed everything in their way, there were fighters that possessed certain styles that could beat him..every fighter has that. Hearns has the style to beat leoanrd, if he fought at 154 which is a much better suited weight for him, as at 147 ray was at full strength and it showed in the latter rounds.

Lets enjoy thanksgiving and enjoy the many thrills both gave. Yes duran fought a lot of bums, but he also beat a lot of great fighters too. So I am ok with you placing him in your top5...Hell out of million fighters or so that ever laced em up, we are bickering over 3-5 places among the top fighter of all time...Wow...

[Panamaniac]

...The fact that one is human doesn't detract from his greatness...

Panamiac,,I understand your position now..and it is cool. You simply are debating the big picture not the details. I as you can tell by my long winded post ( I try to shorten them) study boxing, boxed (decent amateur career but chose football instead), study everything about it. The mindset, the fight itself, how they plant their feet, ring generalship, and usually not always usually when you dig that deep into the fighters you can tell how most fights will play out. I also debate via details, as when it come to two greats like Leonard and Duran, it simply comes down to what styles they fight. Duran's camp knew it the first time, Leonard camp though that Leoanrd could stop him by round 4. Wow what a shock when their man was getting the beating of his life up through round 4.

I understand you allegence to Duran, nothing wrong with that. He is true testatment to boxing. He would fight anyone anywhere and was a true beast. A legend, and it is great to see the other side of him. I recommend you read his book Hands of Stone.

However that being said. he was mortal. Tyson was Mortal, Liston was Mortal, all these beast that destroyed everything in their way, there were fighters that possessed certain styles that could beat him..every fighter has that. Hearns has the style to beat leoanrd, if he fought at 154 which is a much better suited weight for him, as at 147 ray was at full strength and it showed in the latter rounds.

Lets enjoy thanksgiving and enjoy the many thrills both gave. Yes duran fought a lot of bums, but he also beat a lot of great fighters too. So I am ok with you placing him in your top5...Hell out of million fighters or so that ever laced em up, we are bickering over 3-5 places among the top fighter of all time...Wow...

First of all, my (user)name is PANAMANIAC

That aside, don't look now, but I think we've come to an understanding. I've highlighted our key words as the underlying issue of said understanding. The title of this thread is "Was Roberto Duran that great?" Well, I think we can all agree that the answer is an emphatic "Yes!"

Finally, I did read the book from cover-to-cover.

A happy THANKSGIVING to you, too. ALL OF YOU!

[majestiC]

enuff said

[wpink1]

guess i should get the video of him quitting and play it...hmmmm or him face down vs Hearns...hmmmm

[Panamaniac]

guess i should get the video of him quitting and play it...hmmmm or him face down vs Hearns...hmmmm

Cheap shot! You just couldn't let it go, could you? After taking the high road on a conciliatory post, you succumbed to the gravitational pull of your true nature...

What goes up, must come down.

[Ja Dee]

Prime Duran at 135 was that great, but he may not even have been able to beat a prime Pernell Whitaker at 135, ironically enough. But that doesn't take away from the bad-ass that he was.