Just How Physically Big Was Duran?

[Jim Jeffries]

Well he certainly looks huge against Stallone.



Though it turned out Sly was significantly smaller than the HW he played in Rocky.

[rightsideup]

it would have be nice to see roberto try for the junior lightweight and junior welterweight titles. he fought ernesto marcel at 128 and world rated felippe torries as a featherweight.

[BennyST]

He was a very average sized lightweight but had great strength, stamina and power along with his other skills. At 5'7" with 66" reach he was the epitome of an average or perfect sized lightweight. You can see clearly against Buchanan that he's significantly shorter with less reach or the same size along with many of his other 135 fights. The only guy I remember him looking bigger than was Vilomar Fernandez, but he was a shortass at 135. Despite beating Arguello, he was towered over by a full head so.... By the time he left 135 he had grown into a solid, but not big, lightweight.

He moved up to 147 ok, but you could see the size difference start showing up, especially against someone like Ray Leonard at 5'11" and his 74" reach. Even against Palomino he looked relatively small, but certainly not overly so.

He wasn't and should never have been up at and above 154. It was his great chin, defence and savvy that got him through those divisions. He showed, even as a welter, apart from against Leonard, the beginnings of his lack of training as he looked pudgy for most of his 147 fights before Leonard. At 154 and above he just looked off balance, fat and slow.

[them_apples]

muscular men and men with large bones actually gain weight naturally all the way into their early 30's. everybody hits the man strength years in his early 20's. perhaps once in a blue moon you'll find a small guy who has peaked physically by 20 years old, but it's pretty rare.

just check out all your friends in your high school yearbook. lots are fat now, sure, but even the fit ones are tens of lbs bigger.

I mean you won't grow structurally. Everyone grows in muscle mass even skinny men will put on weight as they age,

[Panamaniac]

Fact Check

...the man had zero business fighting at MW. zero. he didnt grow into the division. he basically ate his way there. it was a great chin and cuteness that allowed him to compete with such larger men. he also carried enough punch to get a man's attention. he wobbled iran barkley, one of the biggest MW, and he even got the respect of marvin hagler, a career MW with an iron chin...

Yes, like Frazier "wobbled" Ali when the latter hit the canvas in their first fight... Duran didn't just wobble Barkley, he knocked him on his ass! In fact, it was that knockdown that gave Duran the edge to capture his 4th. world title...

[The Surgeon]

A good sized LW but even at WW i thought he was quite small never mind up at 154 and MW. He looked so much smaller than some of the other guys, especially vs Barkley who looked like a CW! Duran had balls of steel, a great chin and some real cute defensive tricks along with a solid punch which is why he can hold his own with the bigger men

[Panamaniac]

A good sized LW but even at WW i thought he was quite small never mind up at 154 and MW. He looked so much smaller than some of the other guys, especially vs Barkley who looked like a CW! Duran had balls of steel, a great chin and some real cute defensive tricks along with a solid punch which is why he can hold his own with the bigger men

^^ That rolls off the tongue easier than "Hands of Stone."

[rightsideup]

"Balls of steel" hands of stone, la dentista, Rocky, Duranimal,
Roberto sure inspired a lot of nick names and as ray leonard said in the documentary beyond the glory after roberto destroyed davey moore he said "the best"

[Panamaniac]

"Balls of steel" hands of stone, la dentista, Rocky, Duranimal,
Roberto sure inspired a lot of nick names and as ray leonard said in the documentary beyond the glory after roberto destroyed davey moore he said "the best"

In Panama, relatives, friends and acquaintances call him "Cholo." He is often refered to as "El Cholo." Cholo is a term of endearment reserved for those who share his particular physical characteristics.

[Panamaniac]

Fact Check II

...Despite beating Arguello, he was towered over by a full head, so by the time he left 135 he had grown into a solid, but not big, lightweight...

Duran never fought anyone named Arguello, let alone whose first name was Alexis. At least not as shown on his oficial boxing record.