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“No Mas” Revisted

Boxing Articles

Leonard vs Duran II

Why Did Duran Quit?

By Bobby Franklin

When Sugar Leonard and Roberto Duran faced each other in the ring for the first time, it was for the welterweight title being held by Leonard. The fight took place on June 20, 1980 at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Canada. It was built up as, and lived up to, being one of the best world championship fights in history. It was supposed to pit the matador, Leonard, vs the bull, Duran. However, things turned out a bit differently as Leonard decided to meet the bull on his own terms and slug with Duran.

The hype leading up to the fight was particularly ugly with Duran at his worst with vulgar language and gestures. He even went as far as making lewd comments about Ray’s wife. Today we look at Duran as an elder statesman of boxing, but it has to be remembered that he was as brutal with his words outside the ring as he was with his fists inside of the ropes. Winning didn’t change his tone either. In an earlier fight, after he knocked out Ray Lampkin and was told Lampkin was taken to a hospital Duran responded “I was not in my best condition. Today I sent him to the hospital. Next time I’ll put him in the morgue.” Hardly the words of a gracious winner.

In spite of all this, Duran was an immensely popular champion in his prime, particularly with his fellow countrymen from Panama, where he was a national hero. He was also a fan favorite in the states because of his non stop acton style and amazing knock out record. A Roberto Duran fight was always exciting.

Sugar Ray Leonard also had a huge following. He first made headlines when he won Olympic Gold at the 1976 Games held in Montreal. Ray was an exciting fighter with a captivating smile. His fast hands and power punching were a throwback to great fighters such as Sugar Ray Robinson. 

The excitement that existed around the first Leonard/Duran fight was amazing. It rivaled a big heavyweight fight in interest, and was one of those matches that drew non fight fans. Everyone was talking about it, and everyone had an opinion on it. On entering the ring the two fighters had a combined record of 98 wins and 1 loss. Duran had many more pro fights than Leonard, 72 vs 27, but Ray did have a very extensive amateur career. These were two very experienced champions facing one another.

The fight lived up to expectations but with a slight twist. Leonard decided to eschew his boxing skills and instead went toe to toe with Duran. It was not a wise decision on Ray’s part but it sure made for quite the slugfest. Though it may have been a strategic mistake, Leonard did show he could stand up to Duran on Roberto’s terms. While the decision was not controversial, it was close.  

After winning the decision, Duran was on top of the world. He returned home and began partying. His weight ballooned and he did no training. Meanwhile, Ray Leonard became focused on what went wrong and what he could do to defeat Roberto in a rematch. He was motivated and wanted revenge.

During negotiations for the two to meet again, Carlos Eleta, Duran’s manager, agreed to have them face each other just five months after the first fight. This gave Duran only a short time to lose weight and get fit both physically and mentally to face Leonard again. It was something he was not able to do.

On the night of the return fight, November 11, 1980 at the Superdome in New Orleans, a very different Roberto Duran stepped into the ring. In contrast to the high energy “Hands of Stone” who bounded into the ring in Montreal, this Duran looked tentative and not sharp. He appeared lackluster climbing up the steps into the ring.

Before any fight a boxer’s mind can play tricks on him. His thoughts go back to training and whether or not he did everything he could to be prepared. Second thoughts can haunt a man who is about to step into the ring; “Why didn’t I run those extra miles? Why didn’t I spar more rounds”? As Shakespeare once wrote “Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt.” Was Duran’s mind playing games with him that November night? Were his thoughts causing him to fear attempting to beat Leonard again?  In retrospect, you can see something, or the lack of, in his eyes before the bell rang. 

It is also interesting to note that when the first round started Roberto extended a glove to Leonard. It was almost like a peace offering. It was a brief gesture and went unnoticed by those at ringside, but it tells a lot about his state of mind as the fight began. It was as if he wanted to make friends, very uncharictaristic for Duran.

For his part, Leonard employed an entirely different tactic in this fight. He came out circling and jabbing. When Duran got close to him he was able to tie him up and take away his inside game. Ray had learned from his mistakes and was waging a brilliant fight. He was moving, throwing combinations, making Duran miss. Ray was performing a well choreographed dance of violence, and while he may not have been hurting Duran physically with his punches, he was making him feel foolish and helpless in there. Duran did not have the fire to match Ray’s skill.

In Duran’s mind he had to be thinking “This guy gave me a tough fight on my terms when I was in great shape, now I am not in great shape and he is dictating what is happening in here”. He was becoming frustrated.

In the 7th round Leonard really turned it on. He dropped his hands and dared Duran to try and hit him. He wound up with punches. Ray, through his action, was telling Roberto he wasn’t man enough to be in there with him. 

In the 8th round Roberto just threw up his hands and quit. He didn’t appear to be hurt, he just tuned to the referee and said he was done. People at ringside and those watching around the world were stunned by this. It was so far away from the image of Duran as to be completely unbelievable. Something serious had to have happened. In that one moment, Duran’s career went up in flames. His victory over Leonard five months earlier was forgotten. He was labeled with the worst name in boxing; “A quitter”. How could this have happened.

Roberto has never really given an explanation. It is likely he himself really doesn’t understand why he did what he did. It was something that just happened. Some say he got stomach cramps and had to go to the bathroom. It has been suggested he was intentionally throwing the fight and was supposed to go 15 rounds and lose a decision building up a rematch but grew impatient and just decided to end it then. I don’t believe any of this.

