Roberto Duran vs Esteban De Jesus in a ten round non-title lightweight bout

Date: November 17, 1972

Venue: Madiso9n Square Garden, New York

Duran stance: orthodox

De Jesus stance: orthodox

Roberto Duran turned pro in 1968 aged just 16. He won the WBA lightweight title in 1972, when he stopped Ken Buchanan in the 13th round, despite landing several low blows after Buchanan had been knocked down.A few weeks later, Duran knocked out Greg Potter in the first round of a non-title bout. Another few weeks later, Duran knocked out Lupe Ramirez in the first round of a non title fight. Less than three weeks later, Duran was ready for his third non-title fight since winning the world title.

Esteban De Jesus turned pro in 1969. The only blemish on his record to date was a points loss to Antonio Gomez in his 17th fight. Most of his early fights took place in Puerto Rico or Venezuela. His best wins were three against Josue Marquez (the first two on points and the third a 12th round stoppage), an eighth round stoppage of George Foster and a points win over Angel Robinson Garcia. De Jesus was considered an extremely dangerous opponent, but very few people other than boxing insiders had heard of him.

For an in depth look at their respective records, visit:

Roberto Duran - https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/000080

Esteban De Jesus - https://boxrec.com/en/box-pro/8683