Sugar Ray Leonard took a hapless, hopeless Roberto Duran to boxing school Thursday night, boxing him silly and winning one of the easiest decisions of his career.
Leonard won by 119-109, 116-111 and 120-110 scores on the judge's cards. It was a one-sided, almost boring bout that left the sellout crowd of 16,305 booing at the finish. It was difficult to tell if they were booing the bout or Duran, who raised his hands as a victor at the final bell and who was lifted into the air by his cornermen.But in the postfight news conference, Duran really wore out his welcome. He claimed he'd won the fight.
"I thought I won, I thought I outpointed him," he said, to several hundred disbelieving reporters. "No mas!" someone yelled.
Perhaps Duran and his people were just happy he made it to the finish on his feet.
It's difficult to describe Leonard's 36th career victory in praiseworthy fashion, since he fought a guy who couldn't counterpunch, jab, get in a straight right, or even, on two occasions, find his own corner.
This was not the savage, animal-like Duran of the 1970s. No snarls or sneers. He was almost submissive. He fought with an impassive face.
At Montreal in 1980, Duran savagely assaulted Leonard. Punches came from everywhere.
On Thursday night, Roberto Duran wasn't even a pest.
Those looking to wake up the echoes from Montreal didn't even get a pantomime.
Leonard will earn a minimum of $15 million for what was one of the easiest triumphs of his now $100 million career. Duran gets at least $7.6 million.
Leonard, who spent his time between rounds under a beige blanket in his corner, secure from the 60-degree night air, set the tone for a mismatch in the first round.
Leonard started out with constant lateral movement, Duran watching, as he would for all 12 rounds. Duran tried a lunging right hand midway through the round and Leonard blocked it. Then Leonard tagged Duran with a left jab, and rattled him with a left-right combination.
Next were two long lead rights that landed on Duran's head, followed by two body shots. Leonard, who started Round 1 warily at long range, quickly sized up his opponent. He finished the round freely hitting the Panamanian about the head and body, plainly the aggressor.
That's how it went for 10 rounds - Leonard boxing superbly, Duran failing to do much of anything. At times, Leonard was in such firm control that he appeared to be at time trying to goad Duran into quitting again, as he had in Leonard-Duran II, in New Orleans.