Roberto Duran was not ready mentally or physically for this fight. His doubts were preying on his mind. It wasn’t getting hit that was bothering him. In fact, if he had been getting beaten while in a slugfest he most likely would have gone down fighting. What happened here was he was feeling humiliated, and he had no idea how to deal with it. The world was looking at him and he felt like a fool. His reaction was to turn and get away from it. i believe it was as simple as that. Did he regret it? Of course, and for years, twenty years in fact, he continued fighting to prove himself. He never came close to quitting again. In many ways he did vindicate himself, his tough fifteen rounds against Marvin Hagler helped. But Roberto Duran and the words “no mas” will always be linked together. It’s amazing how the actions of just a few seconds can tarnish a reputation for life. 

Roberto Duran

Boxing Articles, , , ,

The Last Of The Great

Old School Fighters

by Bobby Franklin

Duran's Fist
Duran’s Fist

On May 16th “Hands of Stone” the movie biographic of Roberto Duran opened to mixed reviews at the Cannes Film Festival. The movie is scheduled to premiere in the United States in August. I am looking forward to seeing it. Duran is played by Edgar Ramirez with Robert De Niro portraying trainer Ray Arcel. Former boxing champion turned actor John Duddy steps into the role of Ken Buchanan.

While anticipating this movie I have been reflecting on the career of Roberto Duran. Not just his fights but his attitude, training methods, and amazing skills. I believe Duran was the last of the great “Old School” boxers. Roberto had a total of 119 bouts in a career lasting 34 years and in which he fought in five different decades. In that time he won five championships in four weight divisions. He began his career at 119 pounds and fought through the different classes going as high as light heavyweight. He was, of course, at his best while fighting lightweight where he dominated the division and will always be considered an all time great. He is ranked as the best ever by many boxing experts, and they certainly have a good argument for that view.

Leonard v Duran 1
Leonard v Duran 1

Duran won the Lightweight Championship from Ken Buchanan on January 26, 1972 and remained champion until 1979 when he vacated the throne in order to take on Sugar Ray Leonard for the Welterweight title in Montreal, Canada. In a superb fight, Roberto out boxed and outslugged Leonard over fifteen rounds and came away with the belt. It was the highpoint of his career. The great lightweight champion had proven he could step up in weight and defeat the best.

Of course, the glory was short lived as Duran foolishly agreed to a rematch just five months later. Roberto had not even finished celebrating his victory, and celebrating was something he did with as much passion as fighting, He had ballooned to 180 pounds and had to trim down very fast to make the weight for his title defense. He also was not mentally prepared for the fight. Many believe Leonard, along with his very shrewd manager Angelo Dundee, pushed for the quick rematch knowing Duran would not be at his best in such a short time.

The rest is history as Duran would forever have to live with the words “No Mas” after quitting in the 8th round. To this day there has never been a definitive explanation given as to why the fearless Duran just threw his hands up and relinquished the title. Duran has said different things at different times, but I don’t think he is even sure why he did it. My belief is he just was not up for the fight, got frustrated by Leonard’s brilliant boxing and decided to call it a night. It was one of those crazy moments that was completely out of character for the great champion. As a side note, Duran never actually uttered the words “No Mas!

Duran never actually uttered the words “No Mas!”

Now why do I call Duran the last of the great old school boxers? First off, unlike today’s overly cautious so called champions, Duran fought often and against everyone. After winning the Lightweight Championship he was back in the ring for a non-title bout just three months later. He fought an additional two times that same year including dropping a non-title ten round decision to top contender Esteban DeJesus. Instead of then avoiding DeJesus, Duran went on to give Esteban two shots at the title, stopping him both times.

From the time he won the Lightweight Crown until he gave it up in 1980 Duran fought 43 times in both title and non-title fights. He defended the championship twelve times. Over that period he absolutely dominated the division and was, next to Muhammad Ali, the most followed fighter. Every time he stepped into the ring there was excitement in the air.

Duran trained “Old School” and was taught “Old School” methods by Ray Arcel and Freddie Brown. He also had abundant natural talent, which made him reminiscent of Jack Dempsey. When you watch Duran in action you are not just seeing a brutal punching slugger in there, you are also seeing an artist at work plying his craft. He had the moves of a cat, the punch of a mule, and the cunning of a fox.

Duran v Hagler
Duran v Hagler

Look at almost any Duran fight and you will see brilliance. While watching him at his peak is always a pleasure for any boxing aficionado, I particularly enjoy viewing his 1983 match against Marvelous Marvin Hagler. Here was Duran long past his prime fighting way above his best weight against one of the greatest middleweight champions of all-time. On paper this should have been an easy win for Hagler, but Duran reached into his tool box, or perhaps I should say artist’s palette, to come up with an array of boxing moves that have not been seen since. He used body and head feints to confound Hagler.

He used body and head feints to confound Hagler.

He would work his way inside and appear to be about to go for a clinch when he would suddenly unleash a combination to the body. He was rolling with and slipping punches. He knew how to take breaks in order to catch his breath. Going into the 13th round Duran was actually ahead on two of the judges cards. Just amazing. Marvin, with his eye swollen, had to fight hard in the remaining rounds to secure the victory.

In my opinion, that loss made up ten times over for the “No Mas Fight”. Duran continued fighting until 2001and even managed to win the WBC Middleweight Title in 1989 by defeating Iran Barkley.

Duran was an all time great lightweight, an all time great pound for pound fighter, and a true “Old School Boxer”. It is doubtful the moves he executed in the ring will ever be seen again. For all the talk of him being a slugger, it must be remembered how difficult he was to hit. He had amazing defensive skills. Watching film of him gives you an idea of what great fighters used to do. I have included a video of Roberto teaching some young boxers in a gym in England. It is an absolute Master Class in boxing. You will learn more about the Fine Art of Boxing just watching this video than you will  from two or more years in most modern boxing gyms. “Old School Boxing” has become a lost art form. Carefully watching Roberto Duran in action will teach you a lot. Watching him giving pointers in a gym is pure gold.

Roberto Duran meets Brighton & Hove ABC from South Coast Productions on Vimeo.