Roberto Duran is the definition of beauty in simplicity. There were no special effects to him, no wasted movements, everything this man did, while at times looked chaotic, was with a definite purpose. Duran's ability to switch from coming forward relentlessly cutting off the ring to going backwards and slipping punches temporarily to reset himself was incredible.
Usually fighters who fight in the style of Duran are not defensively responsible, but Duran displayed elite defensive skills going forwards and backwards. Excellent head movement and his footwork while simple was precise he was rarely off balance, but what truly made him special is that he could slip punches with just his head, just his feet, or both at the same time and his awareness was top notch because notice how he more times than not always knew exactly what punch to throw at precisely the right time, even if his eyes weren't on his opponent.
He had excellent punch selection and his signature 1 followed immediately by the overhand right was a devestating punch combo, but he also had sharp uppercuts, and hooks that would throw you off balance. The man made you move where he wanted you to move unless you were always on your feet moving, and that was hard to do because Duran's ability to cut off the ring was elite level. He truly was a complete boxer-puncher.
Pound for Pound with his skillsets he can match up well with anyone who ever laced them up, and at 135 nobody should ever be favored over him because he never lost at that weight, at best 50-50. A dream fight for any boxing fan, hardcore or casual, would have been Duran vs Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. that would of been an interesting and exciting clash of styles. Roberto Duran vs Manny Pacquiao would also be an exciting fight because with Pacquiao's activity levels he MAY have been able to throw Duran off a little bit. Roberto Duran vs Pretty Boy Floyd Mayweather would obviously be an interesting clash of styles as well.
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