Hands of Stone - Christian Giudice [52]
Ortiz has an interesting insight into the competing merits of Laguna and Duran. “I think Laguna would have boxed the shit out of him. Laguna would have outboxed him and outpunched him. I don’t think he would have caught him because Laguna had a good chin, he was tall and had a good reach.”
It was next reported that Duran and Buchanan had signed contracts for a rematch in New York on October 20. However, Duran then claimed the Panamanian Government was insisting he made his first defense in his own country, and sought to put the bout off until the following year. In October 1972, it was reported that Buchanan had signed a new contract to challenge Duran at Madison Square Garden on November 17, and if Duran did not accept, he would be banned from boxing in New York.
DESPITE THE confusion around the proposed Ortiz and Buchanan bouts, Duran was enjoying the perks of being a champion. Thousands of admirers had been waiting to greet him at the Paitilla airport when he returned with the belt; he was now a national celebrity, and everyone clamored to be near him. After settling back home, he attended a night in his honor in Clara’s hometown. “They held an homage here in Guarare for Roberto,” said longtime fan and Guarare resident Lesbia Diaz. “Many people came from all the provinces.”
Since he was young, he had brought back his purse money to help his mother. Now, he was champion, all his promises were coming true. No longer did Clara have to cook and clean for the Americans in the Canal Zone.
“Momma, I do not want you to work anymore,” Duran told Clara.
“All right papa, I will not go on working then,” she responded.
By his side was a beautiful young girlfriend, Claudinette Felicidad Iglesias. She had an angelic face, an addictive smile, and long flowing hair that draped over her shoulders. Acccording to Clara, the couple met in their teens through Felicidad’s mother, who sold numbers, an illegal but widely tolerated street lottery. “They were very young,” said Toti. “They were still minors. The parents did not want Felicidad to go out with Duran because they were too young. And they did not want Roberto because they knew that he was a boxer and they believed boxers became crazy.”
Felicidad came from a relatively wealthy family. She was petite and pretty and Duran was smitten, but she was expected to find a suitor in her own social circle, not a poor boy from Chorrillo. Although Clara adored Felicidad and welcomed her into the family, the feelings were not reciprocated. “Duran lived at that time in Caledonia,” said Plomo. “There was a furniture shop called Montemarte. Duran’s apartment was right on top of this shop. On the other side of the street there were some shops. When Felicidad used to go past that place after school, Duran used to look at her and say, ‘I like that girl very much.’
“So I would tell him to go to her and to tell her something. But in the end, it was as if it had been destiny. One day Duran went downstairs to talk to her, the girl smiled at him, and right away they started talking, and went together walking and talking. That was the beginning of their love. But he had problems, because her parents, once Duran and Felicidad were already in love, opposed this relationship. Duran took Felicidad to where his mother was in Chorrillo, because he wanted to live together with her, but Felicidad’s parents accused him of having violated their daughter. They told all kind of stories about Duran. But Felicidad herself said she had agreed to becoming Duran’s woman because she was in love with him. Duran was arrested because of this, but he was later set free. Later on they got married, but they lived together before their marriage.
“After meeting her, Felicidad became