Roberto Durán

Roberto Durán
Durán in 1994, before his fight with Vinny Paz
Statistics
Real name	Roberto Durán Samaniego
Nickname(s)	Manos de Piedra ("Hands of Stone") El Cholo Rocky
Weight(s)	Lightweight Welterweight Light middleweight Middleweight Super middleweight
Height	5 ft 7 in (170 cm)
Reach	66 in (168 cm)
Nationality	Panamanian
Born	(1951-06-16) June 16, 1951 El Chorrillo, Panama
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	119
Wins	103
Wins by KO	70
Losses	16

Roberto Durán Samaniego (born June 16, 1951) is a Panamanian former professional boxer who competed from 1968 to 2001. Durán was a versatile brawler and in-fighter in the ring, which earned him the nickname of "Manos de Piedra" ("Hands of Stone") for his devastating punching power.^[1] He is a four-weight world champion, having held titles at lightweight (1972–1979), welterweight (1980), light middleweight (1983–1984), and middleweight (1989), as well as reigns as the undisputed and lineal lightweight champion (1978–1979), and the lineal welterweight champion (1980).^[2] He is also the second boxer to have competed over a span of five decades, the first being Jack Johnson.

In 2002, Durán was voted by The Ring magazine as the fifth greatest fighter of the last 80 years,^[3] 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,^[4] with many considering him the greatest lightweight of all time. Durán finally retired in January 2002 at age 50 (having previously retired in 1998) following a bad car crash in October 2001, with a professional record of 119 fights, 103 wins, and 70 knockouts. Up until his fight with Wilfred Benítez in 1982, he was trained by legendary boxing trainer Ray Arcel.

Early life

Roberto Durán was born on June 16, 1951 in Guarare, Panama. His mother, Clara Samaniego, was a native of Guararé, Panama, and his father, Margarito Durán Sánchez, was from Arizona, United States, and of Mexican descent.^[5] He was raised in the slums of El Chorrillo in the district "La Casa de Piedra" (The House of Stone) Panama. He began sparring with experienced boxers at the Neco de La Guardia gymnasium when he was only eight years old.^[6] He made his professional debut in 1968 at the age of 16.^[7]

Professional career

Lightweight

After an initial adjustment he won thirty in a row, 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 controversially defeated Ken Buchanan in Madison Square Garden, New York 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.^[8] 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 Duran continued punching, the referee, Johnny LoBianco, grabbed him to pull him away. He pulled down on Duran'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, though footage showed it to be a punch and no way near a low blow. Duran was not disqualified from the bout; instead, he was deemed as winner by thirteenth round technical knockout.^[9] 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.^[10] Buchanan said he left the fight "with sore balls".^[11]

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, 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

Vacating the Lightweight title was a buildup for an attempt at the Welterweight title. Durán earned a pair of wins against former WBC Welterweight Champion Carlos Palomino and Zeferino Gonzales, 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 the money Leonard would make despite the fact that he was entering the bout with an incredible 71-1 record. 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).^[12] The fight became known as "The Brawl in Montreal."

"No más"

After defeating Leonard in Montreal, Duran gained iconic status in his homeland. He quickly gained weight. Leonard initiated the rematch clause and asked for the fight to be the following November. During the seventh round, after Leonard had gained a slight lead on the scorecards, Leonard began taunting and mocking Duran. Duran was unable to get Leonard against the ropes, as he had in their first fight. Halfway into the eighth round, Duran suddenly stopped fighting, supposedly saying, "No más" ("no more").^[13][14] Duran disputes this, stating what he actually said was, "No Sigo" ("I won't go on").^[15]

