BoxRec

On an unforgettable night at Madison Square Garden of Thursday, June 16, 1983, Roberto Duran erases the shame of "No Mas" three years earlier and becomes the 7th man in boxing history to win 3 world titles in 3 different weight classes.

Duran, 32, was fighting in the night of his birthday. And what a birthday gift he made for himself. He beat WBA World Jr Middleweight Champion Davey Moore, 24, of the Bronx, NY by technical knockout in 8 rounds.

Moore was a champion with a record of 12-0, 9KOs. He was on a nine-fight KO win streak and was considered at the time, the favorite to win the fight because of his advantage in youth, reach, height and speed over the old champion that at the time, was considered washed up.

Duran, the famous Manos de Piedra or Hands of Stone (in English), had only 1 win by knockout in 8 fights since taking the WBC World Welterweight crown from Sugar Ray Leonard of Palmer Park, MD in the famous "Brawl in Montreal" slugfest.

That knockout was produced 6 months earlier in the "Battle of the Washed Up Legends" on June 29 against former WBA World Welterweight Champion Pipino Cuevas of Mexico. Duran stopped Cuevas in 4 rounds and got a shot at the title held by Moore.

Sixteen former boxing world champions and legends were present for the main event. Among them, were the great Muhammad Ali, Jose "Chegui" Torres, Floyd Patterson, Marvelous Marvin Hagler and Duran's greatest rival, the incredible and incomparable Sugar Ray Leonard who was retired at the time, but was present as a boxing color commentator for CBS Sports along with announcer Tim Ryan.

Duran had still an unbelievable record of 76-4, with 57KOs! But, in his subsequent fights after "The No Mas" fiasco in New Orleans against Leonard were sub-par performances. Some say that he didn't had the fire. Some blame that he didn't care about the sport of boxing anymore. Some say that he was washed up for good and that he would never get into the heights of yesteryear. Whatever it was, or whatever the reasons, on his last fight with Cuevas gave the indication that at least he still had that fire. He used this win as big motivation. It's been 3 years of torture and embarrassing criticism since New Orleans. And he prepared immensely for this title opportunity. To become king of the world again.

Duran looked like the Duran of old. Countering, slipping and showing the fire and speed of the old days. In round one, Duran rocked Moore and went like a hungry lion to the attack, giving the young gun solid left hooks to the body and rights to the head.

Some claim, including Moore, that Duran thumbed Moore in that round. I tried to see it many times on video tape and never saw the evidence. Maybe some of you reading this, did.

As the fight progressed, Duran kept punishing Moore and was giving the young gun a lesson of how to fight inside: The Duran Way!

Duran gave Moore a boxing clinic and a terrible beating. It was over by the 7th round when Duran set him up for a big straight right hand. Moore, with his eyes nearly shut, went down and 16,000 delirious fanatics roared a noise like it has never seen in the Garden in a long time. I don't know if the roar when Ali stopped George Foreman in Zaire was bigger or this one. But it was so loud by the crowd that they saw their king was back for at least that night.

It was inevitable for the fight to be stopped at the 8th round. Referee Ernesto Magana of Mexico should have had better judgement in seeing Moore's condition to continue. Former champion and New York Boxing Commission President Jose "Chegui" Torres was vehemently telling the ref to stop that carnage. Duran is killing him! The referee finally stopped it, and Duran exhilarating with tears of joy, is King of the World again.

Afterwards, a huge crowd jumped into the ring. The crowd went nuts. It was like a rock concert. Panamanian flags everywhere. Panama was again celebrating into a frenzy after 3 years of total humiliation. Their king was back.

Leonard went into ringside to embrace, kiss, congratulate and lifted Duran's arm by saying, "Wow! Duran, You're the best!" Ali told Duran: "I am the Greatest, but tonight, You're the greatest of all-times!"

Duran went out of the ropes of the ring and at the edge of it lead a chorus of the 16,000 to cheer his name: "Duran!, Duran!, Duran!, Duran!, Duran! It was old times back again. One of boxing's most unforgettable nights in a decade of unforgettable fights.

Duran is champion, one more time! He is King Again!

And until this day, I can't believe that it was 40 years ago. I was only 14 when that fight happened.

Your thoughts and comments, please.

elmersalsa wrote: ↑16 Jun 2023, 13:44 And until this day, I can't believe that it was 40 years ago. I was only 14 when that fight happened.

It seems like yesterday doesn't it?
Great performance by Duran

I remember back in the years when Roberto Duran lost to Sugar Ray Leonard in the No Mas fight in New Orleans. I couldn't believe that he would quit like that, in front of millions watching.

The most unbelievable and unforgiving thing after that, was that Duran was an outcast in his own country. Nobody wanted to associate with him for nearly three years.

Many boxing writers considered him finished and washed up. He has not scored a knockout since January 1980 against Josef N'Buga. And after every loss after Leonard, he started to lose friends. His closest of "friends" deserted him. That takes a lot of psychological effect on a fighter. Duran surely had doubts about himself. Am I any good anymore? Those are the kind of questions that goes into your mind. That's the same thing that is happening to the great Tiger Woods in golf. Would I be on top of the hill again?

It was the worst of times for the Hands of Stone. But, he had to fight and come back. And take things seriously. He had to change trainers, managers and boxing style in a career mid-crisis. That happens to every great boxer when he sees he is not the same guy. For example, Muhammad Ali. He had to reinvent himself and take another approach to the boxing game. Duran was no different.

Duran knew who was his real friends after No Mas. And when he redeemed himself with a vengeance he made them believers again. I don't know if he ever took them friends back. But, boy! When you win all the time like he did, or like Mike Tyson did, you are a Good. Nobody can beat you. But, once you lose, all your closest friends and even family members disappeared.

I guess that happens in all of us. When you doing great, everybody loves you. Even your cat. But, when you lose, your own cat doesn't even want to see you. Ask footballer Paolo Rossi about that.

Not only No Mas and Duran's Redemption taught me that in boxing, but in life in general.

That has to be one of the greatest fights I’ve ever seen, when I started becoming a hardcore boxing fan that was one of the fights I made sure to watch first. My favorite “old legend turns back the clock one last time” fight is either that, Duran beating Barkley, or Mosley beating Margarito.

524046 wrote: ↑18 Jun 2023, 03:38 That has to be one of the greatest fights I’ve ever seen, when I started becoming a hardcore boxing fan that was one of the fights I made sure to watch first. My favorite “old legend turns back the clock one last time” fight is either that, Duran beating Barkley, or Mosley beating Margarito.

I mean, what The Hands of Stone did in New York City against Davey Moore is one of for the ages. The guy came back. That's a mark of a champion. If he would have never come back like he did, today probably would have been called as an overrated bully that quit in the big fights. He had to fight again. He had to redeemed himself. And boy! Did he redeemed himself! It was in extraordinary fashion. What a comeback!

It's a fight I don't enjoy that much because the beating was so severe. I know that's odd for a boxing fan to say.

But it was Duran's masterclass. Then he did it again against Barkley. Phenomenal.

You nailed it-born again against Moore; Born again again against Barkley.