Happy Birthday Roberto Duran

06/16/2017 James Slater

Turning 66 years old day is the great, the hugely celebrated Roberto Duran. One of the finest “born fighters” in history, Duran lit up the sport in a major way for years. Arguably the finest living fighter today, Duran did everything his way.

Turning pro in February of 1968, Duran won a UD over four-rounds against a guy named Carlos Mendoza. Roberto would go on to score a number of brutal KO’s and he would also collect no less than four world titles in different weight classes – lightweight, welterweight, light-middleweight and middleweight being the divisions this legend conquered.

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When the action was so great they did it three times: Boxing’s finest trilogies

06/09/2017 James Slater

Sometimes a fight is so great, we simply have to see it again. Sometimes we are treated to an unforgettable tirilogy of fights. Here are ten of the finest in boxing history.

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The legendary Roberto Duran lists his top five all time fighters

05/21/2017 James Slater

Recently, the great, the immortal, the legendary ( and also the most down to earth boxing superstar one could wish to meet) Roberto Duran paid a visit to this writer’s home town. Duran, for many millions of fans, THE greatest living fighter (above Ring Magazine’s recent choice for the honour; Sugar Ray Leonard ) dropped in at Henry Wharton’s gym in York.

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Fab 4 Rivalries – Duran, Leonard, Hagler, Hearns (Boxing Documentary)

05/07/201705/06/2017 Rummys Corner

The “Fab 4” is the nickname that refers to the four elite Hall of Fame boxers – Roberto Duran, Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns, and Marvelous Marvin Hagler. These four men are widely regarded as four of the very best who ever competed in the long rich history of professional boxing.

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Roberto Duran: The Greatest Living Fighter!

07/21/201908/27/2016 James Slater

While the movie celebrating and paying (reasonably accurate) tribute to is currently enjoying only what one could call mixed reviews at best, the great, the legendary Roberto Duran is many fans’ pick when it comes to listing the greatest living boxer/fighter.

Who am I to disagree with The bible (of boxing) Ring Magazine, but I’m not alone when I feel the publication, so much a staple of fight fans’ lives for so many years, got it wrong when they recently listed Sugar Ray Leonard as the greatest surviving fighter. It’s a close one, granted, but in the opinion of many Duran and all his accomplishments tops Leonard as the very best.

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“No Mas,” still the biggest mystery in boxing history

08/22/201608/22/2016 James Slater

Who killed JFK?

Whatever happened to Lord Lucan?

Where did Jimmy Hoffa go?

The above mysteries of history are likely to never, ever be solved and we are destined to be at the mercy of the conspiracy theorists when it comes to answers. But in the sport of boxing there are arguably two fights /events /strange endings that continue to top the list when it comes to asking, what really happened? These two fights are the Ali-Liston fights of the mid 1960s, and the second Roberto Duran-Sugar Ray Leonard fight of 1980 (okay, that’s actually three fights).

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Roberto Duran no fan of Donald Trump, says he’d like to fight him!

08/06/201608/05/2016 James Slater

With the race for the Whitehouse rapidly coming to an end, with Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton seemingly neck and neck for the Presidency in 2017, members of the boxing world have given their opinion on the Republican nominee. Promoter and former Bobby Kennedy lawyer Bob Arum is absolutely no fan of Trump, angered over the 69-year-old’s comments about the Mexican people. But Arum hasn’t gone as far as challenging Trump to a fight. One boxing legend has: Roberto Duran.

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Roberto Duran Vs. Vinny Pazienza – at the movies; both legends get the silver screen treatment this year

07/07/2016 James Slater

In real life they fought twice, in 1994 and 1995. In reel-life, both Roberto Duran and Vinny Pazienza will go head-to-head later this year as both greats get the biopic treatment on the silver screen. Duran’s movie, “Hands of Stone,” hits cinemas first, at the tail end of August, while Pazienza’s movie, “Bleed For This,” comes out in early November. Both films promise to be, at the very least, watchable affairs.

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Roberto Duran turns 65, and he has a new movie to celebrate!

06/17/201606/16/2016 James Slater

The great Roberto Duran turns 65 today, June 16th. Arguably the finest living fighter, the finest lightweight in history and one of the greatest Hispanic boxers of all time, Duran, Hands of Stone, is a hero to millions and a huge influence on many thousands of fighters, both past and present. Duran turned pro way, way back in February of 1968 (LBJ was president, Muhammad Ali was in exile, George Foreman had not yet won his Olympic gold medal) and he won his first world title, the WBA lightweight crown, in June of 1972 (“Tricky Dicky” was now president, Ali had returned, lost to Joe Frazier and was on the comeback trail anew, Foreman was an unbeaten 35-0 contender).

This is how long the cherished Duran had been a part of fight fans’ lives. Duran would beat everything in his path at 135-pounds, then beat the new US superstar Sugar Ray Leonard at welterweight, then win world titles up at 154 and 160 and fight to earn a quite astonishing, 103-16-(70) pro record! Imagine that today? No, I can’t, either.

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Julio Cesar Chavez Vs. Roberto Duran in the works for July 23rd in Vegas! (in an exhibition)

04/13/2016 James Slater

Quite often, when the subject of “Dream Fights” comes up, fight fans close their eyes and fantasize over just how special a lightweight super-fight between all-time greats Roberto Duran and Julio Cesar Chavez would be; and to wonder who would have emerged triumphant. Well, both long retired greats are well above the 135-pound limit today (and the 147, 154 and maybe 160-pound limit come to that) but they are set to face one another in a special attraction of a bout that Bob Arum is planning to add to his upcoming July 23rd show at The MGM Grand in Las Vegas (probably to be topped by Terence Crawford-Viktor Postol).

But calm down, the planned Duran-Chavez bout will be of the exhibition variety only. Arum told Dan Rafael of ESPN.com that he aims to have the two-round exhibition on his card in the name of fun. According to Rafael, the Nevada State Athletic Commission must first approve the bout, and decide what weight it will be “fought” at, but both living legends have said they definitely want to take part in the exhibition. Chavez is now 53-years-old, Duran – who will soon see a movie based on his incredible life released, with “Hands of Stone” set to hit cinemas in August – is 11 years older at 64.

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