Manny Pacquiao Vs. Roberto Duran Who Wins?
By Mike “Rubber Warrior” Plunkett
You know a fighter has made it when fight aficionados start pulling out the names of like-sized past greats for the sake of a fantasy fight debate on how matters just might have gone. The matching of two great fighters from different eras is a favorite pastime of hardcore fight fans. It’s an indicator that a certain benchmark has been reached and that a distinct level of respect has been attained. I remember watching Mike Tyson’s meteoric rise decades ago, sports publications and fans were in awe of his destructive reign of terror.
By the time his mega showdown with Michael Spinks was mere weeks away those same publications and various respected boxing personalities had started comparing Tyson with former all-time greats such as Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis and Muhammad Ali. Today, such is the case with Manny Pacquiao and given his recent tear from super featherweight up through to light middleweight I decided to take a look at how a match-up with Roberto Duran, a similarly sized former great, might have turned out.
Standing just half an inch above 5’6 and with a 67” reach, Pacquiao is a solidly built come forward aggressor that fights out of the southpaw stance. Having started his career as a skinny flyweight, he has managed to move up in weight and campaign effectively at or just below the light middleweight limit of 154lbs. In recent years he has been lauded for his incredible punching power, an amazing attribute given his ability to bring it up with him on his rise through the various weight classes but in fact he has become a seasoned boxer puncher sporting improved balance and technique. Adding to all of this, he is the consummate professional with a fiery competitive nature and the desire to test himself against the very best the sport has to offer.
Similarly sized, Duran stood a half inch taller at 5’7 with a slightly shorter reach of 66”. Fighting from the orthodox stance, “Manos de Piedra” is regarded as a fantastically aggressive boxer-puncher that wore down the foes that could survive his initial onslaught. His very best years were spent as a destructive and near perfect lightweight force in the sport with one mere defeat occurring in a non-title tune-up during that period. Few remember that in fact Duran was an underrated defensive fighter with a bag full of subtle tricks; his ability to stay in the pocket and avoid heavy punishment is often overlooked. Adding to his overall make-up, “El Cholo” possessed a fierce and at-times seemingly almost supernatural determination to come out on top regardless of the assignment.
A few years back, respected boxing writer/fight historian Bert Randolph Sugar uttered this quote when questioned about Manny Pacquiao; “While it is never been my habit to include a fighter who is still fighting, because I cannot judge his entire career and/or where his prime was, I think Manny Pacquiao is making one helluva case to be included. He’s not only the greatest Asian fighter of all time, but the greatest left-handed fighter of all time. But I will wait until I see where his next fights take him”. Fast forward a couple of years and in the February 2011 edition of Ring Magazine, Sugar had updated his view on Pacquiao to this: “I’ve already accorded him the greatest Asian fighter ever. He’s easily in the top 20 on my all-time list”.
Given the respected source, that’s a lofty assessment. Taking the matter a step further I decided to review Bert’s all-time rankings to get a good idea where he rated former four-division champion Roberto Duran, arguably one of the very best pound per pound fighters of all-time. Sugar had Duran ranked #8 all-time according to his revised 2006 all-time 100. In a 2004 interview Sugar made this statement on Duran when asked about his favorite boxers to watch: “I just think he was that exciting. And a much better defensive fighter than anybody ever gave him credit for”.
Given Pacquiao’s recent inspired showings as essentially a light welterweight, and taking into account Duran’s effective performance as a welterweight in June 1980, a point at which he was still in his prime, I’ve decided to match them both up at 147lbs. The bout would be scheduled for twelve rounds and for the sake of balance, a prime Mills Lane of 1986 vintage would be the 3rd man in the ring.
The bout would certainly be composed of many compelling elements and it just might go down something like this:
During the initial introductions Duran would pace the perimeter of the ring looking to make eye contact with Pacquiao. Both fighters would be lathered and well warmed up. Duran’s restlessness would be matched by Pacquiao’s cold look of focus. At the first bell both would bolt from their respective corners with “Manos de Piedra” taking ring center a split second ahead of his primed foe. The initial moments of feeling each other out would quickly give way as Duran would aggressively moves straight at Pacquiao looking to force an inside war. He would be met with side to side movement and countered with crisps right jabs between intermittent moments of clinching. At the bell a sneaky right lead would land high on Pacquiao’s head forcing him to clinch against the ropes.
