Hands of Stone - Christian Giudice [17]
While Duran’s bout with Martinez has been recorded as his amateur debut, Duran recalled another opponent. “The first fight in the amateurs in the Maranon Gym, I beat this guy called Antonio ‘La Cabeza’ Vargas and I beat him bad. I knocked him down, and they still gave him the fight,” said Duran. “The guy never wanted to give me a rematch.” In a match held in March 1965 that many Panamanian writers had recorded after the Martinez victory, two of the three judges scored the fight for Vargas. By “coincidence,” Vargas was managed by program coordinator Demetrio “Baba” Vasquez.
In the streets Duran was judged by his peers, but now he had to impress boxing judges, who favoured style over naked aggression. He showed exceptional promise in his weight class, which didn’t have many skilled boxers. He relied on technique rather than his power, which had yet to grow, and his mind rather than instinct. After eight months boxing for Club Cincuentenario, he was 12-1 (Twelve wins and one loss: boxers' records are denoted numerically by win-loss-draw, so 30-2-1 would mean thirty wins, two losses and one draw) by the end of the year, and had moved up to the 106-pound division. After the loss to Vargas, Duran, now under the watchful eye of Plomo, wouldn’t lose another bout that season. Fans began to take notice of this up and coming fighter, who they called “Robe,” and even future world champ Enrique Pinder refused to fight this restless bull. Realizing his potential, several important figures in the Panamanian sports industry began to invest time in the young fighter’s career: engineer Erasto Espino, Duran’s first adviser, Juvenal L. Chemenuncie, and Mocho Sam, a roadwork and massage specialist.
On October 4, 1966, Duran met Jorge Maynard in a tournament at the Pascual Cielo Gonzalez Gymnasium. Two fighters from each division were invited and Duran and Maynard fought at light-flyweight, or 106 pounds. Maynard, who was also managed by Baba Vasquez, would become Duran’s amateur nemesis. In the first bout he won the unanimous decision, handing Duran his first loss that season. Twenty-five days later, the pair faced off again for the Golden Gloves crown and again Duran lost. “Duran was only beginning then,” said Plomo. “He was 100 [pounds] going to 106, so he was not ready yet. It was a rather good fight despite being very difficult. Duran succeeded in hitting him hard at times. It was a very close fight but since Maynard was more experienced, the judges decided for Maynard.” According to a boxing writer in La Aficion, the rematch in Neco de La Guardia was a replica of the first meeting, with Maynard using his technical skills to offset the burro tirando golpes, or bull-throwing punches, of his foe. Maynard was now the light-flyweight champ.
“Two times he beat me in a row, then I found out that the referee in the ring was Maynard’s uncle,” said Duran. “That was pretty strange. That’s why he beat me by decision. Each of the times I fought him I gave him my best punches. Then, after those losses, I did thirteen fights and won them all.”
He also still had his run-ins in the street. “Chicha Fuerte Ruiz was a much experienced boxer, he was already a national champion,” said Plomo. “There was a quarrel between Ruiz’s family and Duran’s, and Duran offered Ruiz boxing gloves in the middle of the street. I was only told this story. I was not present. Since Ruiz was a professional by then but Duran was not, it could already be imagined that Duran was going to make it as a professional too.
The brawl, late