Roberto Durán
Roberto Durán ( born June 16, 1951 in Panama City ) is a boxer from Panama.
He held world titles in four different weight classes - lightweight ( 1972-79 ), welterweight (1980 ), light middleweight ( 1983-84 ) and middleweight (1989). Durán was also the only boxer who has fought in five different decades.
At its peak, he brought good impact strength, a tough chin, always underrated boxing generic skills, but above all an unparalleled intensity in the ring that made him a crowd favorite.
They called him " Mano de Piedra " ( Stone Hand ) because he allegedly beat a horse with one punch knockout at the age of 14 years. This story should be true when reading, but These kinds of anecdotes simply belong in the boxing legend Durán this. Another anecdote relates to the wild and aggressive appearance radiodurans. On the question of whether Durán reminded him of someone who is Joe Frazier, the former world heavyweight champion, who answered: " Yes, to Charles Manson ." In addition, Al Pacino stated in an interview that Duran had inspired him for his role in Brian de Palma's " Scarface " as unforgettable Tony Montana. " He has such a kind, a lion in it, which I found very fitting for the role. "
Professional career
He had his first professional fight in 1967. He won the lightweight title in June 1972, when he defeated the Scottish boxer Ken Buchanan counter at Madison Square Garden in New York and won the title of WBA lightweight. The second prominent opponents Duran at lightweight was the Puerto Rican Esteban de Jesús, who sent him in a non-title fight in 1972 and hit the ground for points, but two world championship fights later lost to Duran by KO.
Durán made twelve successful title defenses before he resigned the title in February 1979 to win the world welterweight championship.
In Madison Square Garden, New York, where Durán was already occurred several times, he suggested initially a former world champion in this class, the Mexican Carlos Palomino. In June 1980 he defeated in Montréal sensational the U.S. Olympic and media darling Sugar Ray Leonard, where he had won an Olympic gold medal in 1976. Leonard, who was at that time as the legitimate successor of Muhammad Ali, was beaten after a big fight over fifteen rounds by unanimous decision point. This fight is counted by Boxhistorikern the best fights of the century, even if Leonard had made the mistake of trying to abtauschen with the supposedly physically inferior Durán in the half-distance.
Back in November of the same year there was a rematch in New Orleans. Durán, who had to boil in the weeks before the fight was very much weight, to the dismay of his fans in the eighth round because he did not get along with Leonard's style change to consequent lock boxes and also mocked by the show interludes felt. This battle became known as the so-called " No Más " fight and Durán initially announced his retirement from boxing.
It took him some time to recover from this debacle and put on more weight because he then wanted to fight for the world title in the light middleweight in his comeback attempt. His first fight for the WBC title at this weight he lost on January 30, 1982 in Las Vegas against the Puerto Rican defensive specialists Wilfred Benitez on points.
He then surprisingly lost against the internationally relatively unknown Englishman Kirkland Laing. It was believed at that time, the great career of Roberto Durán had already finished and his promoter Don King gave him the run pass. After a points victory over Jimmy Batten in Miami Durán signed a contract with the promoter Bob Arum, the major competitors of King in the American Boxgeschäft. That was the beginning of a great comeback in which he initially the hard hitting Mexican former world champion Pipino Cuevas hit in Los Angeles after four rounds KO. This he received for the second time the opportunity to fight for the light middleweight title, this time against the undefeated, but inexperienced WBA champion Davey Moore. Durán won his third title on June 16, 1983 by in an incredibly brutal and one-sided fight in the eighth round, he defeated on his 32nd birthday at Madison Square Garden, New York Moore by TKO or literally massacred. Durán was so overwhelmed by his comeback success and the support of the great Latin American fan base in New York that he wept after the fight in the ring with happiness. Sugar Ray Leonard, who had live commentary for television, Durán congratulated in the ring to its great success.