Middleweight

He took some time to recover from that fight and gained even more weight to contend for the WBC Light Middleweight title, but losing in his first attempt at a championship in that division on January 30, 1982, against Wilfred Benítez by a 15 round unanimous decision, this after having defeated Nino Gonzalez and Luigi Minchillo, two rated Light Middleweights, both by ten round decisions in non-title bouts. Durán was also to lose his comeback fight in September 1982 in Detroit. Kirkland Laing, from London, shocked the boxing world, producing the type of display his talents promised yet he so rarely produced, taking the split decision. After being relegated to a 10 round walk out win over Englishman Jimmy Batten at The Battle of The Champions in Miami, Durán signed with promoter Bob Arum. This marked the beginning of a comeback in which he beat former world champion and now hall of famer Pipino Cuevas via a fourth round knock-out, which earned him a second crack at the light middleweight title, this time against WBA Champion Davey Moore.

The WBA title bout took place at Madison Square Garden on June 16, 1983, which also happened to be Durán's 32nd birthday. The still inexperienced Moore (12-0) was game through the first three rounds, but by the 4th, Durán said he knew Moore couldn't hurt him, and an onslaught began.^[16] The pro-Durán crowd at ringside cheered as Durán relentlessly punished Moore. By the end of the sixth round, Moore's eye had swollen shut and he was floored near the end of the seventh. Finally the fight was stopped in the eighth round as Moore was taking such a horrific beating and Durán won his third world title. After the victory, Durán was hoisted up in the air as the crowd sang "Happy Birthday" to a sobbing Durán.^[17]

Durán later fought for the World Middleweight Championship, meeting Marvelous Marvin Hagler in Las Vegas in November 1983, during the fight Duran broke his hand and lost in a very competitive fight that went the full fifteen rounds, although after 12 rounds two of the judges had Durán ahead on points. Hagler fought tenaciously over the final three rounds to earn a unanimous decision. Despite the loss, Durán became the second man to take Hagler to a fifteen round decision (Vito Antuofermo was the other) and the only one to do so while Hagler was the world champion.

In June 1984, Durán was stripped of his Light Middleweight title when the WBA did not approve of his fight with WBC Champion Thomas "Hitman" Hearns and took away recognition of Durán as world champion the moment Durán stepped into the ring to box Hearns. Durán again made history in the fight, but this time it was the wrong kind. Hearns dropped Durán twice in the first round and as he rose to his feet after the second knockdown, which ended the round, the former champion did not know where his corner was. Hearns went on to knock Duran down a third time in the second round and the fight was stopped, marking the first time in his career that Durán had been knocked out in a fight (the "No Más" fight was officially recorded as a technical knockout, because Duran quit).

Durán did not contend another title fight until 1989, but made the shot count when he won the WBC Middleweight title from Iran Barkley in February. The fight is considered one of Durán's greatest achievements, as the 37-year-old former lightweight champion took the middleweight crown, his fourth title. In a tough, back-and-forth fight, Durán knocked Barkley down in the eleventh round and won a close decision. The bout was named the 1989 "Fight of the Year" by The Ring.

Super middleweight

His reign was short lived once again as Duran moved up to super middleweight (although both fighters weighed in at the middleweight limit) for a third clash with Sugar Ray Leonard in December 1989 (a fight dubbed Uno Más—One More—by promoters), which Leonard won by wide unanimous decision. Durán seemed to be in decline after the fight, he attempted to win further middleweight titles in 1994, 1995 and 1996 (fighting for the minor International Boxing Council (IBC) belt).

Durán fought Vinny Pazienza in 1994 and 1995 for the IBC Super Middleweight Championship and was defeated both times by unanimous decision, but many people felt Duran clearly won the first bout and he was robbed of the victory.

In 1996, he was challenged by Héctor Camacho for the vacant IBC Middleweight Championship but lost by a very controversial unanimous decision. In 1997, Durán was defeated by former champion Jorge Castro. Durán fought Castro in a rematch bout and won via unanimous decision.

In 1998, at the age of 47, he challenged 28-year-old WBA Middleweight Champion William Joppy. Joppy, a trim, quick-fisted fighter, battered Durán to defeat in just 3 rounds. It was Duran's most emphatic loss since the Hearns fight, over a decade earlier. Durán then announced his retirement in August 1998, but was back fighting in 1999.

