Ramonza, sorry man, I've shamelessly stolen both the guys from your thread and rematched them.:: How does this one go. On the inside I'll be damned if this isn't impossible to call other than that it'll be a tough nights work for both. Duran's a little more deft with his feet and angles in there, though the difference is less than might be assumed; Basillo is for my money physically stronger and more rugged. Can Duran use his greater versatility on the outside to find an edge? Will his sense of maschismo allow it? Promotion title could be 'Oh shit, ouch':doh:.....how does this go?
I like it! Duran's resume at 147lbs, to me, is over-blown. Beyond besting Leonard, it's not especially expansive, & certainly matches poorly with any great Welter. However, while it has little relevance to this fight, he showed against a prime Leonard (in his natural division) that he could more than compete with any great fighter at this weight when he was switched-on. That was a sterling night in Montreal. He is not in the least out-of-place in the ring with Basilio, another natural 147lber. Onto his adversary. Basilio of course is a more proven commodity at the weight, but his bouts at Middle also stand him in good stead. He has conquered a better man than Duran, in Robinson (Robinson at 160 being superior to the 147 Duran, IMO), & many fighters of great capability at both weights (at 147, Basilio defeated Jenkins, Williams, & DeMarco, & lost only quite narrowly to Gavilan & Fullmer --- that sort of resume is difficult to overlook). Duran at Welter still retained much of his crispness & snap, as well as his head movement (as a result of his animalistic offense, such an under-rated quality of his), though his devastating power was hampered, & I cannot possibly see him KO'ing Basilio. He was still a quicker & sharper offensive fighter at this weight than Basilio ever was, & in shape, had the lungs to back it all up. Basilio, for his part, was a bigger & stronger man than Duran, & his opponent is coming straight into the phonebooth --- where Basilio would await him with a smile --- no one can question Basilio on the inside, & while this may outrage some, I think even a beast like Duran, allowing for Basilio's size, inside expertise, & raw strength, would hesitate at times during the breaks to re-enter that zone. Basilio was that punishing at close-quarters (because I have all the respect in the world for Duran at the same distance), that even Duran may come off getting the worst of it in the end. Hell, Basilio at times bullied Robinson at 160 --- he could do the same to Duran here as they descended, inter-twined, into the depths of a very ugly dogfight. Duran is faster, puts his punches together better, & is more explosive. He'd win most of the early rounds, & damage Basilio, but not enough to get him out of there. Basilio wins the inside grind at 147lbs. against anyone, Duran included. I think he's stronger & less shop-worn in the later rounds, as he pushes, wrestles & mauls Duran with his near-endless barrage of bodyblows. It's going to get very tight! IMO, twelve rounds would better suit Duran, & fifteen, Basilio. Either distance will probably be fulfilled, though, & I honestly cannot predict a victor with great confidence. Kind of a long-winded way to say, "Errr...not sure" ::
An interesting way to say it, too.:bears: Being a bit of a Duran fanatic, I have a hard time picking anyone over him at his absolute best, least of all a guy who would look to take it to a phonebooth. I'm gonna plump with that slightly greater versatility at middle range to eek him out a split decision here, but no outcome would shock me, and I certainly don't see Basillo wilting Duran down the stretch as beyond the realms of possibility.
Basilio was WAAAY better than Carlos Palomino, X Duran by decision... like Ramonza said, defense is the key... Duran had it in spades, Basilio had little use for it This would be all action and there would be a lot of head-butting and low blows
Duran would land cleaner, more precise punches in the beginning, which would serve him well. Basilio, meanwhile, would look to bludgeon & bully the smaller Duran, & when Duran went to respond in kind in the later rounds, he'd end up getting the worst of it --- at which point, it becomes anyone's fight on the cards, IMO. Extremely tight decision, for mine. I'm surprised this hasn't attracted more attention on the forum --- fight's a barn-burner!
