Roberto Duran

Frankly by the time Duran fought Leonard the first time he was already slightly past his prime. He had already had over 70 fights at that time. Duran's greatest decade was the 70's, however having said that he was still a very good fighter through the 80's and 90's. Roberto had it all, he was much harder to hit than he was ever given credit for, he was a great puncher, had a great chin, but most of all he had a fire in the belly like no other. Yes, I remember the "no mass fight" but one fight does not define a carrier. Duran's body of work as a whole is worthy of putting him in the company of the greatest of all time. While there are great fighters I have only read, or heard about from the distant past I find it hard to believe any would have out classed "hands of stone" I believe him to be the greatest of all time, certainly the greatest of my time.

There will never be another boxer like Roberto Duran. The best ever better than Ali, better than Robinson. Everybody knows it. He never refused boxing anyone, made his mistakes, after all we are just human beings. Beat Leonard when Leondard was at his prime while Duran was already past his prime. Leonard was never in a hurry to give Duran a rematch after the second figth. He knew he nad no chance against a well trained Duran. Duran lost to Hearns, I am sure that if Hearns and Duran had fough each other more times Duran would have won. He made a judgement mistake on that fight. Also did not go well trained as he was partying months before. He took on Hagler and could have beaten him as that fight could have also been given to him. He lost some of his power on the last rounds. If Duran had faced all Hagler at ligth weigth or welter weigth Duran would have won the fight with ease. He was allways the shorter and older guy of these 4. Duran defensive and offensive abilities were out of this... Read more

This guy was one tough son of a bitch in the ring. Hard hitting with either hand, and as ferocious and as smart, skilled and cunning as they come, he was truly one of a kind. Pound for pound, I'd put him in the top three toughest fighters in history, and probably in the top 5 best all time. And I don't want to hear nonsense about the 'no mas' fight. That doesn't detract a bit from his legend.

he lost to vinny and hector twice.he did beat leonard.lost to hagler and got knocked silly vs hearns.

During the 70's and 80's the greatest. Best ever lightweight. One of the best of all time.

Pound for pound and inch for inch the greatest. Does anyone really believe if ray robinson or ali were the same size as duran that they could have beaten him? His defensive skills, body punching, and straight right hands would have been too much for them. Look at what ken norton did to ali. He really beat him all 3 times. Lets face as much as we love Ali the hardcore boxing people know he was no Duran.

I have watched and participated in boxing for over 40 years,when you study the sport as much as I have and are not biased in anyway.......one very simple conclusion: Roberto Duran is the best fighter/boxer of all time.

Greatest fighter ever period what i really look at is if the fight was in the street that is what really counts not a sport but a fight. Duran was first a street fighter not a runner i can see it now these fighters running down the road i wonder how far Duran would have run them until it stops and say No Mas!!

A great fighter in several weight divisions at a time when boxing was chocka block with great fighters. A Rottweiler of a fighter with both skill and aggression. Anyonw who knows anything about boxing would put Duran high up an all time greats list.

p4p there will never be another like duran never he feared no man nor beast there has not been a true champion his equal in every aspect of boxing today or in the past the legend stands alone.is there no one else

He was the rated the best fighter of the 70's in a tie with Ali. He skipped junior middle weight to fight Leonard for bucks, not because he was scared of someone like Pryor. He would have murdered Pryor(who barely beat Alexis A.,and taking what looked like a drug in the knock-out round-being overheard to"give me the bottle-you know which one, or something like that, as I heard it") Duran was the best 135 ever! He was better than Leonard, who won most of his title fights because of his "popularity"(Hagler & Hearns) They gave it to Leonard w/ Hagler-they stopped it with Hearns when Sugar was way behind on points,with Hearns not even staggered. Duran beat Barkley/Moore when I thought he was through.

Duran is is my opinion arguably the best ever. In his younger lightweight days he was absolutely ferocious. The best lightweight I've ever seen. To move through the weights at takes tremendous ability. To do so against an incredible array of legends puts him at a level he can be mentioned alongside Ali and Sugar Ray. Although famed for his power and aggressive style, he was a technically supreme fighter. Duran had it all.

How can you not give Duran a 5 star rating. At leightweight he crushed his opponents one way or another. Moving up to welter, junior middle, middle and super middle he fought guys that should be much stronger than himself and still beat a lot of them. The Barkley fight just showed his greatness.

The 5 I give Roberto is for his work at lightweight. The greatest lightweight champion of all time, unbeatable at that weight. Still great as he moved up but clearly at 135 he could not be beat. Better boxer than most people give him credit for. One of the greatest counter punchers of all time. Watch him closely..watch how he makes guys miss then counters. He was NOT just a brute in ring..really technically gifted.

