Duran quit against Leonard in there rematch. He wasn’t even pulled out he literally just said “no mas” and yet he is known as one of the most gutsy fighters in history. Whilst fighters who were pulled out by there corners for serious injuries are labelled quitters.
It's hard to label him a quitter if he only did it one time, in every other fight in his career Duran was the complete opposite of a quitter.
Duran was labeled a quitter. He had tax-exempt status in Panama before the Leonard rematch and the leaders of his country were so ashamed of him they revoked it. I remember a whole Sports Illustrated feature (I believe) on how the people at home all but banished him. He was labeled a quitter when he quit against Pat Lawlor, too, on the Tyson-Ruddock undercard. By that point, people were just embarrassed by him. But fans who came along in the years since just choose to ignore it. Selective memory.
yeah thats true. You only have to look at some of the duran v Leonard 2 threads here to see how fans today see things differently from when it happened with some going as far as discrediting Leonard’s win rather than saying Duran quit cos Leonard was humiliating him. Saying things like Leonard was lucky that Duran was weight drained an he would have lost if Duran wasn’t partying non stop instead of training for the fight. Ha ha
As others have said, he WAS vilified for it. In Panama, the U.S., everywhere. Who's saying he wasn't? Odd question.
Labelling Duran a quitter based on ONE fight, whilst ignoring all his gutsy performances otherwise, is a far more glaring example of selective memory. Some fans shouldn’t live so vicariously through their favourite fighters or sit in such high judgment - finding it all too easy to pull the plug on a long career that exemplified guts and determination otherwise.
What isn't debatable is that Dundee is reported as having stated that which was quoted in my previous post, during the media frenzy after the bout. And, in reference to the OP, it would seem clear that, according to Dundee, Duran was being called out as a quitter. At the same time Dundee was aware of why Duran did what he did - paying respect to him and advocating for Duran's explanation. Not that this helped at the time since Duran was decimated by the press while, at the same time, losing his trainer, manager and promoter. Nonetheless, I think Dundee's stance back then reflects what is largely the perception of Duran today, in that he was able, with the minimum of diehard support, to stay at it, rekindle his wider appeal and redeem himself. Whilst New Orleans 1980 will not be forgotten, Duran has, in the main, been forgiven - with the event itself being allowed to fade to gray.
