Roberto Duran was one of the legendary ‘Four Kings’ of boxing.
The quartet was made up of Duran, Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns, with them all competing against each other in epic fights during the 1980s.
Duran had a trilogy with Leonard, winning one and losing two, with the Panamanian great also came up short in his battles against Hagler and Hearns.
Despite sharing many rounds with the other three men, Duran has another fighter in mind when it came to deciding who the most skilful boxer he ever fought was.
Speaking to Ring Magazine, he revealed that honour went to former undisputed lightweight champion Ken Buchanan.
“Buchanan was one of the great lightweights when it came to tactics and skill. His intelligence made him very difficult to beat even though he wasn’t a very strong opponent. Sugar Ray Leonard was faster and stronger but Buchanan had tremendous skills.”
A 21-year-old Duran took on Buchanan at Madison Square Garden in New York in June 1972, in what was the Panamanian’s first shot at a world title, with Duran claiming a 13th round TKO victory to become the new WBA lightweight champion.
Prior to that, Scotland’s Buchanan had become undisputed at lightweight after picking up wins over the likes of Ismael Laguna and Ruben Navarro.
Buchanan’s final fight took place in 1982, as he ended his career with a record of 61 wins and 8 defeats, 27 of those wins by knockout. After a battle with dementia, Buchanan sadly passed away in 2023 at the age of 77.