In June 2000, Durán avenged a previous loss to Pat Lawlor and won the NBA Super Middleweight Championship on his 49th birthday. He lost the title a year later to Héctor Camacho in a rematch bout and in what would be Durán's final fight.

Retirement

In 2001, Durán traveled to Argentina to promote a salsa music CD that he had just released. While there, he was involved in a car crash and required life-saving surgery. After that incident, he announced his retirement from boxing at the age of 50.^[18]

Announcing his retirement, Durán cited the weight issues of his friend, Argentinian football legend Diego Maradona, as motivation for getting back in shape, stating "as of now, I am exercising so that when the [retirement] honors arrive the people will see me in shape. I don't want to [look] like Maradona did, all fat."^[18]

Durán's five world title belts, which he won in four different divisions, were stolen from his house in Panama in 1993 during a robbery allegedly staged by his brother-in-law, who gave them to memorabilia seller Luis González Báez, who will stand trial for trying to sell stolen goods. González Báez allegedly sold the belts to undercover FBI agents. He alleges that Durán authorized the sale of the five belts to him during a time that Durán was facing financial trouble. On September 23, 2003, a federal judge in Florida ordered the five belts returned to Durán.

His 70 wins by knockout place him in an exclusive group of boxers who have won 50 or more fights by knockout. He is ranked number 28 on The Ring's list of 100 greatest punchers of all time.

On October 14, 2006, Durán was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame in Riverside, California,^[19] and on June 10, 2007, into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York.

Today he is the brand ambassador of Panama Blue, Panama's premium bottled water.^[20]

Duran is a licensed ultralight aircraft pilot in Panama. He flew a Quick Silver MX model.^[21]

Appearances in film/music

Film

Durán's first appearance in a movie was in the 1979 film Rocky II as a lightning-fast sparring partner for Rocky Balboa. Outside of this, Durán had minor roles in Harlem Nights.

Durán's life and boxing career are told in the documentary Los puños de una nación ("The Fists of a Nation") by Panamanian filmmaker Pituka Ortega-Heilbron. Durán also appears very briefly during an interview for the documentary The Panama Deception (1992), in which he recounts his experience during the United States invasion of Panama.

The biopic Hands of Stone stars Édgar Ramírez as Durán, Robert De Niro as Ray Arcel and Usher as Sugar Ray Leonard, and was released on August 26, 2016.^[22][23]

Television

Durán played the drug lord Jesus Maroto in Miami Vice season two, episode 19.

In "Corporate Warriors", the fourth episode of the second season of the hit American crime drama CSI: NY, Durán is mentioned by the medical examiner while discussing a dead man found to have bone grafts put in his hands to boost his punching power.

Music

The song "The Eyes of Roberto Durán" by Tom Russell, from the album The Long Way Around, contains the lyric, "Panama City - it's three in the morning; they're talking 'bout the Hands of Stone."

Durán is mentioned in the third verse of Nas' original demo for It Ain't Hard to Tell in the line: "Metaphors of murder man, hittin' like Roberto Durán, hold the mic in my hand, my lifespan."^[24]

The musician Jackie Leven recorded a song ("Museum of Childhood") that explores the events of the second world title fight between Durán and Sugar Ray Leonard.

Jazz musician Miles Davis, an avid boxing fan, recorded a tribute to Roberto Durán titled "Duran".

Durán is also mentioned in the third verse of Paul Thorn's "Hammer and Nail," based on Thorn's nationally televised fight with Durán:

“

I climbed in the ring with Roberto Durán and the punches began to rain down He hit me with a dozen hard uppercuts and my corner threw in the towel I asked him why he had to knock me out and he summed it up real well He said, 'I'd rather be a hammer than a nail'

”

Texas rockabilly band Reverend Horton Heat mentions Durán in their song "Eat Steak," off of their album Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em.

