It's a high possibility, yes.
No equal is having the other at his mercy.
Kuzan was the challenger. Akainu wasn't. Kuzan was the aggressor, Akainu wasn't. So yes with Akainu who does hold comrades that fought for the Marines in high regard, he very well could've held back.
The non-sense of "equal for 10 days in fighting" = Equals. It's a sheer idiotic logic. I can fight on par with you for 10 rounds and get my asswhooped in the 11th, while you still have the ability to go 5 more rounds of fighting.
Only facts we know of the fight:
-> Kuzan could keep up with as Akainu's equal for 10 days, and due to the lethality of their DFs, both attained insane burn scars.
-> 11th day Kuzan couldn't and Akainu proceeded to show him mercy
-> One lost his leg and the other got a chipped ear.
What was Akainu's condition on 11th day? We don't know. How long could Akainu have gone for? We don't know.
This Akainu underrating to wank Kuzan is disgusting as fuck. Mfs would rather make up their own headcanons of Akainu's ending condition to wank Kuzan, than use anything factual.