ONE of the best boxers of all time, Panama?s Roberto Duran, will be ringside to see Jeff Horn take on Manny Pacquiao. Grantlee Kieza slugged it out with the Hands of Stone and his interpreter.
You don?t understand English very well?
Only when it is about women or money.
A lot of boxing experts rate you as the greatest lightweight fighter of all time. Do you see it that way?
The press often describes me that way. (Laughs) Why would I argue?
In 1973 you defended your world lightweight title against the Brisbane boxer Hector Thompson in Panama City. What do you remember of that fight?
Hector Thompson was a very good boxer, a great boxer, but I stopped him in eight rounds in Panama. It was an exciting fight. When he arrived in Panama Hector Thompson tried to scare me. He told me he used to eat raw meat and that he was going to kill me. I said `I eat beans and rice? and I will knock you out.
One of your greatest wins was against Sugar Ray Leonard at Montreal?s Olympic Stadium in 1980, before a crowd of 46,000. It was for the world welterweight title ? the same title Manny Pacquiao and Jeff Horn fight for today. Do you consider that the highlight of your career?
Any win in a world title fight is a highlight. It is every boxer?s goal to be champion of the world but that was certainly an important victory for me.
Was Leonard your toughest opponent?
He was one of the best boxers in the world at that time. He was a very intelligent boxer but I had to be stronger and faster than him and I had to fight with more intelligence.
Manny Pacquiao has been one of the world?s best boxers for almost 20 years. A lot of people compare his intensity and focus to yours when you were the champ. How would you have coped fighting a boxer like Pacquiao?
I would win without any problems. No problems at all.
You don?t mind giving yourself a wrap?
Pacquiao is a great boxer and he has won many titles. He has beaten some good fighters and is the best at his weight in his time. But he would not have been the best in my time. The boxers of the ?80s were better than those of today but today there is a lot more money for them. I was a better boxer than Pacquiao. I had more experience, more wisdom. Boxing-wise I was more intelligent. He only has one style of fighting. He cannot change.
Jeff Horn is a massive underdog today. Does Horn have any chance?
Yes. Any time a boxer enters the ring he has a chance. I don?t know much about Horn but I saw him on TV. He is bigger than Pacquiao and strong. I hope it is a great fight for the public and for the world. I hope everybody is satisfied with a good fight. An upset is always possible in boxing.
In Australia we had a great world champion named Jeff Fenech. People said he fought like Roberto Duran?
Jeff Fenech is my friend. I see him in Las Vegas and in Mexico many times. He was a great boxer. A real fighter
You still go to a lot of fights?
I like to be ringside for all the big fights in Las Vegas. I am looking forward to seeing Canelo Alvarez against Gennady Golovkin (for the world middleweight title on September 16). Canelo will beat him.
Can UFC star Conor McGregor beat Floyd Mayweather?
No chance. If it is boxing rules Mayweather won?t lose.
If he is serious he could beat McGregor with both hands behind his back.
But McGregor might forget the rules and wrestle Mayweather to the ground.
What do you hope to see in Brisbane?
I want to see a good fight. I also hope to see some wallabies and kangaroos. I am very happy to be here ? thank you for inviting me. I have some presents already ? some small bears (koalas) and a toy kangaroo. I did not know I had so many fans here in Australia.
If you hadn?t become a boxer, what would you have done with your life?
I could have been a wrestler. Or a marathon runner. I loved running. They were important sports for me.
Robert De Niro recently played your old trainer Ray Arcel in Hands of Stone, the movie about your life. What did you think of it?
I enjoyed the movie. I saw it at the Cannes Film Festival and I was very emotional watching it. Maybe there should be a Part 2 because I have many more stories in my life.