Professional boxing record

Professional record summary
119 fights	103 wins	16 losses
By knockout	71	4
By decision	32	12

No.	Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round, time	Date	Location	Notes
119	Loss	103–16	Héctor Camacho	UD	12	Jul 14, 2001	Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado, U.S.	Lost NBA super middleweight title
118	Win	103–15	Patrick Goossen	UD	10	Aug 12, 2000	Yakama Legends Casino, Toppenish, Washington, U.S.
117	Win	102–15	Pat Lawlor	UD	12	Jun 16, 2000	Gimnasio Nuevo Panama, Juan Díaz, Panama	Won NBA super middleweight title
116	Loss	101–15	Omar Gonzalez	UD	10	Mar 6, 1999	Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
115	Loss	101–14	William Joppy	TKO	3 (12), 2:54	Aug 28, 1998	Las Vegas Hilton, Winchester, Nevada, U.S.	For WBA middleweight title
114	Win	101–13	Felix Jose Hernandez	UD	10	Jan 31, 1998	Gimnasio Nuevo Panama, Panama City, Panama
113	Win	100–13	David Radford	UD	8	Nov 15, 1997	Carousel Casino, Hammanskraal, South Africa
112	Win	99–13	Jorge Castro	UD	10	Jun 14, 1997	Gimnasio Nuevo Panama, Panama City, Panama
111	Loss	98–13	Jorge Castro	UD	10	Feb 15, 1997	Mar del Plata, Argentina
110	Win	98–12	Mike Culbert	TKO	6 (10), 2:24	Sep 27, 1996	Mountaineer Casino Racetrack and Resort, Chester, West Virginia, U.S.
109	Win	97–12	Ariel Cruz	KO	1 (10)	Aug 31, 1996	Gimnasio Nuevo Panama, Panama City, Panama
108	Loss	96–12	Héctor Camacho	UD	12	Jun 22, 1996	Etess Arena, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.	For vacant IBC middleweight title
107	Win	96–11	Ray Domenge	UD	10	Feb 20, 1996	Mahi Shrine Auditorium, Miami, Florida, U.S.
106	Win	95–11	Wilbur Garst	TKO	4 (10), 2:14	Dec 21, 1995	War Memorial Auditorium, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.
105	Win	94–11	Roni Martinez	TKO	7 (10), 2:59	Jun 10, 1995	Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
104	Loss	93–11	Vinny Pazienza	UD	12	Jan 14, 1995	Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.	For IBC super middleweight title
103	Win	93–10	Heath Todd	TKO	6 (10), 3:00	Oct 18, 1994	Casino Magic, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, U.S.
102	Loss	92–10	Vinny Pazienza	UD	12	Jun 25, 1994	MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.	For vacant IBC super middleweight title
101	Win	92–9	Terry Thomas	TKO	4 (10), 1:02	Mar 29, 1994	Casino Magic, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, U.S.
100	Win	91–9	Carlos Montero	UD	10	Feb 22, 1994	Marseille, France
99	Win	90–9	Tony Menefee	TKO	8 (10)	Dec 14, 1993	Casino Magic, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, U.S.
98	Win	89–9	Sean Fitzgerald	KO	6 (10), 1:43	Aug 17, 1993	Casino Magic, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, U.S.
97	Win	88–9	Jacques LeBlanc	UD	10	Jun 29, 1993	Casino Magic, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, U.S.
96	Win	87–9	Ken Hulsey	KO	2 (10), 2:45	Dec 17, 1992	CSU Convocation Center, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
95	Win	86–9	Tony Biglen	UD	10	Sep 30, 1992	Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, New York, U.S.
94	Loss	85–9	Pat Lawlor	TKO	6 (10), 1:50	Mar 18, 1991	The Mirage, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
93	Loss	85–8	Sugar Ray Leonard	UD	12	Dec 7, 1989	The Mirage, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.	For WBC super middleweight title
