March 8th – The Birth Of A Legend named Roberto Duran
by
Buster Paris
3/4 - Go get your pen. If you’re home I’ll wait while you’re marking this in your calendar. If you’re at work bring up your Outlook or Notes calendar and make sure that you set the alarm for this date for as many years as you can. If you’re like me then simply turn to March 8th in your day planner and mark it in ink.
March 8th 1967 is a day in history that needs to be honored and we need to seriously stop and give thanks. As always I take the day off from work, have to use a sick day. According to my company’s Human Resources Manager:
“…I’m sorry Buster, but it’s just not a recognized holiday…”
I know! For some insane reason this day is not an established holiday. March 8th 1967 marks the professional debut of Roberto “Manos de Piedra” Duran. “Hands of Stone”, man just saying that gives me goose bumps.
Here’s the quickie Duran biography. Study it, memorize it and pass it along to everyone you know.
Roberto Duran was born on June 16th 1951 in Guarare, Panama. He grew up 1of 8 children in a 1-room house in the slums of the barrio. He often slept in the street and would get his meals from discarded food left in trashcans. Thankfully he found boxing.
Roberto had a short amateur boxing career and turned pro at the young age of 16.On March 8th 1967 an untamed and unstoppable 16-year-old Roberto fought Carlos Mendoza and won a unanimous decision after 4 rounds.
Duran was a wicked scrapper. He loved to fight. He’d get in the ring and throw punches with wild and ferocious intentions. One of the best quotes and world altering comments ever uttered came from a Panamanian fight broadcaster – Alfonso Castile who had said of Duran:
“…this young fighter has hands of stone cuz everyone he hits is knocked down..”
After winning 21 fights with pretty much only himself in his corner Carlos Eleta a landowner with a lot of money bought Duran’s contract for a whopping $300.
Next is one of my favorite parts of the tale. Ray Arcel, who was considered to be one of the finest trainers around, was hired to help Roberto with strategy and to hone and polish his unrelenting style. If you’ve ever seen tapes of old Duran fights, Arcel is the older gentlemen that wraps his arms around Duran and literally throws him into the fight at the beginning of each round.
Duran and Arcel continued to win bouts and 10 days after his 21st birthday Roberto celebrated his 29th consecutive victory in New York’s Madison Square Garden with a 13th round TKO of then champion Ken Buchanan winning the WBA World Lightweight Championship. This would be the first of 5 World title belts captured by El Cholo.
Another important milestone is Duran’s first loss.
November 17th 1972 in Madison Square Garden Roberto experienced his first trip to the canvas. Estaban De Jesus knocked him down in the first round. Duran lost his first fight by a unanimous 10 round decision. He went on to redeem himself by knocking De Jesus out in the 11th round of their 1974 fight and by a 12th round TKO in their 1978 bout.
Roberto is the only boxer to fight in 5 different decades. He was the holder of 5 World title belts won in 4 different divisions:
* WBC Lightweight Champion 1972 – 1979
* WBC Welterweight Champion 1980
* WBA Junior Middleweight Champion 1983 – 1984
* WBC Middleweight Champion 1989
Writer Thomas Hauser actually pointed this out and it’s a really interesting way of looking at Duran’s longevity as a fighter. The US Presidents he fought under as a professional were:
* Lyndan B. Johnson
* Richard M. Nixon
* Gerald R. Ford
* Jimmy Carter
* Ronald Reagan
* George H.W. Bush
* Bill Clinton
* George W. Bush
How wild is that! – Duran fought from Lyndan B. Johnson to George Dubya.
Duran had an almost sinister presence in the ring, he was tireless and always moving forward. One of my favorite Duran moments was during his 1979 fight against Carlos Palomino. At one point Palomino landed a beautiful combination on Roberto’s head, fast and hard enough to send anyone to the floor and Duran just smiles as if it pleased him and then they traded fast, furious and solid shots in a small section of the big ring. Duran loved to fight in a phone booth. He simply loved to fight period. He had a real taste and appreciation for it.
Forgive me if I’m starting to go overboard. I don’t mean for this to be a full-blown life story or a fight-by-fight analysis of Roberto’s career (how fun would that be to research and write!), but I can’t help myself when it comes to Duran.
Roberto Duran is much more than the sum of his parts. He has been involved in some of the greatest fights and has added to the careers of those he’s faced. What would Sugar Ray Leonard be if not for Duran. What would boxing be if not for Duran.
Roberto “Manos de Piedra” Duran is one of the top 10 best boxers of all time. Record: 120 fights – 104 Wins (69 KO’s) – 16 Loses. To quote Roberto Duran himself:
“There’s only one legend. That’s me”
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