Hands of Stone…And So Much More: Appreciating Roberto Duran

Published

11 years ago

May 23, 2014

Lee Wylie

The nickname “Hands of Stone” is one of the better and more delightfully illustrative in the history of the sweet science, but frankly, it is also a bit reductive for my liking, as it too neatly synopsizes what made Roberto Duran special.

Sure, the legend from Panama had savage pop in both hands. But his prowess as a ring technician, as a pugilist-specialist, probably isn’t discussed enough by fight-game analysts.

Check out this examination of a superior Duran outing, that being his 1979 welterweight division tussle against A-grade hitter Carlos Palomino. Hopefully, you’ll better understand the technical wizardry which is sometimes lost in translation when we refer to “Hand of Stone.”

Duran’s ability to hold a commanding edge at close quarters is something a fighter of any era can learn from, and a boxing fan in any era can marvel at.

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