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

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After scoring the biggest win of his career, de Jesús went on to post a pair of decisions over contender Ray Lampkin and a knockout over former super-lightweight champion Alfonso “Peppermint” Frazer. Durán, meanwhile, released his raw fury in successful title defenses against Jimmy Robertson, Hector Thompson, and Guts Ishimatsu. It took a career-high payday of $125,000 to lure him into a rematch against de Jesús—this time in Panama.

On March 16, 1974, de Jesús and Durán squared off before nearly sixteen thousand spectators at the Gimnasio Nuevo Panama in Panama City, where the dry season guaranteed temperatures of over one hundred degrees at ringside. After a grueling struggle to make weight, de Jesús was so drained that Gregorio Benitez tried to postpone the fight under the pretext of a cut de Jesús suffered in sparring. A $40,000 purse convinced de Jesús to enter the ring under unfavorable circumstances. For his part, Durán was training harder than ever before. Not only was he scheduled to face the only man who had ever beaten him, he was also worried about supernatural forces. Even for boxing, with its near-surrealist air, such a concern seemed beyond the pale. According to Christian Giudice, de Jesús had gathered warlocks in his camp in order to hex Durán.