Fought everyone that was good in his era: DeJesus, Leonard , Benitez, Hagler, Hearns, Buchanan, Palomino, ect. Most of his rivals had a size advantage over him. He beat Leonard when he was at his best ( something no one else did ) even though Leonard was bigger,faster, and younger than Roberto. He gave rematches ( something Leonard made rivals wait years for) and ducked no one. His partying and subsequent weight gains between fights hurt him but also made him more interesting. A throw back fighter, someone that made boxing fans passionate about an often dissed sport. An all-time great!!!

Many fighters have faced boxers who danced, but the fighters did not quit. Duran quit and his excuse was not leonard but that he had been fighting for a long time. In their first fight Leonard changed his tyle, fought Duran's fight and went toe to toe and the fight was still very close. Duran was knocked out by Thomas Hearns, fell face foward at 154. Duran skipped 140 and the very dangerous Aaron Pryor who had beaten Thomas Hearns for the Amateur Lightweight Championship.

Now i appreciate this guy as one of the top pound for pound fighters ever to grace the ring- the greatest being Ray Robinson.

he lost to the top contenders of his day, and didnt really have a will to win. however, he did have exceptional punching skill and a moderatly sturdy chin, and rather good technique. he had the tools, just not the will to win. he could have been better, but his competition wus just too great for him to handle. and no champion, no hero, no legend, and no great fighter would EVER quit in the middle of a damn title fight. rather than being knocked out like a champion or decisioned like a champion, he decided to quit in the middle of a fight. him saying No mas and his less than impressive record against top contenders prevent him from getting anything more than 2 stars. he had no excuse NO EXCUSE to say no mas in that fight with leonard.

Duran ranks as high as #3 in the all-time pound for pound list. He was a sophisticated technician, a puncher, a defensive artist, and was relentless. Consider the following: 1. Duran was the greatest lightweight champion of all time. Period. 2. A lightweight champion dethroning a welterweight champion was unprecedented for 50 years. Leonard was near his prime as well when Duran defeated him and don't be fooled --the first fight mattered most. 3. A lightweight champion has never, ever dethroned a MIDDLEWEIGHT champion and Duran did just that --10 years after his prime and against a man (Iran Barkley) who was much larger and in his prime. Some of the techniques Duran used in that fight have not been seen at that level for decades because they were learned at the feet of trainers like Ray Arcel and Freddie Brown. Duran was the most perfect fighter since Robinson himself. If you don't buy this then just get the tape of Duran vs. Barkley (1989) and if you are not a nitwit like the naysayer... Read more

The best of all time! a hero and a legend ! like it or not !

The Best Couter Puncher, and Slip fighter of All Time!

Young fools no nothing, People won fortunes and bet thier houses on this man - to win he was that good! I bet it all on the first leonard\Duran fight, My money on Duran, couldnt find any takers on the 2nd fight (thank god) Truly one of the greatest fighters ever!

duran is the second greatest fighter of all time,behind sugar ray robinson

First of all, all you people who keep refering to the no mas fight let me set you straight. Duran beat Leonard in the first fight then after only six months when Duran was enjoying one of his greatest triumphs, Duran's management team were made an offer they couldn't refuse, think what you want of that. Like a true fighter Duran gave Leonard the rematch knowing full well he wasn't a 100% fit. During the encounter Leonard seemed more interested in playing hide and seek, rather than fighting,so then came the No mas, done. Now when Duran asked for the rematch which would be the rubber, why did Leonrad take an astonishing nine years to except the challenge? I'll tell you why, because Duran would be a 100% fit and ready as would Leonard and Duran would have whupped his ass, just like he did in the first fight.So in reality Leonard ran in the ring aswell as outside, because to face the great hands of stone fair and square was not an option for Leonard. When we talk of legends in any sport Du... Read more

Manos de piedra is the greatest boxer of all time.I completley agree with Reality check 77 on the whole no mas situation because thats a fact.First of all boxers these days tend to invent names for themselves but first to be actually given a name by the fans is an honour and then to be given a name such as hands of stone just sums up what a truly great fighter Duran was. Duran's fights with Buchanan, Leonard, Moore, Barkley, Lampkin, Cuevas, Kobayashi and Hagler to mention a few were truly legendery. Even though he lost to Hagler, after 12 rounds he was winning the fight. The bottom line is Duran is the greatest of them all and there will never be another like him. P.S: Can anybody let me know where i can obtain /purchase the Roberto Duran vs Esteban De Jesus fight number 3. Email me at [email protected]. Cheers everyone.

No one who quits should ever be rated this high. A joke.

OVERRATED. MARCIANO WOULD HAVE DESTROYED HIM.