92	Win	85–7	Iran Barkley	SD	12	Feb 24, 1989	Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.	Won WBC middleweight title
91	Win	84–7	Jeff Lanas	SD	10	Oct 1, 1988	International Amphitheatre, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
90	Win	83–7	Paul Thorn	RTD	6 (10), 3:00	Apr 14, 1988	Tropicana, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
89	Win	82–7	Ricky Stackhouse	UD	10	Feb 5, 1988	Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
88	Win	81–7	Juan Carlos Giménez Ferreyra	UD	10	Sep 12, 1987	James L. Knight Convention Center, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.
87	Win	80–7	Victor Claudio	UD	10	May 16, 1987	Convention Center, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.
86	Loss	79–7	Robbie Sims	SD	10	Jun 23, 1986	Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
85	Win	79–6	Jorge Suero	KO	2 (10), 1:45	Apr 18, 1986	Gimnasio Nuevo Panama, Panama City, Panama
84	Win	78–6	Manuel Zambrano	KO	2 (10), 2:57	Jan 31, 1986	Gimnasio Nuevo Panama, Panama City, Panama
83	Loss	77–6	Thomas Hearns	KO	2 (12)	Jun 15, 1984	Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.	For WBC super welterweight title
82	Loss	77–5	Marvin Hagler	UD	15	Nov 10, 1983	Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.	For WBA, WBC, IBF, The Ring, and lineal middleweight titles
81	Win	77–4	Davey Moore	TKO	8 (15), 2:02	Jun 16, 1983	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.	For WBA super welterweight title
80	Win	76–4	José Cuevas	TKO	4 (12), 2:26	Jan 29, 1983	Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
79	Win	75–4	Jimmy Batten	UD	10	Nov 12, 1982	Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida, U.S.
78	Loss	74–4	Kirkland Laing	SD	10	Sep 4, 1982	Cobo Hall, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
77	Loss	74–3	Wilfred Benítez	UD	15	Jan 30, 1982	Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.	For WBC super welterweight title
76	Win	74–2	Luigi Minchillo	UD	10	Sep 26, 1981	Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
75	Win	73–2	Nino Gonzalez	UD	10	Aug 9, 1981	Public Auditorium, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
74	Loss	72–2	Sugar Ray Leonard	TKO	8 (15), 2:44	Nov 25, 1980	Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.	Lost WBC, The Ring, and lineal welterweight titles
73	Win	72–1	Sugar Ray Leonard	UD	15	Jun 20, 1980	Olympic Stadium, Montreal, Quebec, Canada	Won WBC, The Ring, and lineal welterweight titles
72	Win	71–1	Wellington Wheatley	TKO	6 (10)	Feb 24, 1980	Tropicana Las Vegas, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
71	Win	70–1	Joseph Nsubuga	RTD	4 (10), 3:00	Jan 13, 1980	Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
70	Win	69–1	Zeferino Gonzalez	UD	10	Sep 28, 1979	Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
69	Win	68–1	Carlos Palomino	UD	10	Jun 22, 1979	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
68	Win	67–1	Jimmy Heair	UD	10	Apr 8, 1979	Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
67	Win	66–1	Monroe Brooks	KO	8 (12), 1:59	Dec 8, 1978	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
66	Win	65–1	Ezequiel Obando	KO	2 (10), 1:09	Sep 1, 1978	Gimnasio Nuevo Panama, Panama City, Panama
65	Win	64–1	Adolfo Viruet	UD	10	Apr 27, 1978	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
64	Win	63–1	Esteban de Jesús	TKO	12 (15), 2:32	Jan 21, 1978	Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.	Retained WBA, The Ring, and lineal lightweight titles; Won WBC lightweight title
