The Most Painful Defeats

Speaking of Pac... When he decked Barrera the first time there's a moment where Barrera sits on his ass and kind of hugs his knees for a second and there's such a miserable look on his face.. It's the look of a child who has been hurt but is training himself not to cry or show weakness. I knew how the fight was going to go from there when I saw it.... Felt bad for him at he time.

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Arguello-Pryor

 

Hearns-Hagler.

 

Chavez/Taylor 1

Pryor/Arguello 1

Norris/Taylor

 

Hamed Barrera

I was devastated at the time

 

Watching Roy fight is painful these days. Him losing to cans makes me sick!

 

Lebedev is going to ****ing kill him either way, horrible KTFO incoming

 

It's just a generational & general identification thing from back then, society was a bit different then in the 70's & most opinions were polarised be it politics or sport or in most cases politics & sport where one & the same. Who are you with & where do you stand ect, conformist/Non-Conformist, in or out, with them or against them, company man or rebel, "don't get above your station" sort of shite!

I first saw Duran when i was 17yrs of age on a sat afternoon on ITV World of Sport & it had the highlights of Duran/DeJesus II & i was mesmorised. I shortly found out later at work on the monday that he was responsible for beating Buchanan & hated as a dirty ******* by all of the older guys who were all to a man company men & what with me being the slave apprentice who was expected to fetch & carry their plumbers tools & fetch the coffee with the obligatory slap around the head, that set in motion the old saying that my enemies enemy is my friend sort of thing & anything & everything about Duran's persona appealed too me.

He was the ultimate anti-authoritarian rebel who scared the **** out of the conservative conformist "know your place class" My mum & uncles are all scottish & it all fell into place when i remembered them going beserk after the Buchanan fight & my mum swearing calling Duran that "wee dirty greezy swine" i did'nt know it was Duran back then & it all fell into place & i just thought "thats ****in COOL!! Thats the role model for me!!

There was'nt much coverage back then in the press about overseas fights & we had a very strong domestic scene & that got all the press ink & when the Montreal Olympics came along in 76 it goes without saying that Sugar Ray Leonard was the main man & the global face of boxing who we all knew about & eveyone thought WOW ect ect that was until i picked up the local evening paper on the 21st of June & on the back page it had a photo of Duran leaping into the air with the headlines "The Panama Animal" mauls & batters Sugar Ray Leonard & that only cemented my belief that this is the greatest fighter alive & a triumph of individuality over the system & vindicated my decision in making Duran my role model & hero while the main stream casual were all cooing over SRL especially after he'd dispached Dave Boy Green.

In my youth & formative young years all my mates were Duran fans, to say you were a Leeds Utd supporter (HATED by all) regarding football & a Duran fan regarding boxing gave out the message to anyone & everyone what you were really all about or asperied to be & after New Orleans when all the hahahhehehehe brigade suddenly appeared from everywhere it only entrenched my opinions & views, yer don't quit on yer team just because they've had one bad game & change sides, not me anyway & it was more than an eye opener with regard to the attitude of most people regarding that 2nd fight & Leonard was the casual mediocre man in the streets dream, a company man indeed!!

Duran is the ultimate role model for any young man who is a bit down on his luck & in the fact that he came back the way he did after New Orleans & losing to Laing & within a year was a **** hair away from beating the Mighty Hagler should give hope for all that anything is possible if you have the will & when you consider what he had to endure from his own people & the media after New Orleans & then rise up from the ashes of his own self inflicted humiliation then how can your troubles be any worse than his in the main. Get back up & press on & thats why Duran for me is everything about being the correct role model in overcoming adversity, faults & all & we've all got plenty.

There's no way i expect any younster's on here will cut to what i've just said as times they have a changed & for the better IMO, but i expect all Englishman on ESB around my age group will more than comprehend exactly what i'am getting at & where i was heading & it'll no doubt jog a few memories about what we got up too until we too had to conform somewhat with getting shotgun married/kids/trying to keep a job down to pay the bills & resisting the urge to smash the ****in shite out of a **** foreman on-site who was giving you unjust grief ect. But i did flatten the foreman who gave me unjust grief & went onto become a succesful entrepenour & that in plain english means un-employable & have been for 26 years

 

thanks for the full response, duranimal. enjoyed every word, real insight.

 

I tried to keep it at short as i could:yep

I used the same style of delivery in court but to no effect:-(

 

Ali-Norton III - a man deprived of his legacy.

Duk - Koo- Kim - I remember seeing him on his back, and saying to myself "He's going to die".

 

Tyson v Lewis,had stupidly hoped he could turn it on one more time.I did not see the end,went in the kitchen got a beer and went outside for a smoke.