The greatest ever. A very under rated boxer. People always talk about the no mas fight. What don't they talk about the first fight when Duran kicked Leonard's ass. Duran did not prepare himself for the second one, but the media in the USA seems to forget that their boxing hero was beat up and out boxed in the first one. They point out Duran had no heart. In his fight with Hagler he broke his hand in the 10 round and continued for 5 more rounds. If it would have been a 12round match like they are now, he would have won since he was up in the cards. Also people forget he was not in his prime in the 80's and he wasn't a true welterweight, junior meddleweight or middleweight. But he still won those championships. He has 4 tittles in different weight classes and he skipped 2 just to fight Leonard. If that is not great, I don't know what is.

IM A FAN OF MANY NEW ERA FIGHTERS, HOWEVER I TRULY BELIEVE THAT DURAN AND CHAVEZ WERE THE ONLY, AND WILL ALWAYS BE THE BEST FIGHTERS OF ALL-TIME. MANY OF TODAYS BOXERS DONT COME NEAR DURAN. THIS MAN REALLY STRIVE FOR WINNIG HIS TITLE; AND HE CERTAINLY DID!.I GREW UP IN LOS ANGELES CALI AND I'VE SEEN BOXING FIGHTS THAT I BELIEVE WERE GREAT, BUT ONCE I HEARED AND SEEN DURAN REPRESENTING A COUNTRY (PANAMA) OF NOT MANY OPPURTUNITIES, I SAID THIS MAN IS A HELL-OF-GOOD FIGHTER. I HOPE HE TAKES HIS KNOWLEDGE AND USE IT WISELY TOWARD HI PANAMENIAN PEOPLE.

I'll bet those who rate Roberto Duran low on their (rating) scale, are doing so with prejudice and ignorance. For they know not what they say. Pound for pound, Duran was probably one of the top 2 lightweights of all time. And he wasn't a bad welterweight either! Lol. He was brash. But unlike many of today's phonies, he could back up what he said! Say what you will about the no mas incident. The fact of the matter is, he DEFEATED big mouth Sugar Ray Leonard in his prime! I'll bet all the brothers out there are still pissed off about THAT! And let me tell you something else, thank your lucky stars people that Duran wasn't born a natural heavyweight... the idea that a hispanic (of his talent) should someday dominate the heavyweigth division must be scary to some of you haters.

No mas? No doubt!

Roberto Duran is absolutly the greatest fighter to ever step into the ring, bar none!! Did he have his faults? Yes, great magnificent faults. The man was a living legend for Gods sake. His errors and mistakes were of gargantuous proportion. Duran in his prime was unbeatable. He is unarguably the greatest lightweight ever. When he moved up to fight Leonard he was already moving past his prime. That was perhaps his greatest night. His abilty to slip punches,attack the body, rough up his opponents and impose his will on them is legend. This Lightweight champion from the 70's fought and beat some of the greatest fighters from the 80's. Leonard,Hagler,Benitez,Hearns,Cuevas and Barkley. To be fair he lost some of these fights, but when you consider that he was past his prime and past his decade you have to stand in awe of the man. In this day of 20-0-0 boxing record his 100+ fight is really some thing to marvel at. He would have beaten that other Latin Legend Julio Cesar Chavez. This fight ... Read more

Roberto Duran is know doubt about it the greatest fighter of the modern era that I saw. What most people don't realize is that when he fought Leonard the first time, he was as much passed his better days as Holyfield was against Tyson in his first fight. Yet Like Holyfield, his less than 100 percent was still good enough to dominate the so called great champ. Watch a tape of Duran fighting in the mid 70's and you'll know why almost all of boxing historians place him somewhere in their top five. Not too many fighters who started as a junior lightweight actually fought for a middle weight title (and go the distance with one of the great middleweight champions ever). Their will never be another warrior like him. He would fight absolutely anyone, and without making cowardly stipulations like Leonard would ( eg. like when he demanded in the Hagler fight that they use bigger gloves, a bigger ring, 12 instead of 15,) Duran just wanted to fight. I would have loved to have seen him fight ... Read more

Had over 100 wins and had losses at the end of his career when he was already to old to box but he loved boxing and was a 4 time champion. I also know that he fought for over 30 years. So he gets a 5 for longevity ,being champion, and for taking on the best in different eras. Like even when he was old he took on vinny PaZ and knocked paz down twice but he lost two 12 decisions because he was past his prime but that speaks volumes for the man. The hands of Stone was a hard nosed fighter who hit hard and had a good chin. He is a true ring king for all times!!

