Is Roberto Duran the best lightweight of all time?

[Panamaniac]

Welcome to the conversation...

Honestly I think it's not something where either is right or wrong but rather a diasagreement over something that comes down to personal taste. Some people like aggressive fighters some like slick boxers. It doesn't make one better than the other it's just what a particular observer prefers. Personally I don't have a prediliction one way or the other: I've been watching boxing for so long I've come to apprecriate all styles. Well, that's an exaggeration: John Ruiz type clutchers and grabbers I've yet to appreciate

Poet

Sweet Pete specifically disagreed with my tie-breaker criterion for rating fighters of virtually equal success. I too, like you, appreciate all styles (even octopi like Ruiz), I just prefer fighters whose styles are condusive to exciting fights.

As I alluded to before, there are - in essence - three basic types of matches, which I rate thusly:

1. Predator vs. predator
2. Predator vs. prey
3. Prey vs. prey

The first is usually a barn-burner, the second can be rather interesting, but the third's a real snoozer.

Below is a typical example of a predator vs. prey fight

[vbtube]UYUC3NnaH8I[/vbtube]

[Darkstar]

No Benny Leonard was. Duran is top 5 all time tho.

[Nostromo]

Uh?!

No Benny Leonard was. Duran is top 5 all time tho.

The words in bold text is an incomplete sentence, which makes no sense. Please complete your thought. As for Duran being "top 5 all time" do you mean as a lightweight, or pound for pound? Please clarify. Thanks.

[StarshipTrooper]

The words in bold text is an incomplete sentence, which makes no sense. Please complete your thought. As for Duran being "top 5 all time" do you mean as a lightweight, or pound for pound? Please clarify. Thanks.

Personally I'd say both. Number 1 Lightweight ever and in the top 5 PFP. Yes, I think he's that good. I see him as the number 1 PFP fighter of MY time, losing out on a complete list to fighters who predate me like Robinson (the best fighter who ever lived in my book).

The poster does need to work on his syntax though.

Poet

[punishment25]

^ id have 2 second that.....Duran was ahead of his time no doubt

[zelley]

Top lightweights

Based one one poll in 1975 and other data these are the ones that Duran would have to beat to claim top lightweight spot: Benny Leonard, Joe Gans, Henry Armstrong, Ike Williams,
Freddy Welsh, Willie Ritchie, Carlos Ortiz, Ad Wolgast, Joe Brown, Tony Canzoneri and Battling Nelson. I think we could toss in Barney Ross for some variety.

In the p4p category, I would include Leonard, Armstrong and Canzoneri in the top ten along with Duran.

[McGoorty]

No Benny Leonard was. Duran is top 5 all time tho.

I agree with Leonard and I don't mind Duran around 5..... After seeing 7 mins of Wolgast V Nelson...... I'm having a big re-think on this division.... what I saw in that fight were two hard punching, very quick and the pace they both fight at is unknown today unless you said Pacquiao............. these guys are fighting at a Pac-man pace, only they are in round 23 plus......... has to be seen to be believed,..... like Hagler V Hearns over 40 Rounds,.. yes folks, that's right, 40 ROUNDS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Barn]

1. Leonard
2. Gans
3. Ortiz (Shout out to IronDan.)
4. Duran
5. Whitaker

[McGoorty]

1. Leonard
2. Gans
3. Ortiz (Shout out to IronDan.)
4. Duran
5. Whitaker

Oh I would have Duran ahead of Ortiz,... but to be fair,,... Duran never came close to fighting a LW in Ortiz's class.

[SBleeder]

Putting my neck out on this one, but I rank Whitaker as the #1 LW of all time.