February 24th will commemorate the 30th anniversary of the last great moment in the career of a boxing legend. That legend was Panama’s Manos de Piedra (Hands of Stone) Roberto Duran.
Roberto Duran is considered by many to be one of the 5 best pound-for-pound fighters of all time and arguably the best lightweight of all time.
With a brutal combination of power, speed, a chin with just as much piedra as he had in his hands and an underrated set of boxing skills, Duran took the boxing world by storm in the late 1960s.
Just ten days after his 21st birthday Duran lifted the lightweight crown from Scotland’s Ken Buchanan via 13th round TKO in Madison Square Garden. He laid waste of the division like no other.
His only loss at lightweight was to the late Esteban de Jesus in a nontitle match which Duran would go onto avenge twice via knockout.
He moved up to welterweight eventually taking the WBC strap from fellow legend Sugar Ray Leonard in June of 1980; this would be his greatest professional moment. After ballooning in weight by about 50 lbs. during the celebration tour, he cut all the way back down to 147 for an immediate rematch just five months later.
Neither fighter was the same in New Orleans. Leonard changed his style, refusing to stand in front of the Panamanian destroyer. Duran was sluggish (probably from the weight cut) and frustrated by Leonard’s movement. He inexplicably quit uttering the infamous words that would forever be attached to his name, NO MAS in the eight round.
Even in his homeland, Duran went from hero to pariah. Many thought his best days were behind him and he was largely written off after a 15 round loss to fellow Hall-of-Famer Wilfred Benitez in 1982.
But after looking rejuvenated in the dispensing of another former champ, Jose Pipino Cuevas, Duran got a title shot against a new hotshot junior middleweight champ from the Bronx named Davey Moore.
On Duran’s 32nd birthday he not only tamed the young lion; he beat the living sh*t out of him. Duran was redeemed.
He had Leonard (who commentated the fight) in the ring kissing and congratulating him and Madison Square Garden singing Happy Birthday to him.
That earned him a shot at a 4th world title against middleweight king, Marvelous Marvin Hagler. Duran showed a lot in a losing effort pushing the champ to come from behind on what I thought were some questionably close scorecards.
He came back to junior middleweight to face the 6’2, hard hitting Thomas Hitman Hearns.
Duran was knocked out for the first time in 83 fights in what I believe would have been a stylistic nightmare for him at any point in his career.
Surely this was it for the old warhorse. Well, so we thought.
Duran would always be a fighter even if no longer elite. From 1986-1988, he would fight eight times going 7-1; the lone loss a split decision to Hagler’s half brother Robbie Simms.
8 fights in three years in his mid-30s; you can’t find an elite prime fighter who is nearly that active today.
Meanwhile Hearns was unexpectedly knocked out by underrated badass, Iran The Blade Barkley on June 6, 1988 for the middleweight title.
Duran was given yet another title shot against the new champ who swore revenge for his fellow Bronx Bomber, Davey Moore.
Few thought Duran had enough left in the tank to win. I mean how could he?
Barkley was younger, stronger, much bigger and just KO’d the man who nearly decapitated Duran 5 years earlier.
But styles make fights and sometimes a former great can turn back the clock in moments. This was one of those moments.
On a snow-covered Atlantic City night, Duran used a combination of guile, guts, stamina and enough power (he dropped Barkley in the 11th) to foil the young champ in a back-and-forth classic doing just enough to get the decision and a 4th world title.
That’s right. At age 37 after being written off for the second time, Duran showed the living legend was not done quite yet.
This would be the last night he would look like that legend, but on this night he was the NEW Middleweight Champ! The respect the two showed each other after the final bell has continued in their later years.
View the full fight here. Talk soon.
-Marksman
PS: Just a side note to you football Giants fans. Your running back, Saquon Barkley whom I understand is a high character guy is the great nephew of The Blade.