LEARN FROM THE BEST
Lee Wylie examines exactly what made Roberto Duran, 30 years after he won his fourth world title, so very special
Examining what made the legendary Roberto Duran such a special fighter
MAKE ‘EM MISS, MAKE ‘EM PAY
ROBERTO DURAN may have been an offensive fighter first and foremost, but he was also a defensive maestro, brilliant at blocking and parrying punches or moving in to smother them. It was the evasive movement from the waist, however, which made Duran especially effective as it enabled him to stay in punching range and counter aggressively with both hands. Watch any Duran fight and you will see him effortlessly slipping jabs, rolling right hands, or ducking under left hooks and then replying with well-timed counters.
Considering how aggressive he was, Duran’s punch anticipation was extraordinary, and he was an expert at predicting his opponent’s most likely counter-attack based on his own attack. So instead of waiting for openings to appear, Duran would often create and exploit them proactively. For example, he would throw a right hand to the body, immediately weave to his right to pass under a probable counter left hook, then throw a left hand to the body directly off of the weave. Duran did not rely solely on upper body movement to create counter-punching opportunities either; he was also highly adept at catching or deflecting blows with his gloves or elbows before countering. Duran’s counterattacks were at times imperceptible because he flowed seamlessly between defence and attack and would regularly return fire with combinations.
OLD-SCHOOL TRICKS
FEW boxers, if any, have proved better at selling feints than “Manos de Piedra.” Duran would feint with his head, shoulders, and even his eyes to deceive his foe and create openings for attack. But most of all, Duran utilised feints — or sometimes a series of feints — to threaten his opponent and keep him in a state of suspense. As an example, with his right hand constantly held
ONE WONDERS IF DURAN TRAINED IN THE GYM BLINDFOLDED ROBERTO DURAN DOB: June 16, 1951
RECORD: 103-16 (70)
CAREER: 1968-2001
TITLES: WBA & WBC lightweight; WBC welterweight; WBA super-welterweight; WBC middleweight
high, Duran only had to jerk his right shoulder forward an inch or two to get his opponent to flinch or move into the path of a left hand. Once Duran had established that he could hurt his man, the effectiveness of the feints increased, which meant he could influence his opponent’s actions more easily and thus seize the initiative.
Like all great technical boxers, Duran possessed a superb jab which he would use conventionally to manage distance and pave the way for other punches. A quick jab to distract or blind the opponent to the right cross coming behind it was one of Duran’s favourite setups. But on a more sophisticated level, Duran would deliberately throw slow, lazy jabs (bringing them back to the waist instead of a high guard) that would draw out a counter-attack from the opponent, which he would then evade and, in turn, counter. This tactic often resulted in Duran slipping outside a return jab and then countering with a right hand over the top, or his adversary running into a timely right uppercut or left hook. Duran also liked to bait with his jab in order to coax one from the opponent so that he could duck underneath it and attack the body.
Duran’s rendition of a waltz went like this: After slipping or ducking a right hand, Duran would place his left arm around the opponent’s waist and then turn him while pivoting in the opposite direction. Before the opponent could recover his balance, Duran would strike. This technique was especially beneficial when Duran had his back to the ropes as it allowed him to reverse positions and regain the upper hand. Duran often aimed to take the fight inside where he would typically tie up the opponent with one hand while breaking him down with the other. But in order to fight inside, Duran first had to get inside. Duran’s modus operandi was to “shift” off of a right hand to close the gap and then throw a left cross from the southpaw stance. Immediately following the punch, Duran would snake his left arm inside the opponent’s right arm and begin jockeying for the positional advantage for in-fighting.
THE SCIENCE OF IN-FIGHTING
DURAN’S mastery of in-fighting was exceptional. He had an incredible ability to manoeuvre opponents into a position of disadvantage at almost every turn. Duran sought the more dominant inside position with his arms during in-fighting. Once attained, he was able to create space and attack the body unobstructed with tight hooks and uppercuts. These punches served a dual offensive-defensive purpose for Duran as they kept the opponent’s arms on the outside while simultaneously shielding his body. Duran’s precise body attack, specifically targeting the solar plexus, floating ribs and liver, usually caused the opponent to drop his hands to defend himself and thus created further openings up top.
The trademark right uppercut was contingent on the constant battle between Duran’s left hand and the opponent’s right. Duran would press on the opponent’s right bicep just above the elbow with the open palm of his left glove. Consequently, with the right arm pinned in place or occupied by Duran’s left, the opponent could not punch or defend himself from that side. And because Duran often positioned his head close to the opponent’s left shoulder or chest, which limited space and hampered a lefthanded attack, the opponent was essentially disarmed and at the mercy of the uppercut. Duran would occasionally move his head over to the right shoulder to acquire a new angle of attack or to protect his head if the opponent found enough space to cut loose with a solid left hand. In addition, Duran’s head placement also naturally arched his back, which gave him more room in which to operate as well as unbalancing his rival if “El Cholo” forcefully pushed his head into the opposing shoulder or chest.
The closer a boxer gets to his opponent, the more difficult it is for him to see and react. Therefore, boxing at close-quarters is more about intuition and being able to ascertain the opponent’s intentions through body contact. By using his gloves, forearms, shoulders or head as a sensor to detect the opponent’s movements, Duran could determine when and where to attack or defend at any given moment. Case in point: if Duran’s left glove was in contact with the opponent’s right arm, a sudden disengagement would indicate that a right-handed punch was imminent, and Duran would instantaneously take action to nullify it. Duran’s sense of touch was so heightened that one has to wonder if he performed certain drills in the gym blindfolded.
Ferocious, maniacal, unrelenting: “Hands of Stone” was all of these things. But it was the subtle nuances of boxing and particularly in-fighting — spacial awareness; inside control; pinning with the left hand while uppercutting with the right; strategic use of the head; tactile sensitivity — which made Roberto Duran a true genius of the ring.
FURTHER STUDY
WATCH Duran vs Ernesto Marcel, Juan Medina, Lionicio Ortiz, Lou Bizzarro, Edwin Viruet II, Esteban De Jesus II & III, Carlos Palomino, Sugar Ray Leonard I, Jose “Pipino” Cuevas, Davey Moore, Iran Barkley and Sean Fitzgerald.