Henry Armstrong vs Roberto Duran. Who wins?

Question

Revisiting a question previously asked by Brent. 15 rounds at lightweight;

Answer 1

Totally 100% disagree with the previous posts. It was Duran, not Armstrong, who was the multi-faceted fighter who could adapt to any situation. Armstrong knew one way- forward and throwing punches. If he'd have had adaptability he could have changed his gameplan against Fritzie Zivic. He couldn't and got mauled horribly as a result.

DeJesus caught Duran on a bad night. I have all three of their bouts and there is a HUGE difference between the lethargic Duran of the first fight(which had no title at stake and was meaningless to the disinterested Roberto) and the savage Duran of the next two bouts. Duran broke DeJesus down with the precision of a surgeon, bit by bit and KO'd him in both fights.

Duran could beat you any way he chose. I've seen him outslug fighters in the Armstrong, tearaway fashion. I've seen him outbox people. I've seen him lay back and counterpunch. Watch his fight with Leonard or the much larger, stronger Davey Moore for an example of his brilliant defense. Watch him roll with the punches and come up with blistering counters. He could feint, roll, slip, block, parry and counter on par with any fighter in history. The man could do anything! He was one of the most well-rounded fighters ever.

No knock on Hammerin' Hank. Just on the basis of his achievements I have him as my 4th greatest p4p fighter ever. But Roberto is a bad match for him. Duran wouldn't be foolish enough to get into a straight slugging match here. He'd do what Armstrong never could- mix up his attack, combining aggressive infighting with laying back and shooting pinpoint counters through Hank's wide, looping swings. He'd slip, block and roll most of Hank's big shots and whatever one's Armstrong did manage to land Roberto's iron chin could take. Remember, Duran also took shots from middleweights and anyway, Armstrong was a volume puncher, not a power puncher.

Duran by unanimous decision.

Answer 2

ARMSTRONG - W 151 (KO's 100) TF 182 - W pct 83% - KO's 55% - wins over Ross, Jenkins, Masey and Ambers - KO'ed by Zivic - #2 ranked fighter
He held 3 titles simultaneously - 126, 135 and 147

DURAN - W 103 (KO's 70) TF 119 - W pct 87% - KO pct 58% - wins over Buchanan, Leonard, Cuevas, Palomino and D. Moore - KO'ed by Leonard (Duran quit in the ring), Hearns and W. Joppy - #28 ranked puncher - #5 ranked fighter
Won titles at 135, 147, 154 and 160
Arguably the greatest Light wt of all-time

Both these men were great boxers, excellent ring generals and tough guys. Armstrong was a natural Feather wt and Duran was a natural Light wt. Duran was a much better puncher. This is a good, close tough bout, with neither man giving ground. In this bout, I have Duran in a close but 15 rd unanimous decision.

P. S. I know that I have a bad rep (not that I really care). My problem is when some attempts to pass their opinion off as fact (and that would even include me)

Answer 3

Armstrong by either KO or unanimous decision.

Armstrong had too many tools for Duran. Duran was a menacing puncher but not really all that fast. Esteban DeJesus showed what a good boxer can do to neutralize a slugger like Duran. Unfortunately, DeJesus did not have the power to put Duran down for the 10 count like Armstrong would have done.

Answer 4

Again, Douglas has echoed the blogbaba's thoughts, thumbs up for a great analysis. This would have been one for the ages, truely two of boxings greats, but Roberto Duran was more than equal to the task. I couldn't have put it any better than the previous answer did. Good job Douglas on a very interesting match up.

Roberto Duran by decision.

Answer 5

This would be like the greatest fight - in my opinion - ever, Hagler v. Hearns. It's over early, three rounds of non-stop punching, with both finding the canvas in rounds one and two, but Armstrong catching Duran with solid combos and scoring a KO win in the third.

Answer 6

Crusty old fart, you're such a moron, two straight threads you've been in acting like Armstrong had it all. He was a swarmer, through and through. Duran had too many tools for Armstrong if you ask me. Duran by UD.

Answer 7

Duran by decision. Douglas has this explained very well. Another great fight people would have loved to seen.