How Great was Ken Buchannan ?

One of my favourite fighters {non Welsh boxers} was Ken Buchanan, i liked Ken's patriotism, his tartan shorts and the bagpipes playing 'Scotland the Brave' as he entered the ring, yet Ken never fought a professional bout in his home town 'Edinburgh' which is the capitol of Scotland.

Most of Ken's important fights was on the road, he headlined at Madison Square Garden seven times, which was a record for a European boxer.

Ken Buchanan had won the British lightweight championship and progressed to a European championship title fight with a record of 33 straight wins, when he fought future World champion Miguel Velazquez in his own backyard in Spain, not only did Ken think that the judges favoured their own boxer but most neutrals thought the same.
Despite the controversial loss to Velazquez after another 3 wins, Ken gained a World title shot against the talented, Ismael Laguna in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the fight took place in the afternoon and the temperature was an incredable 120 degrees {Ken is from Scotland, a cold country}, Laguna came out first into the open air ring and claimed the shaded corner.
Veteran British boxing commentator Reg Gutteridge said in 2002: "Laguna was an outstanding fighter at the time. Before the fight, I thought Laguna would beat him to be honest. It's very hard to win away like that. I know that the crowd shouldn't be that much of an influence but they normally are, Ken despite the heat attacked from the bell and won a very close split decision, one point in it on every scorecard.
After defending his title a couple of times and half a dozen more wins {including beating Laguna again this time at MSG} Ken had his most famous fight against Roberto Duran at MSG
After 13 rounds, Buchanan felt he was finally ahead on points, then in a few moments, which Buchanan said in his autobiography were to haunt him for the rest of his life, he lost his title after he was punched below the belt after the bell had sounded for the end of the round, which floored him. Such was the force of the punch that his testicles were permanently damaged.
The referee, Tony Lobianco didn't punish the foul but awarded the bout to Duran as he decided that Buchanan couldn't continue, without asking if he could go on. It was the referee's one and only title fight and Buchanan described the punch as: "That one late blow went a long way to destroying my career."
The way he lost his world title become an obsession for the Scot, especially as he never got his promised rematch against Duran, who went on to become one of the sport's biggest stars. But the Panamanian later told Scottish sports writer Hugh McIlvanney that Buchanan was his best opponent in all of his many years in the ring.
Buchanan was never the same after the Duran fight, he did beat past World champion Carlos Ortiz {who retired on his stood after 6 rounds} in his next fight and then fought and beat future World champion Jim Watt on his way to another World title shot against Japanese fighter Guts Ishimatsu in Tokyo, Ken lost on points.
If Duran had been disqualified, or if Duran had a point/round deducted from him Buchanan would still probarbly have been the champion and considering what Duran went on to achieve and what Buchanan would have gone on to achieve, Ken had to have surgery after Durans low blow and was never quite as good again, Ken Buchanan in my eyes is ATG top 100 boxer, who could have been a top 30 ATG boxer ? if not for bad luck.

 

Sorry for doing a typo on Ken's surname on the title of the post, it should read
'How Great was Ken Buchanan'

 

Roberto Duran saying that Ken Buchanan was the best opponent he faced, in all of his many years in the ring. Says it all really, i dont know if Durans low blow after the bell was deliberate, but it may well have been? as he may have felt he was losing the fight with only 2 rounds to go, also the evidence is not good against Duran, a punch after the bell had sounded and the blow was also a 'low blow'.{that caused serious damage} Thats two fouls in one go !

I think it was very poor that Buchanan was not given an immediate rematch, i can understand Duran not wanting to fight Ken again as he knew there was a good chance that Ken would beat him, but surely the WBA should have ordered a rematch, the referee never took charge of a title fight again.