Читать книгу Sporting Blood. Tales from the Dark Side of Boxing онлайн

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By feinting and making himself a moving target, de Jesús kept Durán off-balance from round to round, peppering the future legend with jabs, hooks, and the occasional cross. At the sound of the final bell, a disgusted Durán turned away from de Jesús with a defiant gesture of his glove. The unanimous decision went to Esteban de Jesús.

Over-the-weight fights against top contenders were holdovers from the 1920s, ’30s, and ’40s, and Durán manager Carlos Eleta continued the tradition by denying de Jesús an immediate rematch for the title. “After that fight, we went with [trainer] Ray Arcel to a restaurant and Durán was crying,” Eleta told Christian Giudice, author of Hands of Stone. “I told him you don't win the fight in the ring but in training. . . . He wanted the rematch immediately, but I postponed that fight so that he could get out of this feeling. I waited until he was ready and then I told him that he would fight de Jesús again.” Years later, Freddie Brown, who co-trained Durán alongside Ray Arcel, broke down the upset succinctly to Sports Illustrated. “He had just won the title and he was having a lot of fun celebrating. He didn't take de Jesús seriously. It didn't mean anything to him. He came to New York to play.”