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Roberto Durán vs. José Cuevas

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Boxing match
The Return of the Champions
DateJanuary 29, 1983
VenueLos Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California
Tale of the tape
Boxer Roberto Durán José Cuevas
Nickname Manos de Piedra
("Hands of Stone")		 Pipino
Hometown Panama City, Panama Province, Panama Santo Tomás, Edomex, Mexico
Purse $50,000 $50,000
Pre-fight record 75–4 (56 KO) 29–8 (26 KO)
Age 31 years, 7 months 25 years, 1 month
Height 5 ft 7+1⁄2 in (171 cm) 5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
Weight 152 lb (69 kg) 149 lb (68 kg)
Style Orthodox Orthodox
Recognition WBA
No. 10 Ranked Light Middleweight
2–division world champion		 WBA
No. 9 Ranked Welterweight
The Ring
No. 5 Ranked Welterweight
Former welterweight champion
Result
Durán wins via 4th round TKO

Roberto Durán vs. José Cuevas, billed as The Return of the Champions, was a professional boxing match contested on January 29, 1983.

Background

In December 1982, a fight between former world champions Roberto Durán and José "Pipino" Cuevas was made official. The bout was to take place on January 29, 1983, at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena on the eve of Super Bowl XVII, which was being played in nearby Pasadena. The fighters agreed to a catch weight of 150 pounds, between the welterweight limit of 147, where Cuevas had spent his entire career, and the super welterweight limit of 154 where Durán was now fighting, though Durán came into the fight 2 pounds over.

Both fighters were hoping that a victory could launch a comeback as both of their careers had suffered recent setbacks. Cuevas had been inactive for a year after unanimous decision loss to little-known Roger Stafford in what was The Ring magazine's upset of the year for 1981. Meanwhile, Durán had suffered a split decision loss to fringe contender Kirkland Laing only four months prior, this was The Ring magazine's upset of the year for 1982. The two men had fought in the welterweight division for a number of years and both had held a version of the welterweight world title, but a fight between the two was never made. Said Cuevas, "I've been waiting about three or four years to fight Duran. I still consider him a tough competitor and I think it will be a great fight." Durán mimicked Cuevas' sentiments stating "I've wanted to fight Cuevas ever since I became a welterweight but it was the circumstances the promoters were in that made it impossible for me to fight him. I feel I am well-prepared. I intend to win."

Durán had a lot riding on the fight as a victory over Cuevas all but guaranteed him a title shot against WBA super welterweight champion Davey Moore. Moore had originally been scheduled defend his title against the undefeated up-and-coming prospect Tony Ayala Jr., but the match was scrapped after Ayala was arrested and charged with the burglary and rape of a young woman whom had been his neighbor. With Moore suddenly in need of an opponent, Durán stated that promoter Bob Arum had "promised him" the fight. Arum would confirm the promise following Durán's victory over Cuevas.

The fight

Durán controlled the duration of the fight by keeping a rusty Cuevas off balance with jabs in the first two rounds, then hammering him with combinations in the third and fourth rounds. In the fourth round, a Durán combination sent Cuevas into the corner though the turnbuckle saved him from hitting the canvas, the referee nevertheless counted it as a knockdown and after answering the 8-count, the fight continued with Durán immediately unleashed a series of combinations that sent Cuevas down again. A clearly hurt Cuevas struggled to get back to his feet, but his manager Lupe Sanchez entered the ring to signify surrender and prevent any further punishment, giving Durán the victory by technical knockout.

Aftermath

After the fight, Moore wondered, "Was that Duran looking so good or Cuevas so bad?".

Fight card

Confirmed bouts:

Weight Class Weight vs. Method Round Notes
Catchweight 151 lbs. Roberto Durán def. José Cuevas TKO 4/12
Super Lightweight 140 lbs. Sergio Medina def. Alfredo Escalera UD 10/10
Bantamweight 118 lbs. Daniel Zaragoza def. Lorenzo Ramirez PTS 10/10

Broadcasting

Country Broadcaster
 Australia Seven Network
 Canada Superchannel
 Mexico Televisa
 Philippines MBS 4
 Puerto Rico WAPA-TV
 United Kingdom ITV
 United States NBC

References

  1. "WBA Rankings for December". The Times-News. Panama City. Associated Press. 28 December 1982. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  2. "Ring ratings". The Spokesman-Review. New York: The Ring Magazine. Associated Press. 11 January 1983. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  3. "Roberto Duran vs. Pipino Cuevas". boxrec.com. BoxRec. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
  4. Roberto Duran and Pipino Cuevas, once among the best..., UPI article, 1982-12-02 Retrieved on 2024-06-26
  5. Jan. 29, 1983: Duran vs Cuevas, The Fight City article, 2014-01-29 Retrieved on 2024-06-26
  6. Two former welterweight champions -- Roberto Duran of Panama..., UPI article, 1983-01-28 Retrieved on 2024-06-26
  7. Jamaican Upsets Duran, NY Times article, 1982-09-05 Retrieved on 2024-06-24
  8. Duran Wants Another Title, Washington Post article, 1983-01-30 Retrieved on 2024-06-26
  9. Duran Is Winner Over Cuevas in 4th, NY Times article, 1983-01-31 Retrieved on 2024-06-26
  10. Michael Katz (1 February 1983). "SCOUTING; Duran, Lighter, Enjoys It More". New York Times. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
  11. "BoxRec - event".
Preceded byvs. Jimmy Batten Roberto Durán's bouts
29 January 1983 		Succeeded byvs. Davey Moore
Preceded byvs. Roger Stafford José Cuevas's bouts
29 January 1983 		Succeeded byvs. Mauricio Bravo
Roberto Durán
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