If Duran hadn't shown up he'd probably be discussed as coming in around 10-15 all time. Honestly, in the Duran fight the tide had turned against him, he looked like a man fighting off an avalanche ,do yo really think in hindsight a rematch would have been different?
Buchanan was offered a rematch for $25K in Panama and turned it down. Doesn’t sound like a lot of money, but Duran’s purse in the first fight turned out to be about $33K ... he had no guarantee and got 15 percent of the gate (the actual payout may be lower as it’s not clear if that percentage came after a certain amount off the top for promotional expenses.) Further complicating things, Ken, IIRC, fired/split with his manager soon after losing the title and decided to be his own manager and book his own fights ... and by his admission he just sat around waiting for the phone to ring rather than actively seeking and negotiating for fights.
He was a great fighter. Beat Lauguna in San Juan. beat Ortiz who was past his best. Lasted 13 rounds with the greatest lightweight ever and only didnt see the distsnce due to a foul . I actually thought he beat Guts.
So did I. I think Buchanan's neat boxing was largely ignored in this fight. The crowd screamed at anything Suzuki threw and it may have intimidated most. Regardless, this is the way I scored it. Round 1: 10-9 Buchanan Round 2: 10-10 Even Round 3: 10-10 Even Round 4: 10-9 Buchanan Round 5: 10-9 Suzuki Round 6: 10-9 Buchanan Round 7: 10-9 Buchanan Round 8: 10-9 Buchanan Round 9: 10-9 Suzuki Round 10: 10-9 Buchanan Round 11: 10-9 Buchanan Round 12: 10-9 Suzuki Round 13: 10-9 Suzuki Round 14: 10-9 Suzuki Round 15: 10-9 Suzuki 144-143 Buchanan
What fight was dirtier Buchanan vs Duran or Horn vs pac? Buchanan was a great fighter. Prime Duran had to cheat his ass off to win that fight.
Well of course the end was dubious, a clear low blow and after the bell. We shouldn’t be rewriting this though. Buchanan was under severe pressure for most of that fight although he fought manfully, he was losing.