Durán was now arrived back at the height of his popularity, but he gave himself not satisfied, but wanted to achieve the impossible. In November 1983, he fought in Las Vegas at the middleweight title against those regarded as unbeatable Marvin Hagler, but lost for good performance over fifteen rounds on points. The Durán regarded as unconditional fighter had Hagler surprised by his rather defensive tactics and had won a chance to win on points on the labels of the judges until the end of the thirteenth round, but the physical superiority of the true- middleweight Jewellers Hagler had to ultimately bow. However, Durán was the first of eight challengers, who had gone with Hagler over the full time, and this had to after his performance put up by the Boxjournalisten harsh criticism.
In June 1984, him the light middleweight title was denied because she did not agree with his fight against WBC world champion Thomas Hearns by the WBA. Durán went into the fight in the second round for the only time in his long career KO difficult.
Despite this major setback Durán tried again to work in the next few years in the world rankings to the top. Only in 1989 Durán had another title fight, in which he reflected the world middleweight champion Iran Barkley in February and in one of the worst battles of the 80s defeated in Atlantic City on points. Durán was before the fight though as underdogs, but won this battle with the help of his always underrated boxing skills skill against a head larger and much heavier Barkley. Ironically, Barkley had previously won the title by a knockout against Thomas Hearns and hit him a few years later a second time on points.
However, the World title retained the already 38 -year-old Durán not long, but struggled in December 1989 for the title at super middleweight for the third time against his nemesis Sugar Ray Leonard. The chance for revenge came for Durán too late, however: in an extremely disappointing and poor action fight, he was as outclassed in the second fight, but did not this time early on.
After 1989, he won only a battle against a highly regarded opponent, namely in 1997 against the Argentine Jorge Castro in Panama. Durán was in the 90's visible on the descending branch. He fought in 1994 and 1995 against the Italian American Vinny Pazienza to the insignificant Super Middleweight title IBC and 1996 against Hector Camacho Sr. the shrill about the middleweight title of the same association.
Because of financial problems Durán was nevertheless forced weiterzuboxen. After a quick knockout loss against William Joppy for the World Champion title of WBA 1998 Durán, who was only a shadow of days gone by at this time were, with already -seven years his retirement from boxing known. In 1999 he returned, however, back in the ring.
In June 2000, he won a pseudo title (NBA) at super middleweight against the average Boxer Pat Lawlor, but lost it again immediately Camacho, as Durán now an ex-star who had his best times already far behind.
Finally Durán went to Argentina and campaigned for a CD of salsa music he had just received. Meanwhile, he suffered a serious car accident and only an operation could save his life. Then he gave at the age of 52 years his final retreat from boxing known.
Duran's five world championship belts were stolen from his house in Panama in 1993 and it turned out that his brother was the culprit. Souvenir dealer Gonzalez Baez sold these belts to undercover FBI agents working. He stated Durán had instructed him to do so because he had financial difficulties. In September 2003, a judge ordered that the belt should be returned to Durán.
Roberto Durán is one of the great Latin American sports idols and is at Boxhistorikern as one of the ten greatest boxers of all time. By winning of world champion in four different weight classes Titlen to Durán is in an exclusive group of boxers who could be world champions in more than one weight class. In 2007, he was welcomed into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Duran's daughter Irichelle is a professional boxer.
The Duran in his heyday outgoing Aura is the subject of the song The Eyes of Roberto Duran by the American singer-songwriter Tom Russell.
In 1986, he took a small role in the episode guilt guilt in the television series Miami Vice.
Achievements
- Amateur Record: 13 wins, 3 losses
- Professional record: 103 wins, 16 defeats
- June 26, 1972: WBA heavyweight champion in the Lightweight ( 12 title defenses )
- January 21, 1978: WBC champion at lightweight
- June 20, 1980: WBC welterweight champion (1 title defense )
- June 16, 1983: WBA heavyweight champion in the light middleweight
- February 24, 1989: WBC middleweight champion