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DURAN: GREATEST FIGHTER OF ALL TIME PART II By Pedro Fernandez PhilBoxing.com Sat, 18 Mar 2006 PICKING HIMSELF UP AFTER “NO MAS” FIGHT! Las Vegas, NV-Disgraced by the “No Mas” incident, Roberto Duran had little choice other than to return to boxing. It wasn’t like Duran was being sought by the likes of Smith-Barney. He was an unabashed street urchin from Panama City, so bad a dude that he reportedly knocked down a horse with a single right hand! Always considered more savage than human, Duran’s turning his back on “Sugar Ray” Leonard in battle left some fans in shock! CBS TV DECIDED TO GET BEHIND ROBERTO! Looking to lay low for a while, Duran would return to the squared circle in August 1981. With Nino Gonzalez looking to build a rep, and Duran sporting a little roll around his midriff, Duran outworked the 24-1 New Jersey based pug over ten frames. Another win, again televised by CBS, came against an Italian Policeman in Luigi Minchillo. As awkward as he was tough, Luigi tried his best to prevail. But he wasn’t in Duran’s league. End result was a UD 10 for “Hands of Stone.” BAD BLOOD SIMMERING BETWEEN DURAN-BENITEZ! As stated in Part I, Roberto and Wilfredo Benitez did not like one another. In a poignant scene, Duran after beating Leonard in Montreal, ran across the ring, grabbed his crotch and told both Benitez and promoter Bob Arum, verbally and physically to “**** *** ****.” The fight was set for January 1982, with the Caesars Palace Sports Pavilion being the venue. WILFREDO’S HOPE KO FRIGHTENING” TO VIEWERS! Although Benitez was never a one-punch knockout artist, he had done just that in relieving Maurice Hope of the WBC 154 lb. trinket. The shot that Wilfred drilled Hope with was a knockout punch for the ages! Knowing that Wilfred was no slouch, Duran would train in a penal colony (prison) in preparation for Benitez. When he showed up at the weigh in, I knew that Duran wasn’t in great shape. Trainer Nestor Quinones, and manager Carlos Eleta, they were of the opinion that Duran’s flat tummy alone would propel him to victory. AFTER 2600 CALORIES FOR EIGHT WEEKS, DURAN OVER DOES IT! But a pattern that had been the norm for Duran, was one of the reasons he lost some fights he probably shouldn’t have. Like the second Leonard fight, Roberto ate heavily after the weigh in. This would slow him down to the point that if he were in Benitez’ league, it wasn’t indicated by his lackluster performance. After 15 clips, the only mystery would be how wide the scoring might be. HOW KIRKLAND LAING BECOME A TRIVIA QUESTION! Eight turns of the calendar later, Roberto is poised to face a rugged Brit named Kirkland Laing in Detroit, MI. With ESPN providing the feed, it was obvious that “Hands of Stone” had become “Belly of Jelly!” Ten rounds later, Laing, a 24-3 fighter coming in, deservedly had his hand raised on split scores! Two losses in a row, everybody knew Duran was finished, caput, or in his own lingo, “No Mas!” MIAMI FIGHT GETS ROBERTO MUCH NEEDED WIN! Staying with English fare, Roberto met Jimmy Battan, a 36-6 pug in the Orange Bowl. Ten stanzas later, Roberto Duran was back in the winner’s circle, albeit against a schmo. Looking for a fight that would so some huge numbers in Los Angeles, promoter Harry Kabacof would match Duran with Mexican idol Pipino Cuevas. Working out at the now defunct Main St. Gym, Roberto got himself in the best condition he had been in since the first Leonard fight, that being some two and a half years prior. Known for the one-punch knockout power of his left hook, Cuevas was stalking Duran early on. CUEVAS HITS ROBERTO ‘WITH HIS BEST SHOT!' When he did catch Duran in the second and third rounds, there was no subsequent loss of consciousness, no staggering, in other words, Duran was unfazed, and undaunted. In the fourth round, with Cuevas realizing at that point he was in deep trouble, as Pipino was now being stalked. Shook by a right and a left, Cuevas was retreating. When Duran finally caught him along the ropes, he finished the Mexican icon. DRINKING MEXICAN BEER UNTIL THE WEE HOURS! Overjoyed by his return to the winner’s circle, Duran would direct his future manager, Hector Martinez, and myself to a house in a L.A. neighborhood where we partied until 3 AM. Arriving before Roberto, we would see him jump out of a van, and kiss the sidewalk in front of this woman’s home. His wife