Ken Buchanan vs Roberto Duran - June 26, 1972 - Rounds 1 - 4

Ken Buchanan vs Roberto Duran
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Ken Buchanan defends the WBA Lightweight Championship of the World in a scheduled 15 round bout at Madison Square Garden. The bout is remebered as one of the most controversial fights in history; the fight ended with an obvious foul, but was recorded as a TKO, and even though the bell for round 14 sounded the fight officially ended in 13. This was Roberto Durans first title fight.
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Their records at the time
Ken Buchanan: 43-1
Roberto Duran: 28-0

[@TrumanOThirsty]

@primeboxers I am glad you uploaded this title bout. It is not only a great fight, it is an important fight historically. A young Duran surprised a superb Buchanan & many boxing experts in taking the lightweight title; Duran went on to be regarded by most boxing analysts, commentators & writers as the best lightweight of all time. A rematch was scheduled but for reasons unknown to me, the rematch never took place. Thank you for making this historic & exciting fight available to the public!

[@MrGG1959]

I have been searching for a copy of this fight for years. Duran was awesome for such a young fighter.

[@PhilAndersonOutside]

Thanks for posting this. This has to be one of the best lightweight fights in history. Duran was probably the best lightweight ever, but Buchanan had great skill and is probably in the top 10. When no one wanted to fight Duran, Ken took him on and defended his title valiantly in a close fight.

[@yaiqab]

Duran has phenomenal speed and Buchanan has a wonderful jab and footwork.

[@haupper]

"He's in with no creampuff." Understatement of the century!

[@xxdonaldqxxx]

When Roberto Duran was ask after he retired "who was the best fighter you ever faced?",Duran answered with a resounding... Buchanan!!!!!!!!

[@darksectc1]

Boy,did he maul him or what? Great fight,great era,great upload!

[@user-xc9ih8gv4h]

Awesome fight. These first four rounds are close.. Ken slipped on that knockdown, but he was surprised and knocked off balance from a punch he didnt think would get so close - no ones fault but his own and a knockdown deserved on the scorecards for Duran. I wish Ken advanced and came forward more these rounds and surprised Duran with some right crosses, it doesn't seem like Duran was expecting them. Ken wins round three but gets mauled by this ferocious pitbull this whole fight. Glad to know they've gotten together at a boxing event and embraced in arms years and years later.

[@duffgordon9005]

+Glenn Solomon God bless him for having that in him but there is a future day....the action from the commissioner down was cowardly. Even the thought of doing a full investigation never, as far as I have read considered. Display the score cards, display every photo, reel, amateur reels, unbiased witnesses, although if Buchanan were ahead or behind the average person is irrelevant, because as in every business contract say contracting, the owner keeps pushing "Buchanan" to get it done in 10 and Buchanan replies; "Duran please stop cursing me for stay standing - remember when you wanted 12 but I would not accept it knowing if I were behind 15 might be needed as i proved to you with my getting a split with Laguna your hero. In fact I beat him twice? Didn't I step into 130 heat right off the plane because you? said no? People cannot wrap their heads around the fact that any scoring up to now means nothing until the 15th bell- ASK LAGUNA and all my 15th round wins. All you who guarantee that Duran will win as with two rounds left each man should think if he would bet his house against a KO by Buchanan in 14 or 15 assuming the low blow never happened. Buchanan was a 15 rounder and Duran isn't. No one speculates if Duran was hurt . Did he show an ounce of discomfort when he quit with Sugar Ray? Why was he insane with anger IF he thought he were so far ahead? Why did he cuss him so? Where was all the chatter (as there would be even if tyson were still up) that Duran HAD to be exhausted? The more energy spent trying to fell the champion no announcer even hypothesized with the evidence of the cursing, exhaustion that just maybe he was not willing to go 14 and 15. As far as I know round per round Buchanan may have had the toughest constitution of any fighter. With one loss , he may have never been knocked out. In my adult life, I have never heard such bias by the ring commentator over and over and over that this "Is the most trouble Buchanan has ever been in" But here we are, the 13th, with a ring writer insisting that the damage buchanan endured were the low blows and head butts. Here is another record to check for a championship. what is the record without a single warning about a head butt with the fact that it had been going on for 13 rounds?? Now this is a good one. Why did not Duran's corner complain. Could it be that he took advantage of Buchanan's clean jab fighting. Just for the record I would like to have the number for how many times duran came out slugging and when exhausted would hang on Buchanan like a girl at her first dance. You know what, if resting and groping and roping is the way you need to get to the top. so be it. It however takes all the strategy and beauty from those that really know how to box and can knockout let alone get to 15. 1) was the ref he uncle of duran or not 2) could duran win against Buchanan if he boxed him instead of slobbering over him 3) WHAT IS THE record for any ref to stay mum the entire fight, especially a championship, especially with a brawler. 4) Given his quitting Sugar Ray when he was seemingly ok shed any light on what his personal integrity is like) 5) I am absolutely convinced that Buchanan proved he was in this fight based on his brisk exchange before the 13th bell., although the commentators from round 1 would have guessed he was going to be hospitalized. The irony is that he was hospitalized for one week according to a press report. Did anyone else notice that as the bell was ringing and the ref grabbed him I thought it looked like the ref KNEW the plan or sensed it. I thought I saw the back of a bull with such intention to do harm in the way he approached Buchanan it was like a bull in Spain actually goring an onlooker. I know most of you have had enough but I will not be satisfied until a full, CSI investigation is done. Lie detectors, every scrap of evidence, because it was, I believe a theft- instead of doubting Duran, it is now postulated that Buchanan orchestrated this, and I cannot imagine any men taking a full blow into his gonads when he could have ran for Duran - it sure didn't hurt him lol

