Word: duran
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...nearly a decade there has been no figure in boxing as fearsome as Roberto Duran, the Panamanian primitive with the famous "hands of stone." It was not merely his daunting record: 72 victories during a 13-year career (55 by knockouts), a single loss, championships in both lightweight and welterweight divisions. It was how Duran fought: with a burning-eyed fury that was atavistic, nihilistic, merciless in his rage to win. When he defeated Sugar Ray Leonard last June to strip the Olympic hero of his welterweight crown, Duran at last won recognition as not only the fiercest but perhaps...
...came as a stunning surprise to the approximately 25,000 fans in New Orleans' Superdome-and especially to Leonard-when Duran simply quit fighting 2 min. 44 sec. into the eighth round of their 15-round match. Duran first waved a dismissive fist at Leonard, then turned away. Leonard, thinking the gesture a taunt from the proud Panamanian who had sneered at him in contempt throughout the early rounds, closed in with a flurry of punches. Duran turned his back to the blows. Referee Octavio Meyron separated the fighters, then waved them in to fight again. Once more, Duran...
What made Roberto pack it in? One explanation is that he knew he was losing-he trailed on all three judges' scorecards-and he let his anger and shame get the best of him. After the fight, Duran offered another reason: he had got stomach cramps during the fifth round, and as the fight wore on the cramps spread into his upper body. "I felt I was weakening," Duran said. "My body and arms were weakening. This happens to anybody. It is an accident. Leonard also was weakening, but I could not pressure...
...Duran's burning intensity seemed to wane as the match progressed. Leonard, who had wasted his superior speed during their bout last summer by electing to slug toe-to-toe with Duran, wheeled around the ring in high gear this time, sticking the Panamanian with flicking left jabs and evading his head-on charges. By the seventh round, Leonard was so in control of the fight that he turned the tables on Duran and became the taunter. He windmilled his left arm until Duran was mesmerized, then tagged him with his right-a classic sucker punch. Leonard dropped...
...Orlando Nunez, Duran's physician, found the words. Throughout Duran's career, he explained, the fighter had endured agonizing diets to meet the strict requirements of his weight divisions. Often he ballooned more than 30 lbs. between fights and had to starve and sweat away the excess weight. Duran relinquished his lightweight crown in 1978, after 12 successful title defenses, so he could move into the heavier welterweight division...