Rounds 2 and 3 would go to the Filipino by a slim margin, the difference being his ability to keep the match at ring center, a tactic predicated with a doubled-up right jab. Picking up on his foe’s timing, Duran would begin finding the mark with his right hand early in the 4th with each not quite landing with full effect but enough to convince Pacquiao to switch gears and begin throwing two and three punch counters, each capped with hurtful compact snapping left hands that would force Duran to mask his concern.
Round 5 begins quickly with both men exchanging power shots in ring center. Halfway through the round a sharp inside short left hand spins Duran onto his heels as water explodes from his thick mane of black hair. Enthralled with the action the crowd roars its approval as Pacquiao forces “El Cholo” back into a neutral corner looking to capitalize. It is at this point where the bout takes a subtle almost indiscernible turn and Duran manages to present the illusion to Pacquiao that success is just within reach when in reality he has forced his game upon the Filipino.
Rounds 6 through 9 tell the tale as Pacquiao eschews the instructions of Roach looking to box Duran on the inside, occasionally landing telling blows all the while absorbing sharp sneaky counters. On the inside the moments of success are punctuated with crisp right hooks and occasional left uppercuts but for the most part Duran is parrying the blows, landing more than he is missing and taking away the speed advantage Pacquiao has over him. Duran’s underrated inside defense proves the difference as they battle inside the pocket.
Showing the wear and tear of a grueling inside war, a lumped up Pacquaio looks to avoid further extended exchanges in the pocket, attempting to utilize mobility in the hopes of keeping the contest at ring center. A looping overhand right from Duran similar to the one that caught him at the end of the 1st finds the mark as the bell sounds to end the 10th, dropping Pacquiao awkwardly against the ropes. Up at the count of seven, the crowd is on its feet cheering the dramatic shift of momentum. In the corner between rounds Freddie Roach cups Pacquiao’s face as he calmly implores his charge to resume boxing the Panamanian at ring center.
Sensing the end, Duran storms out of the corner to start the 11th. He begins lathering a tiring Pacquiao on the inside with short inside uppercuts and hooks to the body. Unable to keep Duran at range, Pacquiao backs to the ropes and waves his accelerating oppressor in. Looking for the finish, Duran find the mark with a flush crisp right hand that staggers a dazed Pacquiao along the ropes and into a corner. The crowd on its feet, Duran charges in for the kill but is caught with a short left uppercut that cause his right knee to all but touch the canvas as he staggers to his right crashing into the turnbuckle. Duran shakes his head in denial as Mills Lane dramatically delivers an eight count. As he waves the two fighters in to resume the action, the bell sounds to end the most dramatic round of the bout.
The 12th round proves to be a graphic example of determination and defiance as a recharged Pacquiao manages to control the first minute with his right jab. His momentum is broken as Duran manages to force him back to the ropes during a clinch, at which point the action resumes on the inside. Both exchange fiercely with Duran finding the mark with his sneaky right hand. A galvanized Pacquiao absorbs what he cannot slip, managing to stun Duran in close with a counter left cross, but “El Cholo” refuses to let up. In the waning moments of the contest both land their best shots, missing more than landing with a ragged looking clinch proving to be the exclamation mark as the bell sounds to conclude matters. Raising his right glove in a show of sportsmanship, Pacquiao looks to extend his respect to Duran but his offering is shoved aside as Duran turns his back in disdain.
The scores offer a mixed reflection on the state of matters pertaining to the bout. They suggest a winner but do little to reveal who was the superior fighter. Both gave the best of themselves; their indomitable wills spilling out during the many moments of duress, ultimately proving that there was in fact no loser. Controversial as the verdict would turn out to be, Roberto Duran is awarded a split decision, a result that would ultimately prove as unsatisfying to him as it would Pacquiao.
I just think he was that exciting. And he was a much better defensive fighter than anyone ever gave him credit for.”