AIR DATE:
EPISODE: Episode 27
The awesome Post-Ali era featured The Fab Four, which developed epic rivalties, including Roberto Duran vs Sugar Ray Leonard. This is the story of their first classic battle. Watch The Scoop from Monday to Friday featuring Canadian heavyweight champ Bola Ray, who lends his vast experience in the sport and provides his comments boxing – its history and future – on YouTube and TalkinFight.com/live. #boxinghistory #robertoduran #sugarrayleonard
.
.
.
#boxer #boxing #boxingtalkshow
Transcribed:
Hey good evening, good evening, talking fight fans how you doing tonight, we’ve got another episode of the scoop with the champ bowler ray and tonight we’ve got a really good.
I mean last week we were talking about the fab four.
You promised us to segment out this week into various classic fights.
What do you got for us tonight? Well, some argue that it was actually the fab four that kept the interest of the boxing public in the post ali years.
Um with such epic rivalries as out against great is what made us errors stand out as one of the best in history for boxing.
But what made these rivalries? Epic? The hype of these fights were second to none, but why well, my name is bola raymond olive wally – and this is the scoop leonard versus duran 1 was already slated to go down in history as one of the greatest fights of all time, even before either athlete Had stepped into the ring, duran came from less than humble beginnings, starting boxing and turning pro as a means to raise himself and his family out of poverty.
Now his style from the very beginning was one of grit and bravado.
You know um where he did whatever it took, to get a win and fear.
Um was never part of his vocabulary unless it was to describe what he instilled in his opponents upon his 63rd fight, where his record was 62-1.
Let that sit for a while 62-1.
He had also during those 63 fights had avenged the one by knockout and technical knockout over esteban de jesus just for good measure, but then duran does what duran does and relinquishes his lightweight crown and moves up to moves up two weight classes, not even one two Weight classes in hopes of dancing potentially against legendary sugary leonard, who does that just like just wrap your head around how insane that is? Who does that letter? Two came from humble beginnings, but pretty much.
That is where the similarities in their story ends leonard found.
A great deal of success in the amateur in his amateur career, culminating with being one of the legendary team of the 76 montreal summer olympic games and taking home gold.
He had endorsements and won the heart of the nation.
With this pretty smile and his athleticism, the collision course for these two was set and with the date of the fight being june, 20th 1980 in pre-fight interviews, duran used to talk about how he wanted to enrage ray um thinking that if it was done right, he Would make rey be so overcome by his emotions that he wouldn’t be able to think straight and would be able to capitalize on raise mistakes? Nothing was fair game or nothing wasn’t fair game for duran.
In this campaign, when attacking rey wasn’t good enough attack, ray’s wife um his efforts paid off.
Oh did it ever um duran was arguably the fighter of the 70s, with a record of 63 fights 62-1 um.
Actually, it actually grows even better than that, because yeah by the time the 70s were over, it was actually 72 fights with 71 and 1.
.
Now, the first round of that epic, fight between rey and duran was a feeling out round, but it was also very much a telling round, because it was then that ray realized that duran wasn’t as easy as to hit, as he had once hoped or believed.
He would be excuse me having so much emotions invested in this fight, ray didn’t box the man he tried to fight with him, which rey stated in a post-fight interview while laughing as to say what was i thinking this is duran like what was i thinking um, The second round exposed how bad an idea it was via duran, caught ray with the right hand that led him that rocked leonard in a future interview ray spoke about that that rock that shot that rocked him and said that he was actually hurt.
He was genuinely hurt and it took two to three rounds for him to clear his head.
The next few rounds were durans were aware.
Duran was very successful in executing his strategy of just outright inside fighting against rey and solely like it was just from a strategist.
It was rather impressive what he did there around five and six were arguably the first rounds that i could say, actually went, ray’s way, um, but very close and competitive because, again ray still um.
This whole fight ray decided that he’s not gon na box the man he wanted to fight them.
