Where do you rank duran in

[Sugarj]

Maybe its just me, but I wouldn't have rated Ike Williams over Duran as a harder pound for pound puncher.

I dont doubt that there were harder punching lightweights than Duran, I'm disappointed that none come to mind at this time (all day at a wedding, pretty sloshed right now!). Alexis Arguello had a fair dig at lightweight but it wasn't his most popular weight.

Joe Gans is one of those guys that punched concussively at lightweight, but video footage is very limited.

I suppose Duran has to be up there with the harder punching lightweights of all time if not number one.

DeJesus was a pretty nasty puncher from memory too!

[Obama]

Homicide Hank, Sweetwater Swatter, The Durable Dane, and La Mantequilla all deserve a mention.

O yea, also Edwin Rosario and JCC while we're at it.

And the argument is about punching power at LW, what the guy did above that shouldn't matter.

[BennyST]

He was ok for his size and at his natural weights...ie. 130/135 etc, but he wasn't one of the hardest punchers ever. He was a very hard puncher at his natural weights but even then there have been much harder punchers there too. He was just the complete package and was able to get his best shots in. Ridiculously quick, aggressive and freak stamina as well as being great defensively and with counter shots meant he was able to get his hardest shots in a lot.

Compared to the real, genuine one punch KO guys though, he doesn't rank up there with them (Hearns, Jackson, Ketchel etc). He had good one punch power and could hurt anyone, evidenced by his record number of defenses by KO and still having enough pop to hurt, knock down or knock out guys twice his size, but he wouldn't put granite chinned guys out with one shot. He would wear them down with perfectly placed body shots, counters and finally finish them with a counter right and left hook. Most of his best KO's came from that super short, shifty little counter right hand on the inside that he threw to counter the opponents right hand. Beautiful punch.

Very good power, especially at his best weight, but not one of the hardest P4P punchers. He was just the full package. De Jesus was a harder puncher than Duran. I can think of many more guys that had greater power but just didn't have the skill, speed and everything else that made Duran so great.

[BennyST]

Hardest punching Lightweight my ass. He was no Ike Williams. Even Ike wasn't the hardest puncher, he just comes to mind quickly because he was one of the greatest over all.

Yeah, exactly. There were a lot of guys that had bigger punches. Overall, they just weren't as good though. Rosario is a good one that was mentioned. Even some more recent guys like Gomez, Valero, Hamed, Bailey (not all lightweights but all around those weights) were all bigger punchers.

Even during Duran's reign you had bigger punchers like 'Gato' Gonzalez, De Jesus etc.