Quote Originally Posted by THE THIRD MAN View Post
By the time Duran fought Leonard in Montreal he had been fighting for 12 years and his record was 71-1. That is a lot of boxing for a man not yet 30 years old. It was the last time we ever saw Roberto Duran at his peak, he won a close decision, but he did win, he landed the harder punches and more often was the aggressor. He was great that night.

No Mas highlights a fighter who had achieved everything he ever needed to achieve in the ring, by New Orleans he was already half the fighter he was just 6 months earlier. Leonard knew about Duran's weight issues, he knew about his preparation problems, he knew about the partying, he also knew if he waited any longer for a rematch then those problems might just get solved. Leonard had his man the moment the 2nd fight was signed. Duran should've made Leonard sweat on a rematch for a year.

Duran's own temperament, partying, rapid weight loss and his total under- estimation of Leonard's abilities beat him that night. I'm not buying any of the Leonard in-ring wizardry that befuddled Duran in New Orleans. Leonard was very good, but he wasn't that good that he could humiliate Roberto Duran. Duran was a 12 year veteran, already a legend by 1980 and arguably the greatest Lightweight champion of all time, Duran beat himself before the first bell sounded and he has no one to blame but himself for that.

Sugar Ray Leonard won the fight and would've won a decision, the result was never in doubt before a single punch was thrown.

We never saw the greatness of Roberto Duran again. He fought on another 21 years when he should've retired after the Hearns disaster.
Well said. Even though part of the motivation for Duran to take the second fight so quickly was the huge payday...part of it was also who he was as a fighter/person. He was not the kind of fighter who was going to make an opponent wait a short while (Ray with Duran in second fight) or a long while (like Ray did with Hagler) to gain the advantage. Not excusing his lack of focus/preparation for the rematch against Leonard...but just saying.