63	Win	62–1	Edwin Viruet	UD	15	Sep 17, 1977	Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.	Retained WBA, The Ring, and lineal lightweight titles
62	Win	61–1	Bernardo Diaz	KO	1 (10), 1:29	Aug 6, 1977	Gimnasio Nuevo Panama, Panama City, Panama
61	Win	60–1	Javier Muniz	UD	10	May 16, 1977	Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland, U.S.
60	Win	59–1	Vilomar Fernandez	KO	13 (15), 2:10	Jan 29, 1977	Fontainbleau, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.	Retained WBA, The Ring, and lineal lightweight titles
59	Win	58–1	Alvaro Rojas	KO	1 (15), 2:17	Oct 15, 1976	Sportatorium, Pembroke Pines, Florida, U.S.	Retained WBA, The Ring, and lineal lightweight titles
58	Win	57–1	Emiliano Villa	TKO	7 (10), 2:00	Jul 31, 1976	Gimnasio Nuevo Panama, Panama City, Panama
57	Win	56–1	Lou Bizzarro	KO	14 (15), 2:15	May 23, 1976	County Field House, Erie, Pennsylvania, U.S.	Retained WBA, The Ring, and lineal lightweight titles
56	Win	55–1	Saoul Mamby	UD	10	May 4, 1976	Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.
55	Win	54–1	Leoncio Ortiz	KO	15 (15), 2:39	Dec 20, 1975	Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico	Retained WBA, The Ring, and lineal lightweight titles
54	Win	53–1	Edwin Viruet	UD	10	Sep 30, 1975	Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Hempstead, New York, U.S.
53	Win	52–1	Alirio Acuna	KO	3 (10)	Sep 13, 1975	Gimnasio Jose D. Crespo, Chitré, Panama
52	Win	51–1	Pepe El Toro	KO	1 (10), 2:00	Aug 2, 1975	Roberto Clemente Stadium, Managua, Nicaragua
51	Win	50–1	Jose Peterson	TKO	1 (10), 1:02	Jun 3, 1975	Convention Center, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.
50	Win	49–1	Ray Lampkin	KO	14 (15), 0:39	Mar 2, 1975	Gimnasio Nuevo Panama, Panama City, Panama	Retained WBA, The Ring, and lineal lightweight titles
49	Win	48–1	Andres Salgado	KO	1 (10), 1:00	Feb 15, 1975	Gimnasio Nuevo Panama, Panama City, Panama
48	Win	47–1	Masataka Takayama	KO	1 (15), 1:40	Dec 21, 1974	Plaza de Toros El Zapote, San José, Costa Rica	Retained WBA, The Ring, and lineal lightweight titles
47	Win	46–1	Adalberto Vanegas	KO	1 (10)	Nov 16, 1974	Gimnasio Nuevo Panama, Panama City, Panama
46	Win	45–1	Jose Vasquez	KO	2 (10)	Oct 31, 1974	Gimnasio Eddie Cortez, San José, Costa Rica
45	Win	44–1	Hector Matta	UD	10	Sep 2, 1974	Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico
44	Win	43–1	Flash Gallego	TKO	7 (10), 2:35	Jul 6, 1974	Gimnasio Nuevo Panama, Panama City, Panama
43	Win	42–1	Esteban de Jesús	KO	11 (15), 1:11	Mar 16, 1974	Gimnasio Nuevo Panama, Panama City, Panama	Retained WBA, The Ring, and lineal lightweight titles
42	Win	41–1	Armando Mendoza	TKO	3 (10), 1:50	Feb 16, 1974	Gimnasio Nuevo Panama, Panama City, Panama
41	Win	40–1	Leonard Tavarez	TKO	4 (10)	Jan 21, 1974	Palais des Sports, Paris, France
40	Win	39–1	Tony Garcia	KO	3 (10)	Dec 1, 1973	Gimnasio Escuela Normal, Santiago de Veraguas, Panama
39	Win	38–1	Guts Ishimatsu	TKO	10 (15), 2:10	Sep 8, 1973	Gimnasio Nuevo Panama, Panama City, Panama	Retained WBA, The Ring, and lineal lightweight titles
38	Win	37–1	Doc McClendon	UD	10	Aug 4, 1973	Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico
37	Win	36–1	Hector Thompson	TKO	8 (15), 2:15	Jun 2, 1973	Gimnasio Nuevo Panama, Panama City, Panama	Retained WBA, The Ring, and lineal lightweight titles
