This fight was Roberto Duran's most masterful performance, although he did not dominate the action as he usually did. Recall the fight with Hearns, how Duran was destroyed. Now, in this fight, we can see Duran frustrate the man who destroyed Hearns. The second video is included elbow.

I could write a book on this fight. Study this as a counterpunching and body punching clinic. Duran was the master of the timed combination and powerful counter. He did not have fast hands, but hard hands. As with Holmes you see the best time and measure when a fighter is past his prime but undamaged.

Use these three videos as a study of A getting beat by B, B getting beat by C, and C getting schooled by A, expressing the 'styles make fights' factor that so fascinated boxing fans.

In this bout Hearns gets Duran's measure before Duran can get Hearn's time. This was a classic duel disaster, like a cutlass man failing to time the thrust of the rapier man and getting caught on the point of the longer weapon. Few boxing fights mimic mixed weapon dueling better than this. Note, that Duran did much better against Hagler than Hearns did.

In this fight Hearns had time and not enough measure. He did not keep it at long enough range. So, even though he did a masterful job ripping Barkley apart, he was dealing with an incredibly tough man, who spent seven rounds getting beaten up, looking for what he got, one punch that was finally on time. For you tall guys, look at how well Hearns measures and stiff arms and walks Barkley around with his extended lead, looking like Peter Pan against Captain Hook. That hook Barkley "brought off the floor" was simply devastating, and there was more to come. The problem with being Hearns, is that he hit so hard from so many angles that he would get himself suckered into fighting like Duran, a rhythm fighter that was primarily a time guy, where Hearns should be primarily a measure guy.

Barkley, for his part, has ordinary time and poor measure. He has to get lucky, then when he gets lucky and hurts his man, which will happen most of the time, he will now effectively have better time than Hearns. Once hurt, if Hearns cannot maintain the measure he needs, either at stiff arm range or in a clinch, he will get eaten alive.

This recap video shows the trajectory of Duran's career to that point. Duran's psychology is pristine in the prefight interview. Do not skip that.

Barkley is an active pressure fighter who is open for the cross but defends against the jab pretty well which suckers guys like Hearns into his wheel house. He is a real problematic opponent as he is quick, strong, hard hitting, and well-conditioned. His frantic pace bedevils timing attempts by breaking rhythm often. Although, not as highly skilled as the other top fighters, and certainly flawed, Iran is a dangerous hard-to-fight man.

Watch Duran early in round 1, checking to see if he can land the lead cross and seeming unsure if it's a good idea. Leaving the cross open, denying the jab, and moving makes you hard to target, and is sustainable if you are physical like Barkley, and have a left hook to reckon with.

I will use still scenes and time bracketed sequebnces to make tactical points below. Freeze the video at the minute:seconds indicated.

Duran opens up with a sneaky jab. Watch him for his sneaky thumb up jab as well as the palm up jab, which is an excellent tool for a short man to use to ride over the low guard of a taller man.

15:15" Look at Duran's guard. That is a hunter's guard. When you see that, with head over the lead knee and hands up, he's looking to find you where you least want to be found.

From 15:34 -15:39 Duran puts on a defensive motion clinic, his hands ready to hit but not striking, as he is moving his head and body to avoid blows and taking Iran's time and measure, getting his scouting report, starting to assess when he is going to walk Iran into something. he ends with a clinch, not giving Iran an idea of his real intentions for later.

From 17:30-37 in this first round, Duran has already got Iran's time, and counters with his best weapon, the right.

Round 2, 19:40-45 Duran executes a hip switch advance, walking in under Iran, checking, shielding and punching, in order to rope his man, but firsts set him up for the still image at 19:43 which shows Duran having pivoted into a choppy right shovel hook. Note the continuity of the elbow with the hip, in line with his heel below. That is a full pivot without turning inward. As the small man, when this works and the big fellow is back on his heels, it feels like you're drinking power from the sky.

Round 3, in the first 20 seconds Duran executes a walking clinch with arm check on only. At 24:33 see the effect of Duran's jab as he walks Iran into it. The punch lands a half second before. he flexed his rear calf at the moment the punch landed, sending the shock wave through his man's neck.

Overall, the story of this fight is Duran taking the right hand over Iran's low jab and low guard, to score repeated hard blows to the left eye. The punch is a straight right, with a mild loop to avoid the arm of the target. What makes a straight right a cross is that it travels over the opponent's left guard or punch.

I could write a book on this fight, but need to write another, so will leave the reader to use the remainder of this fight as a work shop. The two commentators are the best in the business and do a good job of qualifying the action.

Beginning in Round 4 you will be looking at one of the best bouts in boxing history.