He wanted to beat the man at the man’s game and this being raised what 23rd 24th fight the man has 70 72 fights.
He has like light years more experience at this fight game, this fight style and yet ray thought.
He was going to beat the man in his own game, there’s nothing more humbling than beating a man at his own game.
It’S like beating a man in his own home, ray just outworked him.
While fighting on the inside it was.
It was expensive, but still he just outworked him and he got those.
I think he got the knot for those rounds now.
The seventh round, um some of them, was in the contest, was inside fighting game and even though it was closed, um sorry, the seventh round was around with which they both sort of took off.
They a restaurant sort of thing, um they banged up a bit but – and i gave it to to duran still um, but it wasn’t.
It wasn’t as eventful as the last two rounds and then the eighth round was much the same, even even more the same, except they really did nothing for the first two minutes of that round.
They just circled each other and pot shot um until the last minute.
When they both came to life um, i thought that this would be in this round would have been the beginning of rey fighting the way rey is known to fight being an excellent boxer and whatnot um, but um.
No, no, it wasn’t.
The rest of the fight was pretty much the same.
Howard curcell, the legendary color commentary, was at ringside and actually said um.
He had never seen rey miss, so many punches duran seems like he was nothing but pure genius uh.
The manner in which he would use pretty much every part of his upper body to grapple and manhandle ray was like nothing, no other.
He would use his forehead to steer ray’s head or steer raised push his head a certain direction and then pop him with an uppercut graham, would use the rest of his um.
Sorry, his shoulders and his head pin right right against the ropes going anywhere.
But then, when ray would push back to create space and then come back, duran almost had early detection radar and would easily bob and slip.
Those punches like ray had never missed, as many punches as he did in this contest was amazing.
Ray was take such was taking such a beating throughout this fight that later late in the fight his his then wife, who had never seen him lose a fight because ray didn’t lose a fight since 74, in the amateurs yeah and then turned pro and was undefeated Until this fight, which went until so we’re talking until 1986 years, had never seen him lose a fight, she ended up fainting at ringside, the fight went the distance and, upon the final bell, duran was so confident.
I was so confident that he had won.
They started to celebrate, they put his hands up in the air and was filled with jubilation ray, went put his hands up in the air too, and duran went shoved.
Him has to say he’s not going to be denied this victory, don’t even play that you won.
I won this fight ray’s older brother, roger who fought on you on the undercard and was in the ring [ Music ] before the decision was announced and after duran pushed ray, roger, went up to confront durant duran knocked out roger with one punch yeah.
This story: yeah yeah, the fight, was ruled a majority win for duran, which i thought that it was nowhere as close as these judges found it.
Two judges, the third judge that ruled in a draw later recanted his [ Music ].
His decision and change it to.
In favor of durang ray was incredibly gracious in his defeat and reenacted his or he enacted.
His rematch clause immediately ran well, he was and he enjoyed his well-deserved win.
That’S all i could say it was an epic fight.
It stands the test of time as one of those fights where you never underestimate your fighter’s ability.
It told the story of fight fight, your fight, don’t fight.
No one else is fighting.
A lot should have been learned from that fight wasn’t but should have been yeah.
So well, that’s it! If you like this episode, please hit the like and subscribe button and smash that notification bell too, while you’re at it.
It’S your boy bola and that’s the scoop thanks very much ray.
That was an amazing story.
Really was i mean classic battles? Great decade of fighting and you’re absolutely right in the in that post alley era, they really reinvigorated uh interest, genuine interest like um.
They were all household names, great stuff prior to that guy you’re, going back to the 50s with um sugary robinson uh.
What’S his face? Oh god, now jake lamotta jake lamotta.
Thank you.
That’S what i’m thinking you know the cast like that of that era, but prior to that yeah the heavyweights have dominated for over 20 years, great stuff, looking forward to tomorrow night.
Thank you very much appreciate.
It cheers make sure you subscribe remember to ring that bell if you’re uh want to receive our notifications.
There are no reviews yet.