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Motivation Quote by Roberto Duran

"Right now, it's very difficult to single out one fighter, pound-for-pound, who is the best. Right now, it's very complex. Miguel Cotto, Mayweather and Zab Judah's a good fighter as well"

About this Quote

Duran is doing something that sounds like hedging but is really a veteran's power move: refusing the clean, clickable hierarchy that boxing fans and promoters crave. "Pound-for-pound" is the sport's most seductive argument-starter, a way to turn wildly different bodies and eras into a single leaderboard. Duran, a man whose own legend lives on those lists, punctures the fantasy by calling the present "complex" twice. It's not confusion; it's a reminder that greatness isn't a spreadsheet, it's a moving target shaped by weight cuts, styles, matchmaking, and timing.

The names he drops are telling. Cotto signals substance and relentlessness, the kind of fighter who earns respect through punishment absorbed as much as delivered. Mayweather represents the opposite pole: control, risk management, the chess-master who makes "best" look like a math problem. Then Zab Judah, the curveball. Judah was never the consensus choice, which is exactly the point: Duran is arguing for volatility. Boxing isn't a steady climb toward clarity; it's a carousel of matchups where one night can rewrite reputations.

There's also an older champion's subtle self-positioning here. By declining to crown a modern king, Duran preserves the sanctity of his own era without sounding bitter. He doesn't dismiss today's fighters; he elevates them into a crowded field, where being great is harder precisely because certainty is.

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TopicSports
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Citation Formats

APA Style (7th ed.)
Duran, Roberto. (2026, January 15). Right now, it's very difficult to single out one fighter, pound-for-pound, who is the best. Right now, it's very complex. Miguel Cotto, Mayweather and Zab Judah's a good fighter as well. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/right-now-its-very-difficult-to-single-out-one-164485/

Chicago Style
Duran, Roberto. "Right now, it's very difficult to single out one fighter, pound-for-pound, who is the best. Right now, it's very complex. Miguel Cotto, Mayweather and Zab Judah's a good fighter as well." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/right-now-its-very-difficult-to-single-out-one-164485/.

MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Right now, it's very difficult to single out one fighter, pound-for-pound, who is the best. Right now, it's very complex. Miguel Cotto, Mayweather and Zab Judah's a good fighter as well." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/right-now-its-very-difficult-to-single-out-one-164485/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.

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About the Author

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Roberto Duran (born June 16, 1951) is a Athlete from Panama.

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