[@davidpollard3298]

Problem for Buchanan was he was always throwing his jab off his back foot, moving away from Duran and so when he landed it well he was always out of range to quickly follow it up to press home the advantage.

[@fischparov]

thats a solid observation about 1:04 mark i think Duran wouldve gone down without the ropes however he was far from hurt more off balance notice how fast duran came off the ropes imo...Buchanan was a very sharp slick fighter he was the champion and for good reason ...but Duran kicked his ass

[@charlesrazo7246]

The young hungry Duran at that point of his career there were no rules

[@PhilAndersonOutside]

@dcasey77 - According to the rules the punch doesn't have to hit someone squarely on the chin to be a knockdown. But they key may be that Ken was off-balance and slipping when Roberto hit him. Ken was obviously unhurt by whatever punch landed.

[@LeviJohansen]

@CyderDrinkerDorset you're welcome!

[@PhilAndersonOutside]

@Mowglieboy69 You're right. Duran was winning, and going to win, obviously. Mostly I was always surprised Ken never got a rematch.

[@PhilAndersonOutside]

@dcasey77 - You are correct. This is closer to Juan Roldan's "knockdown" of Marvin Hagler, and the ref should have used more common sense. Ken obviously wasn't hurt in the slightest either. Yes, the ending was a rip. He was clearly hit with a low blow and the way the fight was stopped was another poor job of refereeing. But yes, Duran was winning the fight, and going to win it, though it was fairly close. Shame there never was a rematch.

[@dcasey77]

@zenmachinefilms I know what you mean, boxers can legitimately go down from body blows. However, the referee should use a little comon sense here. If its obvious that no significant blow landed and that this did not follow a previous series of punches which could have hurt the fighter, then the referee should rule it as a slip. Although Buchanan was clearly losing (I had him 3 rounds behind at the end), he was on the receiving end of poor refereeing both here and at the end of the fight.

[@manuelarredondo6962]

Para mi nunca ha habido un boxeador tan estilista y tecnico como ken buchanan hasta ahora y en esa epoca no ha habido una repeticion en camara lenta donde constate que Ken no fue fauleado

[@JonathanHeresOficial]

Foul para qué? Durán iba sobrado en las tarjetas. Que beneficio tendría jugar sucio. Trampa hizo el escosés para intentar salvar la pelea que sabía iba perdiendo lejos. Todos los expertos del mundo lo ven claro.

[@dcasey77]

That was a never a knockdown in round one. The punch grazed Buchanan's shoulder.

[@Mowglieboy69]

@zenmachinefilms It wasn't close. Ken might've won 2 rounds. He showed his toughness and grit, and came on well towards the end, but the bout itself was not close on the cards.

[@Ricky42791]

Duran is catching buchanan with that looping overhand right nearly ever time he throws it, christ keep your left up ken! haha Duran is also very sneaky with those right uppercuts on the inside is obvious that they are jolting buchanan

[@xxdonaldqxxx]

Yes, of course but Duran still considered Buchanan to be the best scientific and technically sound boxer he ever faced. Duran never gave Buchanan a rematch.

[@eduu2]

Buchanan was losing the fight already by every round..

[@georgegreig8054]

​@@eduu2And?

[@TrumanOThirsty]

Question: At 1:04 of the 1st round, Buchanan hits Duran with a solid left hook and Duran starts to go down but - it appears - the ropes prevent Duran from hitting the canvas. Under NY boxing rules, if Duran is going down from a legal punch and only the ropes prevent him from hitting the canvas; should Buchanan be credited with a knockdown? Or, did the ref think that Duran would have not hit the canvas without the ropes? Anyone know the facts about this incident? Thanks

[@MrGLites]

Imagine being a boxer and having to face Duran in his prime - man that dude was a PROBLEM! Aaron Pryor without the drugs. With that being, said Buchanan was a tough sob.

