Esteban De Jesus handed Roberto Duran his first loss when Duran was a world champion, but as this was a non-title bout Duran kept his belt. De Jesus has admitted he had a serious drug habit even early in his pro boxing career, and it was sharing needles that led to him getting AIDS. Taking drugs was also the reason he killed a man in a quarrel. Just how good De Jesus could have been is something we'll never know. For those who want to watch his first fight with Duran online, here's a link to my Daily Motion channel: This content is protected
He, Wilfred Benitez, Alfreedo Escalera and, occasionally, Wilfredo Gomez, trained together. They were all friends.
Big fan of Esteban. Was also a big fan of Rosario who was also hooked on hard drugs at an early age. These guys were both extremely talented. I really wonder where there place would be in history if they were clean there whole career. Really enjoyed watching them box.
It’s an interesting question, but with some guys I think it plays into the psyche of what makes them boxers in the first place, and in certain cases may play a role in what makes them great at it. Above all, boxers are risk-takers. You don’t go into combat sports if you aren’t. Doesn’t take very long to figure out not only do you hit people, you get hit … and that it ain’t so fun to get hit. Yet they keep doing it. I think I’m being conservative when I say of everyone who ever walked in the door at our gym when I was training, about 1/100 actually stayed long enough and did what it took to have a fight — some stayed around but decided it was just a workout for them after they got a taste of it, so shied away from sparring and such (which is fine). The higher up the scale you go particularly, a boxer has to have a sense of indestructibility. A belief that bad fates fall to others, not them, that they have — to borrow from Tom Wolfe on his book about the first American astronauts, who were plucked from the elite ranks of fighter pilots — the right stuff.
DeJesus’s title win over Guts Ishimatsu was an absolutely masterful boxing clinic. He shut out a very good fighter who’d legitimately beaten Ken Buchanan.
DeJesus literally lifted Duran off his feet with that hook. What a bomb, Two things about this fight, this was the 1st time I'd seen Duran fight not in his best shape, which would become a common occurrence later in his career and 2 ,who picked Estaban DeJesus as a stay busy non title fight?
Dejesus, on his game, was as slick as they come. Incredibly hard to hit and punished every punch you missed. A favorite to watch. He might not have been a Great but he had the abilities of a Great, no doubt.
