Roberto Duran believes his manager forced him into an unfavorable fight shortly after he was seriously injured in a car accident.

The Hall of Famer is perhaps best known for his encounters with Marvin Hagler, Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas Hearns, whom he fought above his natural weight class of 135 pounds.

Against Leonard, he captured the WBC welterweight title with a unanimous decision victory in 1980, before losing the rematch by eighth-round stoppage later that year.

Duran next faced Hagler and Hearns at middleweight and super welterweight respectively, but suffered back-to-back losses to his fellow champions in 1983 and 1984.

However, the Panamanian particularly excelled at lightweight, winning his first world title with a controversial 13th-round stoppage of Ken Buchanan in 1972.

Duran then defended the WBA title twice he suffered his first defeat against Esteban de Jesuswho went down and passed “Hands of Stone” the same year he won the belt.

While talking to One-on-one boxingHowever, Duran explained that his manager Carlos Eleta was to blame for the unanimous decision loss.

“It was wrong – I’ll tell you why. Carlos Eleta shouldn’t have taken that fight because I had a car accident. I broke my spine [arm] and my mouth was broken.

“I believe Carlos Eleta just wanted money from Roberto Duran. I still had swelling and bleeding in my mouth and my elbow was broken. I still have a hole there [points to right elbow].

“The only good thing Esteban de Jesus did was throw me. When he threw me, I got up and won the fight.

“They gave it to him because then and even today [Madison Square Garden, New York]Puerto Ricans are in power.”

While Duran’s notion of the Puerto Rican’s superiority in Up-to-date York is perhaps far-fetched, he is nevertheless correct that Esteban was unable to defeat a fully functional version of himself.

This was confirmed by an 11th-round rematch victory two years later, and further evidence was Duran’s triumph over Esteban in the 12th round in 1978.

Gervonta Davis is running out of chances to get back into the lineup 135-140 while their opponents are doing without him.

As the days passed, the former pound-for-pound star remained hushed on the WBA’s order to negotiate a fight with mandatory challenger Floyd Schofield, while other names previously linked to a return to the ring gradually faded from the equation.

Davis was once expected to face Lamont Roach in an immediate rematch after a controversial majority draw in March 2025.

This opportunity is already gone.

The return route is starting to close

Roach secured a shot at the vacant WBC lightweight title against William Zepeda on August 1 in Las Vegas after a rematch with Davis was stalled.

The athlete from Washington did not want to idly wait for explanations and instead got another chance at the world champion title.

At the same time, reports indicate that Isaac Cruz is heading towards a fight with Gary Antuanne Russell for the WBA super lightweight championship.

These changes remove two of the most obvious opponents Davis had at his disposal just a few months ago.

The lightweight and super lightweight divisions continue to change as uncertainty continues to surround Davis.

Only one fight on the table

Currently, Schofield is the only realistic option on the table.

As World Boxing News previously reported when examining why Davis has greater concerns than the WBA, Schofield remains the only specific opponent currently linked to the Baltimore star.

Schofield has publicly confirmed the June 22 deadline and has been consistently posting about it on social media.

Davis has given no public indication that the order takes up most of his attention.

The undefeated challenger has repeatedly referenced the ticking clock on social media, questioning how Davis’ current legal situation could impact the trial.

As the endpoint continues to draw closer, there is little sign that the fight is progressing.

Lomachenko’s wild card

Vasily Lomachenko’s potential return could revive a fight that faltered in 2024 when the Ukrainian retired from boxing.

However, such a scenario depends entirely on Lomachenko’s decision to return and remains more theory than reality for now.

Problems outside the ring

The bigger problem for Davis is that boxing isn’t his biggest concern right now.

Reports of Davis returning to training gained momentum after comments were accidentally leaked during Adrien Broner’s Kick stream, but returning to the gym does not automatically solve the growing problem of available opponents.

Davis remains linked to warrants reportedly issued for alleged probation violations stemming from an incident at a Miami strip club that previously scuttled his proposed fight with Jake Paul.

These problems haven’t gone away, nor has the uncertainty about his future.

Roach has moved on to fight for the WBC title against Zepeda, while Cruz is reportedly heading towards a clash with Russell. Schofield remains the only concrete option unless Lomachenko decides to come out of retirement and return to unfinished business.

For the fighter around whom the lightweight division once revolved, the situation now looks completely different.

The longer uncertainty persists, the fewer routes remain open to the threat of prison.

About the author

Phil Jay is the editor-in-chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a boxing veteran with over 15 years of experience. Read the full biography.

Author: Sean Crose

While it’s true that many female boxers contributed to the golden age of women’s boxing, you can’t talk about the rise of women in the world of the sweet science without mentioning Katie Taylor, who is reported to be set to sing her swan song when she takes on Floa Pili. Taylor is undoubtedly a legend of the sport. After all, she won eight world titles and competed in some of the most stimulating matches you will find… among both male and female boxers. In miniature, Taylor helped accomplish what some thought was impossible. And that makes women’s boxing must-see TV.

I remember seeing Taylor fight live at the Boston Garden a while back. That was the only time I saw Taylor get incensed. Her opponent simply didn’t want to engage and it was clear that Taylor was annoyed. After all, this was Boston with a huge Irish crowd. Even Conor McGregor was there. Taylor wanted to impress and was not allowed to do so due to her opponent’s inactivity. But that night she didn’t mock her opponent or show any irritation. She simply raised her hand, showed her irritation, and went on with her business. Then she won the fight.

However, it was Taylor’s epic trilogy against Amanda Serrano that truly proved to be the standout moment for the Irish compatriot. I marked both the first Taylor-Serrano fight and the second Taylor-Serrano fight as fights of the year on Boxing Insider. They were so good. Indeed, there were moments in these fights that reminded me of Hagler-Hearns. That my friends are highly praised by everyone, especially by venerable time fight fans.

It’s infrequent to see two fighters give their all as these two women did in these three fights. These were bloody, bruising, high-octane events, the kind of sporting events that make you wonder how far each combatant will kick. And yet they kept digging. Digging. While it’s true that the third fight wasn’t as stimulating as the first two, these first two fights should be watched as long as you watch boxing. They really were that good. In fact, the first two fights could have ended with any result. While Serrano has never beaten Taylor, there is no doubt that she could. And Taylor probably wouldn’t complain.

That’s because Taylor is a real athlete. I respect this sport. It respects its opponents and is grounded in reality. There isn’t enough of that in current boxing and we will miss it when Taylor leaves the ring. Still, the woman deserves to retire. She has earned every penny she has in the bank, every title she has won and every accolade she has received. It’s one thing to slavishly worship someone, but it’s another thing to show true, well-deserved praise.

It’s almost amazing that Taylor, 39, has fought for so long. She had raw talent full of energy that was polished into an icy, effective style. Overall, it was very enjoyable to watch. And it’ll probably be fun to watch her in her final fight, too. Let’s hope he enjoys his time outside the ring. He certainly deserves the rest and relaxation that he will strive for. There are of course many other great players, both male and female, but when someone has left the mark that Taylor is leaving, it’s time to give credit where it’s due. She will be missed.

Aylor would complain.