Feliciad, she was present as well as a couple of Duran’s kids. AYALA’S RAPE RAP GAVE ROBERTO OPPORTUNITY! With Duran being written off as just another has-been, WBA 154 lb. kingpin Davey Moore wanted Duran, this after #1 contender Tony Ayala had been arrested for a January 1, 1982 Home Invasion/Rape. The match would be held in Moore’s hometown, New York City, and in the Mecca of boxing arenas, Madison Square Garden. Unable to fly into New York for the fight, Hector and I flew instead to Los Angeles. We ended up watching the fight on Closed Circuit TV, at the no longer in existence Main St. Theater. BEATING MOORE TOOK WAS FAR BEYOND JUST ”BRUTAL” With an errant Duran thumb catching Davey in the left optic, that unbeaten 13 fight winning streak, and the WBA title he was certainly favored to defend, were in peril. Eight one-sided rounds later, the fight was mercifully stopped with Moore battered and bloody. DURAN IS DURAN, AND WELL HE’S BACK! With the upset win, Duran was all of a sudden the talk of the boxing world again. And with Marvin Hagler looking to add to his resume a name the likes of a Roberto Duran, the fight was made for November 1983. After 12 rounds, the fight was close. But in what are the true championship rounds, the 13th, 14th, and 15th, Hagler’s natural size advantage and strength took over. In the end, Marvin having been “exposed” a bit by the ex-lightweight king, he would still prevail unanimously. CLOSE HAGLER LOSS NOTHING TO BE ASHAMED OF! The solid Hagler effort had Roberto’s value on the rise. At the same time Father Time was punching Roberto’s clock, Duran signed for a June 1984 match with Benitez’ conqueror Tommy Hearns. Training at the local donut shop, a totally uninspired, and out of shape Duran was brutally dispatched by a single right hand in the second round. To this day, it remains the hardest, and cleanest punch I’ve ever seen thrown and land! BEST PUNCH I EVER SAW THROWN & LAND! What I remember most is a concussed Duran, struggling to get himself up and off the canvas. When he left the outdoor ring at Caesars Palace, Duran didn’t have a clue as to where he was. In simpler words, Roberto got knocked the puck out! Stunned, I went back to my room at the old Aladdin Hotel. In the room directly across from me, stayed none other than “Sugar Ray” Robinson. Even Ray was surprised. “Sometimes, even great fighters get knocked out,” said the original “Sugar Ray,” while adorned in a pink bathrobe later that night. BETTING ON HEARNS WAS LIKE “STEALING MONEY” With his worth plummeting, had “Roberto Duran” been an active stock on the New York Stock Exchange, “Trading” would have been suspended in June 1984. Now seemingly much older at 34 than he actually was, Roberto Duran was done! Not training seriously, Duran appeared at a Press gathering before the fight at an Oakland, CA hotel, Duran was 178 lbs., this with about 23 days to go. After seeing him at the Holiday Inn, I agreed that a friend should place $5,000 on Hearns. DURAN WAS NO LONGER “GODZILLA” OF BOXING! Being a huge Duran fan, he was no longer the guy that could eat glass with a nice and fork. Both myself, and the S.F. Chronicle’s Lowell Cohn, were aghast that Roberto was sporting a belly three weeks away from a fight with the “Hitman” Hearns. Arriving in time for the weigh in, a fleshy Roberto tipped in at the 154 lb. limit. Looking thick, his belly was defined, as in definitely fat! With his mighty chin dented by the single Hearns right hand, Duran had been beaten in a manner few men dreamed was ever possible! HAGLER’S BROTHER NOT ALL THAT MUCH! After taking the rest of 1984, all of 1985, and a couple of 1996 wins (see set ups) in Panama, Roberto returned to the U.S. He would face of all people, Marvin Hagler’s half brother, Robbie Simms. Training in Palm Springs with both Roberto and headliner Barry McGuigan in a tent, the Top Rank P.R. guy was the legendary Irving Rudd. A recognized icon in the role of fight publicists, Rudd would dog me until I sparred two rounds with Roberto. EIGHT MINUTES WITH THE MINISTER OF MAYHEM! I think they were two four-minute rounds. Being in great shape, I figured the risk of stepping between the ropes with Duran was worth it. Even though I had some height on him, Roberto, sporting a Marlboro TV shirt, was stalking me. And while it was real funny to the rest of the people in the tent, I didn’t know if he was serious or jesting. Luckily for me, Duran