36	Win	35–1	Gerardo Ferrat	TKO	2 (10), 2:45	Apr 14, 1973	Gimnasio Nuevo Panama, Panama City, Panama
35	Win	34–1	Javier Ayala	UD	10	Mar 17, 1973	Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
34	Win	33–1	Juan Medina	TKO	7 (10), 1:22	Feb 22, 1973	Grand Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
33	Win	32–1	Jimmy Robertson	KO	5 (15)	Jan 20, 1973	Gimnasio Nuevo Panama, Panama City, Panama	Retained WBA, The Ring, and lineal lightweight titles
32	Loss	31–1	Esteban de Jesús	UD	10	Nov 17, 1972	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
31	Win	31–0	Lupe Ramirez	KO	1 (10), 3:03	Oct 28, 1972	Gimnasio Nuevo Panama, Panama City, Panama
30	Win	30–0	Greg Potter	KO	1 (10), 1:58	Sep 2, 1972	Gimnasio Nuevo Panama, Panama City, Panama
29	Win	29–0	Ken Buchanan	TKO	13 (15)	Jun 26, 1972	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.	Won WBA, The Ring, and lineal lightweight titles
28	Win	28–0	Francisco Munoz	TKO	1 (10), 2:34	Mar 10, 1972	Gimnasio Nuevo Panama, Panama City, Panama
27	Win	27–0	Angel Robinson Garcia	UD	10	Jan 15, 1972	Gimnasio Nuevo Panama, Panama City, Panama
26	Win	26–0	Hiroshi Kobayashi	KO	7 (10), 0:30	Oct 16, 1971	Gimnasio Nuevo Panama, Panama City, Panama
25	Win	25–0	Benny Huertas	TKO	1 (10), 1:06	Sep 13, 1971	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
24	Win	24–0	Fermin Soto	TKO	3 (10)	Jul 18, 1971	Monterrey, Mexico
23	Win	23–0	Lloyd Marshall	TKO	6 (10), 1:37	May 29, 1971	Gimnasio Nuevo Panama, Panama City, Panama
22	Win	22–0	Jose Acosta	KO	1 (10), 1:55	Mar 21, 1971	Gimnasio Nuevo Panama, Panama City, Panama
21	Win	21–0	Jose Angel Herrera	KO	6 (10)	Jan 10, 1971	Toreo, Monterrey, Mexico
20	Win	20–0	Ignacio Castaneda	TKO	3 (10)	Oct 18, 1970	Gimnasio Nuevo Panamá, Panama City, Panama
19	Win	19–0	Marvin Castaneda	KO	1 (10), 1:30	Sep 5, 1970	Gimnasio Municipal, Puerto Armuelles, Panama
18	Win	18–0	Clemente Mucino	KO	6 (10), 2:18	Jul 18, 1970	Arena de Colón, Colón, Panama
17	Win	17–0	Ernesto Marcel	TKO	10 (10)	May 16, 1970	Gimnasio Nuevo Panama, Panama City, Panama
16	Win	16–0	Felipe Torres	UD	10	Mar 28, 1970	Mexico City, Mexico
15	Win	15–0	Luis Patino	KO	8 (10)	Nov 23, 1969	Gimnasio Neco de la Guardia, Panama City, Panama
14	Win	14–0	Serafin Garcia	TKO	5 (8)	Sep 21, 1969	Gimnasio Neco de la Guardia, Panama City, Panama
13	Win	13–0	Adolfo Osses	TKO	7 (8)	Jun 22, 1969	Gimnasio Neco de la Guardia, Panama City, Panama
12	Win	12–0	Jacinto Garcia	TKO	4 (8)	May 18, 1969	Gimnasio Neco de la Guardia, Panama City, Panama
11	Win	11–0	Eduardo Frutos	UD	6	Feb 1, 1969	Estadio Nacional, Panama City, Panama
10	Win	10–0	Alberto Brand	TKO	4 (6), 2:50	Jan 19, 1969	Gimnasio Neco de la Guardia, Panama City, Panama
9	Win	9–0	Carlos Howard	TKO	1 (6)	Dec 7, 1968	Gimnasio Neco de la Guardia, Panama City, Panama
8	Win	8–0	Juan Gondola	KO	2 (6)	Nov 16, 1968	Arena de Colón, Colón, Panama
7	Win	7–0	Cesar De Leon	KO	1 (6), 1:20	Sep 22, 1968	Gimnasio Neco de la Guardia, Panama City, Panama
6	Win	6–0	Leroy Carghill	KO	1 (6)	Aug 25, 1968	Gimnasio Neco de la Guardia, Panama City, Panama
5	Win	5–0	Enrique Jacobo	KO	1 (6)	Aug 10, 1968	Panama City, Panama
4	Win	4–0	Eduardo Morales	KO	1 (4), 3:00	Jun 30, 1968	Gimnasio Neco de la Guardia, Panama City, Panama
3	Win	3–0	Manuel Jimenez	KO	1 (4)	Jun 15, 1968	Arena de Colón, Colón, Panama
2	Win	2–0	Juan Gondola	KO	1 (4)	May 14, 1968	Colón, Panama
1	Win	1–0	Carlos Mendoza	UD	4	Feb 23, 1968	Arena de Colón, Colón, Panama	Professional debut

