Hands of Stone - Christian Giudice [170]
Duran didn’t deny it. When interviewed by a Panama reporter about his money woes, Duran told the reporter that he better ask Eleta or Felicidad where the money went. But he knew that being his wife was no easy job. “To be married to Roberto Duran for thirty-five years is not possible,” Duran told a reporter. “She is a saint.”
In 2000, Duran was winding down and the purses had vanished through bad investments and unrestrained spending. He had in fact hit rock bottom in 1997, when his family was nearly forced out of its home in Cangrejo. There were rumblings that Mike Tyson, whose hero was Duran, had planned to step in and foot the bill. “He was going to lose his house because he owed a lot of money and he put his house up as collateral,” said Tapia. “He never paid that money. When Ernesto Endara was President, he asked me personally to resolve Duran’s problem with the house. I talked to the men who Duran owed the money and told him that the interest rates were high and I made the loan go down from five hundred to three hundred thousand dollars. And then I met with several people to resolve Duran’s problems. I had a meeting with Duran’s bank manager, so he would give a twenty-year mortgage and give Duran twenty years to pay for his house, not immediately.
“We were a hundred grand off and I told Duran that I could make a campaign with my friends. Four people that could give twenty-five grand each and the problem would be solved. But I needed his authorization. He said no and that he had money. The problem was not resolved. He’s very proud. For many years Duran has hidden his true economic situation. He tells everyone he’s a millionaire but he’s not.”
Duran claimed that when he needed help, Panama turned its back. “If the Government really wanted to help me when I was down on my luck they would have helped me pay for it,” he said. “Any one of the past presidents like Endara could have helped. When I paid for this house, they should have helped me because I really needed this house. When I pay my house off I’m going to put it into the paper, ‘I paid my house with no help.’ What a shame for the Panamanian Government.”
Although some remark on his stubborn ways and refusal to take handouts, Duran has asked for and accepted help on many occasions. He has also been forced to adapt his lifestyle. He used to drink Chivas Regal from the bottle after fights, now it is Seco and orange juice or an Atlas beer, his favorite. Of the eleven cars that he once owned, only a motorcycle and a couple of cars remain in his driveway. There are no chefs or hired help, just a man and a dog hiding in the shadows to keep away fans or reporters. Duran is not alone; many boxers fail to manage their money wisely. Duran had the leeches, the women who spent freely, and a lack of education. All contributed to his current plight.
“There’s a lot of people who want to see him well but he thinks because we tell him the truth that we’re the enemy,” said Tapia. “Duran is not prepared to make sacrifices, he wants the easy life. You have to remember … there were many negative times during his career. He has lost all his money and three times he has gone bankrupt. He spends it. They take it from him. They give it away. He does everything. In his mind he thought that he had gone through a lot of effort to earn that money. Since he’s a great boxer, he thought it would be easy to keep making money.”
Duran has claimed in the past that he has no need for material things. The white Armani suits, often worn with a driving cap, are gone. He no longer flashes $1,000 earrings and his gold jewelry has been auctioned off. Having been so enamored of the outfits of the wealthy, it is possible to conceive that Duran misses these items the most.
Eleta is one of a select few left from the good old days. Duran said Flacco Bala died of AIDS and in the end was two-faced. He also has the same disgust for Molo, a close friend and confidant from Chorrillo. Arcel and Brown passed away years ago, but Plomo can still be found toiling away at the Jesus Master Gomez Gym in