Sugar Ray Leonard has named Roberto Duran as the hardest puncher among his famous rivals. The boxing legend shared this insight during a feature with The Ring Magazine, picking Duran over other tough opponents like Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns.
Leonard, who won a gold medal at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, had one of the most decorated careers in boxing history. He grabbed his first world title in 1979 when he stopped Wilfred Benitez in the tenth round to claim the WBC welterweight belt.
But it was his battles with Roberto Duran, Marvin Hagler, and Thomas Hearns that really defined his legacy. When asked about the hardest hitter among them, Leonard didn't hesitate.
"In the first fight, Duran hurt me a number of times."
Leonard and Duran had three memorable fights. In their first meeting, Duran took Leonard's WBC welterweight title. Five months later, they had a rematch at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. This time, Leonard won when Duran quit in the eighth round, giving the fight its famous "No Mas" nickname. They met one last time in December 1989, with Leonard winning by decision to keep his WBC super-middleweight title.
Duran, known as "Hands of Stone," fought an incredible 119 times over five decades from 1968 to 2001. He was only the second boxer in history to fight across five decades. During his career, he won world titles in four weight classes and beat some of the best, including Leonard, Iran Barkley, and Ken Buchanan.
Leonard's praise for Duran's power shows just how tough their battles were. Even with his wins over Hagler and Hearns, Leonard still rates Duran's punches as the hardest he faced in the ring.