was playing with me. All the while, I’m freaking out! There was one shot I’ll always remember. Duran threw a right hand that followed a jab that impacted the areas between my left shoulder and triceps. He did that in both rounds, I thought, just to let me know that he was giving me a pass! DURAN COULD NOT RESIST LOTS OF CALORIES! Two weeks before the fight, Duran, now fighting at 160 lbs., he got down to the weight. Between sparring in the 100’ tent, something that did no good for McGuigan, and running twice a day, Roberto was looking pretty good. With Simms being a southpaw, Roberto would spar with top-five British middleweight Heroll Graham. On my last night in camp, I saw some room service activity in the area of Roberto’s quarters. As it turns out, Duran, pleased with his weight, ordered and then ate an entire cream pie! DURAN WOULD “OVER EAT” AFTER WEIGHING AGAIN! In what was another instance in which Duran ate himself into a lethargic state, Duran filled his pie with everything but pie, as soon as he stepped off the scale at 159. About 11 hours and three meals later, Simms, a slightly better than average fighter had his hand raised in a split decisions Las Vegas verdict. It was now unanimous, Duran was finished! If he couldn’t beat Simms, his days of being world rated were over. "CHOLO" GETS ACRI & DE CUBAS TO STEER FOR HIM! Only they weren’t! With Mike Acri and Luis De Cubas backing him, 11 months later Duran defeated relative novice Victor Claudio in Miami, FL. In September of 1987, Acri and De Cubas, they both insured they would never have a empty refrigerator as the pair got WBC top ten contender Juan Carlos Jiminez to fight Roberto in Miami. Getting himself in pretty darn good shape, Duran would take the fighter from Paraguay to school over ten rounds. DURAN MAY HAVE BEEN GIFTED WITH LANAS! After rolling by two hobo types, Duran is brought to Chicago to fight local Jeff Lanas. Fat, lazy, and uninspired, Duran would win a hotly disputed ten round split decision. Most of the fights were televised by the Financial News Network, with Hugh Malay, capable as they come, quarterbacking the FNN cards. All about the Stock Market, FNN used sports to fill out their weekend programming. BARKELY LOOKED TO “MUNCH” ON ROBERTO! It was now late 1988, Duran was 37 years old, and lacking motivation. Utilizing his name recognition, and the WBC rating he attained in besting Jiminez, Duran signed to meet Iran Barkely for the WBC title he ripped away from Tommy Hearns some seven months prior. Although his face looked like hamburger after the KO in three of Hearns, Barkely was big enough that Duran had no choice but to take this one seriously. To lose again would surely mean the end of big paydays. FOUR PUNCH COMBO AT 37 BEST OF HIS CAREER? A 2-1 underdog, Duran put an even fight out of reach with a four-punch salvo in the 11th round that felled the humungous middleweight champion Barkely. It was as nice a four-punch combination, such that it may have been the best Duran had ever thrown. Securing a split decision win, this in the midst of an Atlantic City snowstorm, Duran was back. Confusion reigned for a minute, as announcer Michael Buffer had to announce the scores sans a working microphone. RAY & ROBERO MEET ON ICY VEGAS EVENING! This February 1989 win would set up the unenvitable, rubber match with Ray Leonard. Looking back at this time frame, the Barkely fight was the last time Duran even remotely resembled the man with the “Hands of Stone.” The lack of effort against Leonard in December of that year was clear to all, it even had some people, including Duran’s wife, leaving ringside before the fight was over! Even though Roberto would go 18-8 from the third Leonard fight to his last go with Hector Camacho in 2001, Roberto Duran was impersonating himself. DURAN HAS FOUND HIS WAY IN RETIREMENT! Now training fighters in Miami for promoter De Cubas, Roberto has found himself a life after his own career concluded. When you take into account the fact that he beat World champions from 126 lbs. (Ernesto Marcel) to 160 lbs. (Barkely), this in addition to being the man at 135, beating Leonard at 147, before claiming gold at 154, this is all damning testimony of Duran’s isolated greatness. The greatest fighter of the 20th century, if not of all time! Click here to view a list of other articles written by Pedro Fernandez.  |
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