Doesn't Leonard say as much himself in his autobiography?Scypion wrote:Counter-puncher wrote:i've seen this argument made before and i never quite thought it rang true, this 'clever Leonard suckered Duran/Duran's naive handlers into a quick rematch'Scypion wrote:Roberto Duran. After his first fight with Leonard, he should have taken a couple of easy non-title fights before fighting Leonard again. His handlers must have known that he was celebrating and had gained a lot of weight. Ray Leonard's people knew. Offered big money for a quick rematch, they jumped at the offer.
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it was nearly 6 months down the line. the way you guys go on, anyone would think Roberto barely had time to finish a weekend bar crawl after the first fight before being forced back into the ring, hell he had time for a 3 month bar crawl then a 10 week traing camp and change. i don't consider nearly 6 months that quick at all, myself.
I believe that Duran would have been well advised to take a couple of easy non-title fights before fighting Leonard again. I am sure that he would have done better in the rematch if he did. Of course, 8 million dollars is not easy to turn down.
For what it is worth, here is part of an article by Pedro Fernandez, a boxing writer for Ringtalk.
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The second fight, this is the true story of the making and the ending of the "No Mas" rematch with Leonard. Michael Trainer, a Maryland attorney, was the brains behind "Sugar Ray" Leonard. Around the Leonard camp, Mike was known as Top Cat, and when he came to negotiations he was. In September 1980, Mike found out that Roberto was weighing around 215 pounds. Then he saw photographs of Duran which got him on the phone with Roberto's people. Mike then offered Roberto $8 million to fight Leonard on November 25, 1980.
I guess that Fernandez could have lied.
Duran's book (albeit not written by him) more or less says the same thing, as does either Kimball's. Been a whilst since I read all 3 but they are more or less in agreement.
....... then again I know literally dozens and dozens of men and women currently (or retired not long ago) who were in same position as myself (told one thing when it was really another) and get ultimately destroyed inside the first round. In my experience I was told the man I would be fighting was "smaller than me" and "had a few losses in the amateurs", there was no other information given. Well, he certainly wasn't smaller than me (first off) as he rehydrated to 195 pounds and I was 154 pounds (he was 168 on the scales, I was 158), and he had four losses in the amateurs.... but he also had 130 amateur fights