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"I did that fight," said promoter Don Elbaum. "Even though Saoul might not admit it, he told me after the fight that he'd never been hit that hard in his life. Every punch hurt, he said. Duran could really hit."
Mamby also revealed a rarely seen side to Duran after the fight. "I was supposed to be an opponent and I got paid like one," said Mamby. "Would you believe I got only three thousand dollars for fighting a champion? When Duran heard about it, he chewed out the promoter and apologized to me".
Mamby also revealed a rarely seen side to Duran after the fight. "I was supposed to be an opponent and I got paid like one," said Mamby. "Would you believe I got only three thousand dollars for fighting a champion? When Duran heard about it, he chewed out the promoter and apologized to me".
Ready for the charades Duran often played at press conferences, Palomino was surprised when they actually met. "I told my manager that if Duran tried to start anything at the weigh-in, I was going balls-out on the spot. I was not going to take anything. Before the bout, he comes up to me and shakes my hand. He tells me how much respect he has for me as a fighter. Then he asked me for an autograph for his son. To this day we hug when we see each other."
"Although he didn't have devastating punching power, his quickness really surprised me", said Palomino. "I never really got hurt but he was so shifty, used angles and was in such a defensive mode that it took away from my offensive mode."
"One time I'm drinking with these women. I love whores. The hookers told me, 'You need to screw with us and then go out and beat the living **** out of that black man.' They start kissing on me and I told them, 'You're right.' I come home and tell my woman that it's the last time I drink. Then I start to sharpen myself, and by now I'm praying for the rematch."
The fight was made, strangely, at 162 lbs, six pounds inside the division limit, something Duran did not seem to realize until it was raised at the pre-fight press conference. As ever, Leonard seemed to be calling the tune. "He wanted to fight me four or five years earlier, but he doesn't want to fight me in the 168-pound division because he knows I'm going to rip him apart. At 162, I couldn't. He almost didn't make the weight himself. He also didn't catch me in condition. At the time I had a really big problem that was eating away at my brain. I owed some money to the IRS. But I was happy because I paid everything I owed to them."
"Leonard didn't beat me. The IRS did."
The fight was made, strangely, at 162 lbs, six pounds inside the division limit, something Duran did not seem to realize until it was raised at the pre-fight press conference. As ever, Leonard seemed to be calling the tune. "He wanted to fight me four or five years earlier, but he doesn't want to fight me in the 168-pound division because he knows I'm going to rip him apart. At 162, I couldn't. He almost didn't make the weight himself. He also didn't catch me in condition. At the time I had a really big problem that was eating away at my brain. I owed some money to the IRS. But I was happy because I paid everything I owed to them."
"Leonard didn't beat me. The IRS did."
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