Duran vs Palomino. Was Hands Of Stone Ever Better?

If one decides to rank the best performances within the superb profession of the nice Roberto Duran, his ten spherical tour de power towards Carlos Palomino clearly deserves excessive standing and has to seek out itself close to the very prime. Duran vs Palomino is a key contest in Duran’s profession because it reveals the talent and ring intelligence of a real pound-for-pound nice, whereas additionally placing him in good place for his best triumph, an enormous, multi-million greenback showdown with Sugar Ray Leonard a yr later.

Duran had dominated the lightweights since 1972 and within the course of established himself as one of many best boxers of his period, maybe the most effective light-weight since Benny Leonard, actually probably the most dominant since Ike Williams. However now, after a remaining huge win over rival Esteban De Jesus, he was transferring up and the jury was nonetheless out as as to whether Roberto might compete as successfully towards naturally greater males. Having abdicated his 135 pound title in early ’78, Duran bided his time, participating in 4 stay-busy tilts as he waited for a shot on the welterweight crown. As an alternative the proper alternative arrived: an opportunity to shine in Madison Sq. Backyard towards a former champ who was nonetheless thought to be a prime fighter within the division.

Carlos Palomino was something however a burned-out ex-champ on the lookout for one final huge payday. Nor had he been a paper champion. Having gained the title from Britain’s John Stracey, he had defended it seven instances towards some glorious contenders together with Armando Muniz and Dave Inexperienced. And there was actually no disgrace in shedding his belt to one of the gifted boxers within the sport’s historical past, Wilfred Benitez. Whereas Duran deserved to be the odds-on favourite, all agreed this was probably a tricky problem for the previous terror of the lightweights.

The irony was that the battle was on the undercard of a nationally televised world heavyweight title match, Larry Holmes vs Mike Weaver, but there was way more buzz in boxing circles for Duran vs Palomino than for the evening’s principal attraction. The truth is, with Muhammad Ali having retired the yr earlier than, the general public was paying renewed consideration to the decrease weight courses, particularly as they now provided such thrilling skills and contemporary faces as Sugar Ray Leonard, Howard Davis Jr., and Marvin Hagler. Duran, a serious attraction since not less than 1972, was transcending his Latin fan base and assuming the picture of one of many recreation’s legends and elder statesmen at simply the precise time. However to get to the large alternatives forward, he needed to beat Palomino first.

Except for firmly establishing Roberto as a severe risk at 147 kilos, Duran vs Palomino proved to be maybe the clearest demonstration but of how “Manos de Piedra” had advanced into a really full fighter. Having entered the game as a uncooked, highly effective brawler, Roberto had developed, with the assistance of grasp trainers Ray Arcel and Freddie Brown, into a classy boxer-puncher: aggressive, highly effective, but additionally intelligent, artistic and surprisingly onerous to hit. His popularity as a crude slugger now labored to his benefit as he took opponents abruptly with the sophistication of his ways. Palomino had clearly ready for a Duran who would try to overpower him, however Roberto revered the previous champion’s means and set about placing every little thing he had discovered to make use of, within the course of providing followers a memorable efficiency of talent and technical virtuosity.

Whereas a fast-paced motion battle, there was little drama; many scored it a shutout. Simply as Palomino wasn’t on the identical stage because the defensive wizard Benitez, he additionally wasn’t in the identical league as a motivated and match Duran. “Manos de Piedra,” considerably surprisingly, turned out to be clearly the stronger fighter with the extra damaging punch. It was official: Duran’s fearsome energy had not deserted him within the migration to the upper weight. He scored a knockdown with an overhand proper in spherical six and gained nearly each minute of the match. Briefly, a tricky problem, surprisingly, grew to become a rout.

As Pat Putnam vividly reported in Sports activities Illustrated: “Duran bewildered Palomino with flicking head and shoulder feints; he battered him with punches thrown at blinding pace. At instances, only for enjoyable, he feinted from the left, feinted from the precise, after which, with Palomino in a flux of frantic confusion, stepped again and flashed a wolfish grin as Palomino untangled himself.”

May Duran compete with the welterweights? The reply was an emphatic “sure.” A number of months later Sugar Ray Leonard would defeat Wilfred Benitez for Palomino’s previous title and the countdown instantly started for one of many largest and most anticipated fights in boxing historical past.                 — Michael Carbert