I Am Durán

ROBERTO Durán IN SPANISH:

INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER

When the bell rang in a Roberto Durán fight

you felt something's going to happen.

To be able to be in the ring 119 times over 40 years

it's unparalleled. He did it.

He was absolutely ferocious, he was fearless. The greatest lightweight in boxing history.

He always pressed the action. He always brought that charisma, that anger.

Roberto was a great fighter

and he's an interesting character. Flamboyant, flashy.

It's frightening to see his upbringings and how he has survived that.

A young man from Panama who brought the people together.

He was a catalyst for hope, aspiration. He kept it all alive.

CROWD CHEERS

ROBERTO Durán IN SPANISH:

The continents of North America and South America are connected

by a narrow link of land, Central America.

As explorers and traders learnt more about Central America

they found that the shortest path from ocean to ocean

was across the area known today as the Republic of Panama.

There ’s the fiery Panamanian Durán

right on Buchanan again.

The United States built a great Panama Canal

controlling the trade routes from north to south and east to west.

We should and those negotiations and tell the General:

”We bought it, we paid for it, we built it

and we intend to keep it”.

INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER

Shipping through the Panama Canal

and the nearly 10,000 American troops guarding it

were not affected by the unrest.

The canal would be a prime target for an aggressor

seeking to disrupt peace and security.

The US Senate declared it would always respect Panamanian sovereignty.

Preparing for the crackdown

the government had ordered the closure of banks, schools and government offices.

USA!

A tremendous right hand by Durán.

INDISTINCT CHATTER

Durán just cannot be beaten or intimidated.

Last night, I ordered US military forces to Panama.

And we will not be intimated by the bullying tactics

brutal though they may be, of the dictator, Noriega.

GUNSHOTS

ROBERTO Durán IN SPANISH:

He found an order in a disorderly universe

when he was a child, in learning how to fight.

Not just to fight, but howto fight.

Durán was a product of want.

Durán was a product of poverty.

You have a natural fighter here.

You have someone who's driven by vivid memories of going to bed hungry

and dirt floors and barrels lit on fire for heat.

ROBIN Durán: He didn't have a family, a proper family.

He was abandoned by his father and he had to rough it out on the streets.

He had to make a living since very young, selling newspapers, shining shoes

on the streets and trying to support his family while being a five—year—old kid.

So, it was hard for him.

Well, the Canal Zone is not a colonial possession.

It is not a long—term lease. It is sovereign United States territory.

Where do prize fighters come?

They come from desperate, poor circumstance.

In the sport of boxing

it requires such emotional strength, determination

the experience of being in very difficult situations daily.

Pain, living with pain every day.

It's not a stretch to walk into a boxing gym.

CROWD ROARS

Dynamite in both hands and he ’s showing it tonight.

There has to be some inner fire

that wants to escape from where he came and from what he'd seen

and some desire just to...

beat other people up.

ROBERTO Durán IN SPANISH:

JUAN CARLOS TAPIA IN SPANISH:

ROBERTO Durán IN SPANISH:

Ray Arcel had 20 world champions.

Now, keep in mind this is not 20 belt holders or a few world champions and belt holders.

These are legitimate true champions, divisional kings

and Ray Arcel had 20 of them.

He wasn't the typical trainer that you would think of.

He was more like, as somebody described him, "He dressed like a banker."

He was very much a gentleman.

He was very elegant and he cared for his fighters very much.

I always felt that there was no one could beat him.

I told him one time, I said:

”If you fought the heavyweight champion of the world, you could win. ”

Roberto was his last fighter

and he was, at that time, close to 80 and he was not wanting to go back into it.

He did because Roberto was so special.

This kind of like a father—son relationship which I think that they had.

Every trainer has a different work ethic.

Every trainer has a different way of instilling

in their fighter a fighting style.

Ray Arcel called him a natural fighter.

In other words, they clearly didn't have to teach him much.

ROBERTO Durán IN SPANISH:

All these guys learn a lot of stuff from the streets and whatever

and they bring it into the ring.

Being a champion is something that you gotta learn and you gotta learn it

the hard way.

And the most of us, we had nothing to start out with.

