Remembering Kirkland Laing: For one night only.

Detroit, Michigan, September 4th, 1982. Kirkland Laing entered a crowded arena huge underdog for his bout with the feared Roberto Duran. Many expected the fight to be short and fiery, favouring Duran's punching power and strength to Laing's. No one really knew of skills outside of Britain...he was an unknown quantity. Despite this, pundits and experts alike waved away his chances. The bout was not built-up to be some magnificent showdown. It was merely a comeback fight, an easy win for Duran, after his disappointing loss to Wilfred Benitez, for the world light-middleweight crown. How wrong they were. Laing turned pro in 1975, and quickly made an impact on the domestic scene, chalking up 15 successive victories, before being matched with British welterweight champ Henry Rhiney. The fight was brutal...for Rhiney that is. Laing won comfortably, inside 10 rounds. In the next months, he defended the belt three times, and was quickly becoming the figure that looked set to elevate British boxing during the era. Those thoughts were quickly dashed in nine rounds of brutal action, in 1981. Laing set up an 'undefeated vs undefeated' showdown with the talented Colin Jones, in London. Jones was Commonwealth champion, and Laing was naturally looking to add various titles to his resume. The fight was fought at a hard pace, with Laing looking the stronger throughout. Jones bided his time though, and come round nine was able to turn the fight around and see victory. Laing did not brood over his loss, and bounced back with an impressive showing against undefeated Cliff Gilpin. Unfortunately, his positive attitude appeared to momentarily fall by the wayside, and he lost against journeyman Reggie Ford in his next fight. Things did NOT look bright for "The Gifted One". Now more than ever he looked set to lose. Perhaps that's why a disheartened, albeit ferocious Roberto Duran selected him for his comeback show, after losing against equally intimidating Wilfred Benitez. Either way, it was a massive opportunity, apparently unbefitting of Laing's station in the boxing world. He saw it as his lottery ticket in disguise. Duran scoffed at Laing's chances beforehand. To even question the likelihood of a Duran victory was seen as sacrilege. It was a sure thing. While Laing was an unproven (in world terms) fighter, with no big names on his resume, Roberto 'Hands of Stone' Duran was known globally. He is regarded as one of the 'Fabulous Four' of the 80's - Hearns, Hagler and Leonard being the other members. What attracted fans and pundits to Duran was his raw, and gritty nature. He fought hard, and played hard. Duran was, in short, a savage. Not appealing to surburban America, but to the tough guy on the street, the real fight lover. That's not to say he was strictly a brawler. The man was incredibly talented. Prior to his overlooked upcoming bout with Laing, Duran had compiled a record of 74 victories, with only 3 defeats. And those blemishes were against future Hall Of Fame fighters. In short, Kirkland Laing just didn't deserve to be on Duran's record, as. It was preposterous. Duran had his fair share of big wins also. He went 2-1 against lightweight supremo Esteban DeJesus, in one of boxing's all time great trilogies. Golden boy 'Sugar' Ray Leonard also felt the wrath of Duran, after being pummelled into a unanimous decision loss, in 1980. And of course, our very own Ken Buchanan suffered too. His record read like a who's who of the big names around his division. In fact, Duran resembled a shark in the murky waters of the divisions he frequented. Duran's style clashed with defeat. He could punch, and at the same time had the chin to back up his actions in a war. He could also box behind a jab, set a furious pace and maintain it for 15 rounds, and he could box poorly yet still win. You were genuinely shocked when this man lost, because he had so many tools and such an unbelievable will. His scowl inspired fear in the hearts of many great lightweights and welters. Kirkland Laing should have been quaking in his boots...but as the fans cheered for Duran, lifting him from his disappointing loss, Laing worked his ass off in the gym, and got ready for the fight of his life. It was the making of him. Laing stepped out in front of a hostile crowd, and revelled in the chaos. This was his time. Duran was a boxing legend, but who was to say Kirk couldn't do it? He hadn't sweated and toiled in the gym to come this far, and freeze. As expected, Duran was menacing. His scowl and grim expression prompted excited cheers from the crowd, but for once, it didn't seem to faze his opponent. Not in the least...and I think that psyched Hands of Stone, to the point of bewilderment. The fight was fought at an impressive pace. Laing didn't run or hide, but boxed smartly and furiously. Duran tried to bang him out of there, and there were moments in the early rounds which made me think he might be nearing that point, but Laing didn't shirk. He continued on his impossible quest, digging deep after some Duran body shots. His work in the gym paid off big time, because he was able to cash the metaphorical cheque he wrote in the early rounds. Late on, Duran faded and tired, not just because of the pace, but because of the sharp, crisp shots Laing had laid on him. The result was an obvious UD for Kirkland Laing, in what was considered in boxing terms as mammoth. He had delivered in true style, thanks to hard work and perseverance. Despite this defeat, Duran went on to win titles at light-middle and middleweight. He even took Marvelous Marvin Hagler 15 rounds in 1983, in an undisputed title fight. However, Kirkland Laing's career fizzled out as quickly as it had rocketed. In his next fight, he suffered a KO loss to unknown Fred Hutchings. Poor focus and motivation appeared to be the reason. Laing had the ability, but not the smart mind needed to keep at the top, and to keep winning. In an uninspiring conclusion to his career, Laing fought and often lost to a string of journeymen-level fighters. After Duran, he seemed to cash in his chips and neglect his drive. If he hadn't, we could be talking about him today in the same manner as we fondly speak of Lennox Lewis. As it is, Laing's career in true world class was for One Night Only...and he came out on top.