This time back in 1972 saw the first ever Roberto Duran loss in the ring as a professional. One that not a lot of people saw coming.
The sport of boxing has been littered in it’s history with moments where perceived unstoppable champions came unstuck due to their desire levels waning or not taking a fight seriously.
Human nature tells you that if a guy goes from struggling all his life to then suddenly being showered with riches and fame that it is possible for motivation to be adversely affected.
On November 17th, 1972 Roberto Duran was to find this out when he took on Puerto Rican Esteban De Jesus at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Undefeated in 31 pro fights at the time, Duran discovered how real a challenge De Jesus really was in the very first round when he was put down:
(Here is the full fight of the first Roberto Duran loss as a pro – hat tip and credit BoxNights YouTube)
An under motivated and out of shape Duran dropped a unanimous decision points loss ultimately – as he was handed the first loss of his pro career.
The pair would later go on to have another two fights during their careers however, with Duran exacting revenge from their first fight and winning both latter bouts inside the distance years later.
Even though it has been 44 years to the day since this first Roberto Duran loss at the time of writing this article, it still acts as a stark reminder how unforgiving the sport of boxing can be even for it’s very best protagonists.
Even if they slack off just 1% in their spartan like preparation beforehand.
Duran of course went on to have an electric career after this fight, earning the nickname ‘Hands of Stone’ for his brick like fists.
He shared the ring with many greats of the sport, became world champion in four weight divisions and ultimately compiled a total professional record of 103-16-70KO.
He had a movie released about this legendary career in 2016 – check out the trailer for it here.
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