Could Roberto Duran have beaten Tommy Hearns in a rematch?

[The Noose]

No no no.

Even if Duran was at his peak i believe Hearns would hurt and stop him, probably in a similar devastating fashion.

[TheGreatA]

Maybe at a catchweight of 170 pounds in 1996-2000.

[BennyST]

You know, made the necessary adjustments?

or do u think Hearns was just a case of a bad style match up for him and a win over such fighter was never really possible?

The latter I'd say. It's possible he'd have done better as a fitter, trimmer WW but I still think he'd have lost. Hearns was just too big, too tall, too quick, too much reach. He had about a foot reach advantage and with Hearns skill, right hand and jab, it makes it nearly impossible to solve if you don't have a similar size or physical advantage of some sort.

[StarshipTrooper]

It's a bad style matchup but if they fought 10 times I have a hard time imagining an in shape Duran NOT catching Hearns' questionable chin once or twice.

Poet

[sonnyboyx2]

It's a bad style matchup but if they fought 10 times I have a hard time imagining an in shape Duran NOT catching Hearns' questionable chin once or twice.

Poet

Hearns questionable chin????

Thomas Hearns retired with a record of 61-5(KO4)-1 fighting from 147lbs upto 190lbs ... Those 4 KO losses coming by
1/. Leonard TKO14 - Hearns ran out of gas
2/. Hagler TKO3 - Hearns fighting with broken right-hand
3/. Barkley - TKO3 Hearns caught with brutal left-hook
4/. Grant - TKO2 Hearns slips and breaks ankle

you dont fight in 7 weight divisions winning world titles in 5 if you have a questionable chin... Iran Barkley caught Hearns with a brutal left-hook thrown in desperation as he was only seconds from being stopped himself... Barkley had a very good Rap in his left and won world titles in 2 weight divisions with it.. IMO Hearns chin was OK he took plenty of bombs on it from some great hitters

[Suckmedry]

Hearns questionable chin????

Thomas Hearns retired with a record of 61-5(KO4)-1 fighting from 147lbs upto 190lbs ... Those 4 KO losses coming by
1/. Leonard TKO14 - Hearns ran out of gas
2/. Hagler TKO3 - Hearns fighting with broken right-hand
3/. Barkley - TKO3 Hearns caught with brutal left-hook
4/. Grant - TKO2 Hearns slips and breaks ankle

you dont fight in 7 weight divisions winning world titles in 5 if you have a questionable chin... Iran Barkley caught Hearns with a brutal left-hook thrown in desperation as he was only seconds from being stopped himself... Barkley had a very good Rap in his left and won world titles in 2 weight divisions with it.. IMO Hearns chin was OK he took plenty of bombs on it from some great hitters

Look you are right to an extent, and Tommy was a great, great fighter who
I'ma fan of and have lots of respect for, and while his chin wasn't complete glass it was definitely a hole in his armour, perhaps the only real hole in his game along with stamina. And that's why it get's mentioned.

To beat Tommy you had to hurt him and knock him out, Tommy was near impossible to outbox, because he was such a fast, fluid fighter with such a long reach and great power. And because his chin was the one thing that let him down (along with stamina) it get's mentioned alot. Not necessarily because it was really bad, but because that's how you beat Tommy Hearns. If the guy had the beard of a guy like Leonard, as well as better stamina, he would have been virtually unbeatable.

[istmeno]

Look you are right to an extent, and Tommy was a great, great fighter who
I'ma fan of and have lots of respect for, and while his chin wasn't complete glass it was definitely a hole in his armour, perhaps the only real hole in his game along with stamina. And that's why it get's mentioned.

To beat Tommy you had to hurt him and knock him out, Tommy was near impossible to outbox, because he was such a fast, fluid fighter with such a long reach and great power. And because his chin was the one thing that let him down (along with stamina) it get's mentioned alot. Not necessarily because it was really bad, but because that's how you beat Tommy Hearns. If the guy had the beard of a guy like Leonard, as well as better stamina, he would have been virtually unbeatable.

the only point i differ with is that hearns was NEAR impossible to out box. i am hard pressed to see any boxer i have seen out box hearns. the only way to beat tommy was to have the tools to beat him in a fire fight. hearns was too long too quick and too powerful to outbox.

[BennyST]

Hearns questionable chin????

Thomas Hearns retired with a record of 61-5(KO4)-1 fighting from 147lbs upto 190lbs ... Those 4 KO losses coming by
1/. Leonard TKO14 - Hearns ran out of gas
2/. Hagler TKO3 - Hearns fighting with broken right-hand
3/. Barkley - TKO3 Hearns caught with brutal left-hook
4/. Grant - TKO2 Hearns slips and breaks ankle

you dont fight in 7 weight divisions winning world titles in 5 if you have a questionable chin... Iran Barkley caught Hearns with a brutal left-hook thrown in desperation as he was only seconds from being stopped himself... Barkley had a very good Rap in his left and won world titles in 2 weight divisions with it.. IMO Hearns chin was OK he took plenty of bombs on it from some great hitters

Yeah, I get confused by the chin thing, but it was his only flaw apart from his stamina. While not questionable in itself on nearly every other fighter, on Tommy hearns it was because the only way to beat him, and you could beat him, was to crack his chin and hurt him. Very, very, very few could do it.

Oh, and just to correct a couple of points. It was a right hand that Barkley nailed him with and the broken hand thing doesn't matter. Hagler was going to win no matter what. He just knew how to beat Hearns.

Barkley was also a three division world champion, not two. MW, SMW and LHW plus a minor HW title.

[Doctor_Tenma]

I disagree with alot of people here, that wasn't the same Roberto Duran Leonard faced. That Duran looked damn slow, I do believe he would have been able to close the gap alot quicker had this been a younger WW Roberto Duran. Duran had the defense/ durability to tag that chin; give or take. So I'm not with that "Hearns beats Duran 10 times out of 10". It'd be alot more competitive where either man could win. To answer the TS's question, a rematch @ 154 during that period, Duran still loses.

[bojangles1987]

Hearns does the exact same thing to Duran every time. It was a matchup Duran couldn't win, similar to Foreman-Frazier.