Mayweather Picks Duran As The Best From The ‘Four Kings’

Floyd Mayweather Jr. offered his take on the “Four Kings” era, crowning Roberto Duran as the best from that group.

The 1980s were defined by the battles between Duran, Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, and Thomas Hearns. Mayweather’s pick was based Duran’s rise through the weight classes as the smaller man. He became undisputed force at lightweight before successfully challenging at welterweight, junior middleweight, and middleweight. Beyond pure skill, Duran’s astonishing professional lifespan is also impressive. Spanning five decades from 1968 to 2001, Duran’s career yielded 103 victories and 70 knockouts across 119 fights, a testament to a level of durability and competitive fire that is rarely seen in the modern era.

“I’mma go Roberto Duran … Duran was arguably the greatest lightweight ever and became one of the ‘four kings’ at welterweight and middleweight,” Mayweather said 

The Reality

And yet, the head-to-head results may paint another picture. In the “Four Kings” era, Sugar Ray Leonard is usually considered the best because he actually beat all three of the other men. While Duran beat Leonard once, he lost the rematch by quitting and later lost a third fight to him. If you are ranking a group based on how they fought each other, it is hard to pick the man who lost the majority of those rivalries.

Duran also suffered several losses that the other kings didn’t. For example, Thomas Hearns knocked Duran in just two rounds. In contrast, Marvin Hagler remained the undisputed king of his division for years without ever being dominated like that. As for Duran’s longevity, “staying around the longest” isn’t the same as being the most skilled. Duran fought for five decades, but he also lost 16 times. While Duran had more fights, Sugar Ray Leonard and Marvin Hagler arguably had tougher fights.

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