So, we ain't got nothing to lose. HE CHUCKLES

He ’s gone! There is no getting up from that.

ROBERTO Durán IN SPANISH:

APPLAUSE

Ken Buchanan was the favourite.

He was very good, if not a great fighter.

Well, I was a boxer and Roberto was a fighter.

I knew what I was up against, like.

Roberto, you seem very confident that this is going to be a knockout.

Now, let’s go a step further and tell me the round.

Durán had this absolute certainty that he would win.

I remember thinking: "What does he know that we don't know?"

When the bell rang for round one

it was like Durán's coming out to end the fight

like you just stole something from him.

He fought Ken Buchanan as if Ken Buchanan mugged his mother.

Oh, he really hurt him that time!

He just had the guts to keep going

throwing punches at me and hoping they were going to land.

He had just turned 21 years old ten days earlier.

He combined his aggression with being elusive.

And for Buchanan, to withstand that for round after round

it was a tremendous effort.

Durán was fighting for a nation.

The trouble began when a group of American high school pupils

flew an American flag without the Panamanian flag by its side.

ROBERTO Durán IN SPANISH:

And before the Panamanian National Guard

the police and US troops brought the rioters under control

more than a score were dead, including four US soldiers.

ROBERTO Durán IN SPANISH:

The Panamanians cannot talk politics.

Cannot talk in the papers, because we don't have freedom of speech.

Durán came as a symbol of opportunity

to express ourselves as a country of oppression.

I don ’t think Buchanan has ever been in this much trouble.

Durán knew how to pace himself naturally.

He also had a lot of stamina, he kept on going.

He was just relentless

going after him with his head as well as his fists

and eventually, he just broke him down.

BELL RINGS

He hit me low and that was it.

Like, the referee... He just stopped the fight.

And the winner and new lightweight champion of the world

21—year—old Roberto Durán of Panama.

That moment announced Durán on the world stage without a doubt.

A fighter arises from their midst

who became one of the all—time greats.

Something personal driving him.

I'm not sure if Durán even understood what it was but there was something that was primal.

JUAN CARLOS TAPIA IN SPANISH:

ROBERTO Durán IN SPANISH:

SPORTCASTER CHATTERS IN SPANISH

He was naturally aggressive, but he could also box.

Ferocity and savage punching, speed...

People never know him as fast, but he's very fast.

He has a great anticipation of punching. He's just an all—around marvel in the ring.

"Manos de Piedra" as a tag is so perfect for him

because it feels like... His hands feel like freaking bricks.

I've talked to fighters that have fought him

and everyone underestimates him.

They think they can win until they're in the ring with him.

HE CHUCKLES I actually have been in the ring

in a fashion, with Roberto.

He was in Rocky ll. He's supposedly Rocky's sparring partner.

ROBERTO Durán IN SPANISH:

At first, I thought, this will be pretty interesting

because, you know, I was a few pounds heavier, a little taller

and then I realised the difference between amateur and consummate pro.

The way he could move his head just an inch...

It's impossible to hit him.

This man would demolish me in...

Put it this way: if it was a fight, the fight would be 11 seconds including the count.

SPORTSCASTER SPEAKS SPANISH

Every county is more than just its politics.

Cultural heroes are particularly important in times of political unrest.

CROWD ROARS

The Panamanian people always identified themselves with Durán

especially during his fights. I mean, you know, it was a national fever.

He won, we won.

ROBERTO DIAZ HERRERA IN SPANISH:

The demonstration was organised by Panama ’s strongman, General Omar Torrijos.

He was remarkable. He was strong, he was firm

to promote the upward mobility of the Panamanian people.

The presence of 50,000 Americans here at the Canal Zone

have always been emotional issues in Panama

and Torrijos has demanded Panamanian sovereignty over the zone.

You could call him a military strongman

but that doesn't really capture who he was. He was a populist.

He was somebody who identified down, identified with the people.

They have the weapons and the tanks given by the United States

but we have our dignity and we are going to fight.

We don ’t care if we die.

JUAN CARLOS TAPIA IN SPANISH:

In Washington on September 7th, President Carter

and the Panamanian president, General Omar Torrijos

signed two treaties for Washington to surrender the Canal and Zone