• The Ring’s 5th greatest fighter of the last 80 years
• Associated Press’ #1 lightweight of the 20th century
• Five Time World Champion in Four Different Weight Classes
GREATEST ASSETS
• Ferociousness
Roberto Duran wasn’t an ordinary brawler. He was a great body puncher with decent power in both hands, and unlike many brawlers, Duran had great defensive skills also.
He was able to subtly slip punches often with his arms by his waist, but Duran’s greatest attribute was his ferocity in the ring. His sheer aggression would intimidate and wear his opponents down especially when he was fighting at his best in the lightweight division.
HOW?
Raised in the slums of El Chorrillo, Panama, Robert Duran is no stranger to hardship. Fighting for survival and even for fun, made Duran a beast in the ring. The infamous story of when Duran knocked out a horse in his younger days for a bottle of whiskey, shows the kind of mentality he had.
Even with little amateur experience, Duran often sparred with much more experienced fighters. He turned professional at just 16 and won his first world title at 21.
Duran’s record was 72-1 until he moved up to Welterweight to face the extraordinary Sugar Ray Leonard. Infuriated by the fact that Leonard was making five times more than him despite having a much better record, Duran vented his frustration in their fight. Known as “The Brawl in Montreal”, Duran outfought and even out-boxed Leonard throughout the fight to win a decision.
Their rematch destroyed Duran’s reputation as he quit due to being frustrated by his inability to hit Leonard while being taunted at the same time. Now coined as the “No Mas” (no more) fight, Duran had to endure mockery and criticism after this incident.
After several years of ups and downs, his reputation was restored after winning some very tough fights and adding several world titles to his collection.
What makes Roberto Duran such a great fighter? First and foreman, Duran is a fighter at heart. He had natural abilities but his mentality is something that cannot be emulated.
At his worst, Duran would indulge in women and food even when he had upcoming fights, but at his best, he would approach training the same way he fought - with ferocity.
He would rope skip at such a fast pace while performing “double unders” and jump squats at the same time. He would also bounce the speed bag around effectively with his head.
Sparring with much bigger men was a normal occurrence and it helped him to succeed in the heavier weight divisions. Roberto Duran retired from boxing at the age of 50 due to a car crash, but he would’ve almost certainly continued to fight as long as he could if it wasn’t for the accident.
• Ten Time World Champion in Eight Different Weight Classes
• First to Win the Lineal Championship in Four Different Weight Classes
• Regarded as the Number One Best Pound-for-Pound Fighter in the World
•The Ring & BWAA 06’, 08’ & 09’ Fighter of the Year / Best Fighter ESPY Award in 09’ & 11’
• BWAA, HBO, WBO & WBA Fighter of the Decade
• Forbes 5thWorld’s Highest-Paid Athletes of 2012 / TIME 100 Most Influential People of 2009
• Lieutenant Colonel in the Reserve Force of the Philippine Army
• Congressman in the Provincial Capital of Sarangani
GREATEST ASSETS
• Powerful Straight Left Hand
• Fast Hands and Feet
Manny Pacquiao’s straight left hand is notorious for its destructive power, mainly due to its blistering speed. It has put many fighters down and out. As his career progressed, he has improved his right hooks but it doesn’t come close to the effect his straight left has on his opponents.
A natural southpaw, Pacquiao’s footwork is so unorthodox that it puts him into positions where he can punch at the most awkward angles which befuddles his opponents.
HOW?
Manny Pacquiao’s ascent through the weight classes is nothing short of spectacular. From Flyweight to Light Middleweight, he faced some of the best fighters in the world and destroyed many of them in the process.
However, his name will forever be linked to another all-time great, Floyd Mayweather Jr, and the question as to who is the best pound-for-pound fighter in their era will forever be debated as long as they never fight each other. His high work rate,
• lightning speed, devastating power and killer instinct has made him one of the greatest fighters of all time.
• Stays in shape all year round and loves to play basketball to improve his coordination, agility as well as maintain his stamina.
• Has six meals and six protein shakes a day when in training for a fight.
• Does a lot of plyometric exercises, most notably throwing medicine balls and hitting a heavy bag continuously with a baseball bat.
• Performs 1400 crunches everyday during training.
• Gets hit around the entire body with a bamboo stick to strengthen his body to absorb punches.
Pacquiao is very well known for his hard work ethic, and it shows in his machine like performances. It’s not unusual for his trainer Freddie Roach, to tell him to slow down or stop to let his body rest.
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• First Boxer to Earn More than $100 Million in Purses
GREATEST ASSETS
• Fast Hands
• Great Movement
• Ability to Brawl or Box
Sugar Ray Leonard effectively utilizes his very fast hands and excellent foot movement to quickly attack and get out of trouble. These attributes were honed from his days as a very successful amateur boxer. His assets often allowed him to dictate the pace of the fight and if necessary, Leonard could brawl as well as box.
HOW?
One of the greatest boxers ever, Sugar Ray Leonard had a number of legendary fights against all-time greats which includes wins over Wilfred Benitez, Roberto Duran, Thomas Hearns and Marvin Hagler.
It was Leonard’s speed and foot movement that gave even his toughest opponents a very difficult time finding him. He could attribute his best assets to his training methods.
• Ran 4-5 miles everyday in preparation for the Olympics where he won a gold medal.
• Ran backwards and sideways to try and imitate every movement that goes on inside the ring, most applicably, boxing on the backfoot.
• Wore combat boots for his runs to condition his legs.
Leonard retired from boxing from 3 years and took everyone by surprise when he announced he was making a comeback against the great Middleweight, Marvin Hagler. Inactivity and eye injuries led the general public and media believe that Leonard was no match for the heavy favourite, Hagler.
Unbeknown to Hagler, let alone the public, Leonard had actually engaged in several real boxing fights behind closed doors to shake off any ring rust. It was this preparation that allowed Leonard to jump straight back into the elite level of boxing after such a long layoff.