See also

• List of undisputed boxing champions
• List of lineal boxing world champions
• List of boxing families
• List of boxing quadruple champions

References

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to: Roberto Durán

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Roberto Durán.

• Professional boxing record for Roberto Durán from BoxRec
• The Official Web Site of Roberto Durán, hosted by CMG Worldwide as Durán's representative
• Roberto Durán - IBHOF Biography
• Remembering Roberto Duran - Fightfanatics.com
• Ken Buchanan - Lightweight Champion of the World – Ken Buchanan site with detailed bio, statistics, full fight with Roberto Durán and more

Sporting positions
World boxing titles
Preceded by Ken Buchanan	WBA lightweight champion June 26, 1972 – January 1979 Vacated	Vacant Title next held by Ernesto España
	The Ring lightweight champion June 26, 1972 – January 1979 Vacated	Vacant Title next held by Jim Watt
	Lineal lightweight champion June 26, 1972 – January 1979 Vacated	Vacant Title next held by Alexis Argüello
Preceded by Esteban De Jesús	WBC lightweight champion January 21, 1978 – January 1979 Vacated	Vacant Title next held by Jim Watt
Vacant Title last held by Ken Buchanan	Undisputed lightweight champion January 21, 1978 – January 1979 Vacated	Vacant Title next held by Pernell Whitaker
Preceded by Sugar Ray Leonard	WBC welterweight champion June 20, 1980 – November 25, 1980	Succeeded by Sugar Ray Leonard
	The Ring welterweight champion June 20, 1980 – November 25, 1980
	Lineal welterweight champion June 20, 1980 – November 25, 1980
Preceded by Davey Moore	WBA super welterweight champion June 16, 1983 – June 15, 1984 Stripped	Vacant Title next held by Mike McCallum
Preceded by Iran Barkley	WBC middleweight champion February 24, 1989 – December 1989 Vacated	Vacant Title next held by Julian Jackson
Awards
Previous: Bobby Chacon	The Ring Comeback of the Year 1983	Next: Marvin Johnson
Previous: Tony Lopez vs. Rocky Lockridge	The Ring Fight of the Year vs. Iran Barkley 1989	Next: Julio César Chávez vs. Meldrick Taylor
Preceded by Michael Dokes	The Ring Comeback of the Year 1989	Succeeded by Tony Lopez