Roberto Durán - Manos de Piedra

I was fortunate enough, last night, to spend an "Evening with Roberto Duran". What an absolute legend. I have mentioned Marvin Hagler before, he is my all time favourite Middle Weight fighter but Duran was one of the big four of that time, along with Hagler, Thomas Hearns and Sugar Ray Leonard.
This was the golden age of the Middleweights, as the era of Ali, Frazier and Foreman had been for the Heavyweight division, a few years earlier. Although the Heavyweights accrued the glory, the Middleweights were the everyman division, it was more competitive and blessed with some of the greatest fighters ever.
Duran was more than just another Middleweight though, by the time the '80's rolled round, he had already been in the ring for 3 decades and finished his career in 2001, spanning an unprecedented 5 decades with World titles at 4 different weights, Panama's favourite son and ranked within the top 10 in the best fighter of all time lists by all of the reputable and knowledgeable publications and pundits.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0g8-KVp06s

Duran speaks very little English but he is a very warm man and his personality comes across, he is mischievous and funny with a naughty glint in his eye and always a smile. This isn't the man destroyer that they nick named Manos de Piedra, "Hands of Stone" but as he sat there, speaking mostly in Spanish with his son translating for him, we came to get a glimpse of who he is. He was born with nothing, he came from the dirt with an absent father and rose to become the greatest son of Panama, a flawed hero that endeared himself to the world, despite a fiery temper and an uncompromising personality, he was the genuine article, a warrior and now the elder statesman but the passion is still there but the personality has softened or maybe we are seeing the other Roberto Duran, the man that loves people and shares his life with a room of complete strangers that quickly became his adoring friends (I kid you not, he was an absolute star but such a nice guy).

As Duran speaks very little English, his son, a TV presenter back in Panama, had taken his holiday to spend it on this mini tour, translating for his father. He explained that his father was a generous man, he never forgot his roots and spent much money helping out his local community, people would ask and he would give and that is the key to him, we became his community for the night but we didn't want his money, we wanted his stories, to be with the man that was one of a few that changed boxing, bringing a magic and a skill to it that very few have managed and still remains relatively unknown in the mainstream.

Yeah, I know I sound all gushy about it but how many people do you ever meet that you could regard as genuinely legendary? There are people that I greatly respect but very few that I would call legendary, in any sphere of life.

The prospect of Duran and Ray Leonard touring together next year was touted and then mentioned they may try and get Hearns and Hagler on the tour as well...that would be incredible, that would be a hell of a photograph, the Kings of the Ring!

So for any UK fight fans, we saw Duran at the Cutting Rooms in Wellingborough, a really homely venue, easy parking and the ticket included a photo with the great Roberto Duran and food.