Mike Tyson fan consider this: Mike Tyson considered Roberto Duran as one of the greatest fighters that he had ever seen, as did Joe Frazier and many other heavyweight fighters of that time. In fact, Tyson even named his pit bull after Duran (don't believe me, just ask Mike Tyson). So many people hang their hats on the so called no mas incident but what they should be looking at is at how great Duran was and the politics and Bullshit that led up to the no mas affair. Duran was sold out by his management team. They signed a contract to fight Ray Leonard when Duran was fifty pounds overweight. They sold Duran out because Leonard's people, namely his trainer, Mike Trainer, offered Duran's manager 8 million dollard to sign the fight quick style. Sugar Ray Leonard could never ever beat a healthy well trained Duran in his prime. Even after the so called Duran Fiasco, Leonard would never give Duran a REMATCH FOR 9 YEARS. (SO WHO IS THE QUITTER NOW.) That is how scared Leonard is of Roberto Dur... Read more

I give him a 5 for just his shear determination, aside from the No Mas. This man was a warrior.

quitter

i agree with kinkykinks he blew himself right out of the water afterno mas

Roberto Duran, he skipped from Light Weight (over jr welterweight) to Welter Weight to fight what was thought to be the best fighter on the planet (Leonard), and totally dominated the fight. Sugar literally ran, I have never seen a fighter as scared as Leonard was in that fight (or marathon for him). Roberto Duran, in his prime, it would be a fools wager to bet against him in a fight with anyone in ANY weight division, YES , he was in my opinion that DAMN good. Absolute the best fighter to EVER step into the ring. Robero Duran (135 lb)/ Mike Tyson (218 lb.)Given Roberto is in his prime and prepared or just pissed. LOOK OUT MIKE, YOUR ASS IS GRASS. 2 min 18 sec. or less

Duran brought the old time excitement back into boxing...forget the cuties and the dancers...if you want dancing, go to a ballet...Don't waste my time showing how well you can run...(this was the frustration that led to no-mas.)Roberto brought the fight to you...You had best be ready...If you're man enough to box and fight then may the best man win,but don't show me how you can dance and run,you'll bore me as well as Duran...That's why he is the one that all boxing lovers always remember...Sure,we all get old sooner or later but if you want to see the gleam in an old fan's eye...just mention Manos de Piedras...and they'll tell you, they don't have fighters like that anymore....

I met Duran in New York right after beating Barkley for the middleweight title, he was coked up and had some fine looking babes with him, as high as he was , he could still whip anybodies ass.....

Pound for Pound he was the greatest of all time. Tell one person who lasted 5 decades and passed up belts to winner bigger ones! If he hads fought for the Jr. Lightweight and Jr. Welterweight title he would have won with ease.

Generally underrated as a boxer. And overrated as a Charles Manson-type. Very smart.

a really good fighter except for that infamous no mas

forgive claudio for his ignorance,1 star out of 5,gimme a freakin break one of the best lightweights ever to put on the gloves.12 title defenses 11 by KO,who can forget the third fight with dejesus where he beat the bejesus out of him,ray lampkin is still sleeping after duran beat him into the ground,only edwin viruet could last 15 rounds with the beast,lets not forget the whuppins at welterweight where he beat up carlos palomino and whupped on ray leonard,leonard was lucky to survive the 2nd round after durans left hook caught him flush if that was duran the lightweight leonard takes a nap also,beat davey moore at 154 lbs where duran was supposedly washed up,gave hagler fits as hagler was swinging at air half the night and actually led on the scorecards after 12 rounds,last great moment was the come from behind victory over barkley,a 39 yr old again washed up,yea right.yes he overindulged after the first leonard fight,got frustrated and quit but duran did more harm to himself than leo... Read more

He won championchips in 4 weight classes, but skipped 2! jr lightweight,where he started out and jr welterweight. He jumped from lightweight to welterweight to beat sugar ray leonard and then went on to have a great fight with Hagler. Beat that !

Decent boxer? Overrated? He was OK, but wasn't great? Crying like a baby? Get off the grass people. Duran was the greatest 135-pounder in history and one of the top-5 P4P ever. Period. Just a magnificent package of pure ferocity, skill, power, and ringsmarts. Probably the greatest slip/parry-and-counter fighter I've seen. And to those who hang their hat on No Mas, just check what this 5'6 lightweight with T-Rex arms came back and did, and then factor in how many years and pounds past his prime he was. Ask yourself what right he had to beat up and ruin the young, hungry Davey Moore, or to butcher the much larger Iran Barkley, let alone push one of the greatest middleweights of all-time to the absolute limit? What makes me laugh is I bet the same people who claim Duran to not be great couldn't score 5-stars quick enough when they saw the name Ali. Now, there is the very definition of overrated...

Being a boxer myself i have newfound respect for duran and his power. he was probably one of the toughest SOB's in the history of boxing. I dont know about alot of the people who rated him low but I want to see them step in the ring with a Duran between 71-80. they wouldnt of lasted 30 seconds. the guy was a pure animal. his only downfall was no mas! but the reason he is an alltime great is because he was the best lightweight since the late benny leonard. also he is the only person to ever kick the crap out of the sugar man thouroughly and undisputedly while sugar was in his prime!!!!