Terry L Duran Popular Books

Terry L Duran Biography & Facts

Roberto Durán Samaniego (born June 16, 1951) is a Panamanian former professional boxer who competed from 1968 to 2001. He held world championships in four weight classes: Lightweight, welterweight, light middleweight and middleweight. Duran also reigned as the undisputed and lineal lightweight champion and the lineal welterweight champion. He is also the second boxer to have competed over a span of five decades, the first being Jack Johnson. Durán was known as a versatile, technical brawler and pressure fighter, which earned him the nickname "Manos de Piedra" ("Hands of Stone") for his formidable punching power and excellent defense. In 2002, Durán was voted by The Ring magazine as the fifth greatest fighter of the last 80 years, while boxing historian Bert Sugar rated him as the eighth greatest fighter of all time. The Associated Press voted him as the best lightweight of the 20th century, with many considering him the greatest lightweight of all time. Durán retired for good in January 2002 at age 50, following a car crash in Argentina in October 2001, after which he had required life saving surgery. He had previously retired in November 1980, June 1984 and August 1998, only to change his mind. Durán ended his career with a professional record of 119 fights, 103 wins, and 70 knockouts. From May 1971 up until his second fight against Sugar Ray Leonard in November 1980, as well as in his fight against Wilfred Benítez in January 1982, Durán was trained by legendary boxing trainer Ray Arcel. Early life Roberto Durán was born on June 16, 1951, in Guararé, Panama. His mother, Clara Samaniego, was a native of Guararé and his father, Margarito Duran, an American of Mexican heritage was stationed in Panama for the U.S. Army at the time of Roberto’s birth. He was raised in the slums of El Chorrillo in the district "La Casa de Piedra" (The House of Stone), in Panama City. He began sparring with experienced boxers at the Neco de La Guardia gymnasium when he was only eight years old. Amateur career Durán competed as an amateur, compiling a record of 29–3 (other sources say 18–3 or 13–3), with all 3 losses coming in Durán's first 3 amateur fights. Following his amateur career, Durán made his professional debut in February 1968 at the age of 16. Professional career Lightweight Durán won his first 31 consecutive professional fights, and scored knockout victories over future Featherweight Champion Ernesto Marcel and former Super Featherweight Champion Hiroshi Kobayashi, culminating in his first title bout in June 1972, where he defeated Ken Buchanan in Madison Square Garden for the WBA Lightweight Championship. Durán, as a 2-to-1 underdog, scored a knockdown against the defending champion just fifteen seconds into the opening round and battered him throughout the bout. He was well ahead on all three cards as the bell rang to end the 13th round, at which time Durán (apparently not hearing the bell) continued to throw a couple of extra punches as Buchanan lay on the ropes. As Durán continued punching, the referee, Johnny LoBianco, grabbed him to pull him away. He pulled down on Durán's arms, which led to a seemingly accidental low blow. Buchanan dropped to the canvas in pain. His trainer Gil Clancy later said he had believed the blow to have been caused by a knee. Durán was not disqualified from the bout; instead, he was deemed as winner by thirteenth-round technical knockout. Columnist Red Smith of The New York Times wrote that LoBianco had to award the victory to Durán, even if the punch was a low blow, as "anything short of pulling a knife is regarded indulgently" in American boxing. Buchanan said he left the fight "with sore balls". Durán followed up on his title winning performance with several non-title matches. Later that year, in another non-title bout, he lost a ten-round decision to Esteban De Jesús. Durán got back on track with successful title defenses against Jimmy Robertson, Hector Thompson and future Lightweight Champion Guts Ishimatsu. In 1974, Durán avenged his loss to De Jesus with a brutal eleventh round knock out. In 1976, he defeated future Light Welterweight Champion Saoul Mamby. Overall, Durán made twelve successful defenses of his title (eleven coming by knockout) and amassed a record of 62–1, his last defense coming in 1978 when Durán fought a third bout with De Jesus in a unification match wherein Durán once again knocked out De Jesus and captured his WBC Lightweight Championship. Durán gave up the Undisputed Lightweight Championship in February 1979. Welterweight and The Brawl in Montreal Vacating the Lightweight title was a buildup for an attempt at the Welterweight title. Durán earned wins against former WBC Welterweight Champion Carlos Palomino and Zeferino Gonzales, among others, setting the stage for a title bout against then-undefeated WBC Welterweight Champion Sugar Ray Leonard. The venue chosen was the Olympic Stadium in Montreal (the same location where Leonard won an Olympic gold medal during the 1976 Summer Olympics). Durán resented the fact that he was getting only one-fifth of the money that Leonard was getting, despite the fact that Durán was entering the bout with an incredible 71–1 record and seen by many as the best boxer of the decade of the 1970s. To the surprise of Leonard and his camp, who had expected a warm homecoming from the place where Leonard had won Olympic gold, Leonard only got a mixed reception in Montreal, while Durán was incredibly popular with the crowd, with Leonard later admitting that Durán's popularity in Canada "threw me for a loop". On June 20, 1980, Durán captured the WBC Welterweight title by defeating Leonard via a 15-round unanimous decision (145–144, 148–147, 146–144), although it was incorrectly announced as a majority decision in the ring with the 148–147 scorecard being incorrectly announced as 147–147. The fight became known as "The Brawl in Montreal". "No Más" in New Orleans After defeating Leonard in Montreal, Durán gained iconic status in his home country, Panama. Leonard initiated the rematch clause and asked for the fight to be the following November. In their second fight, Leonard successfully changed his tactics, using more footwork and movement than he had in their first fight, and Durán was unable to get Leonard against the ropes. During the seventh round, after Leonard had gained a slight lead on the scorecards, he began taunting and mocking Durán. Towards the end of the eighth round, Durán suddenly stopped fighting, and according to referee Octavio Meyran and ABC commentator Howard Cosell, Durán repeatedly said "No más" ("no more"), which was denied by Durán, his cornermen Ray Arcel and Freddie Brown, and his manager Carlos Eleta, with Durán claiming he had said "No quiero pelear con el payaso" ("I do not want to fight with this clown [Leonard]"). According to Meyran, in addition to saying "No más", Durán also said in broken English "I don't box anymore". In a 2016 interview, Durán clai.... Discover the Terry L Duran popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Terry L Duran books.