[@gusvalcinus8732]

He was no joke.

[@gknows333]

The announcer sure was making a lot of excuses for Buchanan. You can tell who he wanted to win.

[@gusvalcinus8732]

Sup, G-KNOWS?

[@kingrich5427]

I was thinking the same shit.

[@duffgordon9005]

+Greg Lites tHE EARLY dURAN WAS MADE UP - YOU WANT PROOF-? tHEY TALK AS IF HE HAD BEEN FIGHTING FOR 10 YEARS. iF YOU WANT PROOF LOOK AT THE RECORD OF THE CHUMP AND i MEAN cHUMP OF THE GUY dURAN CHOSE TO FIGHT IT IS A DISGRACE THAT THIS BIASED COMMENTATOR WOULD NEVER MENTION. oN THE OTHER HAND LOOK AT THE TWO FIGHTERS BEFORE AND THE TWO AFTER AND THE ROUNDS WHEN bUCHANAN WINS. bUCHANAN TOOK ON CARLOS oRTIZ WHO HAD KNOCKED OUT SIX IN A ROW, AND IN THE 6TH bUCHANAN GAVE HIM ENOUGH THAT HE QUIT THEN AND THERE FOREVER. bUCHANAN COULD HAVE A 20 ROUNDER WITH THIS "MADE UP CHAMPION" AND HE WOULD NEVER DROP WHICH IS WHY imo dURAN, AFTER THE 13TH ROUND BELL, THREW OFF THE REF "uNCLE jOE"? AND SENT HIM A SHOT HEAR AROUND THE WORLD. oF COURSE "SINCE bUCHANAN WOULD HAVE 100 PERCENT LOST IN 14 OR 15 THE REF GAVE DURAN A TKO, ALTHOUGH THE CHEATING KIND INSIST IT IS A ko. 1) tHE RING WRITERS INSISTED THAT MOST OF kEN'S DAMAGE WAS HEAD BUTTING AND LOW BLOWS. tHE FIRST WARNING CAME INTO THE FIGHT IN THE 13TH???????tELL ME , IF A REF GRABS YOU IN A BEAR HUG AT THE BELL THE FIGHTER IS ALLOWED TO TOSS THE REF ASIDE? wITH THE GOAL OF TAKING bUCHANAN OUT. wHICH HE DID. aNYBODY THAT IS HIT LIKE THAT AND FIGHTS TO GET UP CANNOT CONTINUE AS 14 AND 15 WERE HIS MONEY ROUNDS AND YOU BETTER BELIEVE 1) iGNORING THE rEF WHO LET A HEAD BUTTING AND LOW BLOWER (ACCORDING TO THE FIGHT PROFESSIONALS) 2) A MEDICAL REPORT THAT HIS TESTICAL WAS SWOLLEN AND EXTREME PAIN, 3) THIS CLASSY 47-1 boxer GOES TOE TO TOE, WITH CURSING BY DURAN THAT MADE HIM MANIC 4) tHE DAMAGE IS HEAD BUTTING . tHE fINALE- dURAN WAS UNDER ORDERS never TO GET IN THE RING WITH kENNY AGAIN...WELL, A-UMM, HE'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH? oR THE PUNK WHO LANDED BLOW AFTER BLOW PUTTING KENNY IN THE TOUGHEST SPOT OF HIS CAREER- GO WATCH KENNY'S FLURRY BEFORE THE BELL. dURAN TOOK HIM OUT BECAUSE WHEN YOU LOOK AT kb'S RECORD LOOK AT ROUND 15 AND HOW MANY kb HAD WON. tHEN LOOK AT dURAN'S bUM RECORD AND SEE HOW MANY HE WON IN THE 15TH. aARON pRYOR WITHOT THE DRUGS? tHERE WAS NO BLOOD WORK

[@anthony81860]

It's no way a supposedly low blow would cause the kind of reaction that Buchanan is displaying. If you want to see a real low blow, look at the Holmes/ Cooney fight. Cooney hit Holmes with a forocious blow below the belt that did not lead to Holmes doubling over in pain and going to his knees like Buchanan. Holmes relaxed for a few seconds and continued the fight. Buchanan was losing the fight and tried to get the referee to proclaim a non decision. The referee was so disgusted with Buchanan's cowardly and bizarre behavior that he walked away from him. Later, after the fight, the ref said that it was not a low blow.

[@duffgordon9005]

+anthony81860 hey antony good news Duran intentionally went late and low.

[@julio19ist]

Duran knock buchanan down to the canvas!!

[@julio19ist]

Buchanan was knokedout by Roberto Duran