One of the greatest fighters to ever compete in the sport of boxing, Roberto Duran, would make his final walk to the ring in a familiar championship setting.
Duran, part of the Four Kings alongside his fellow icons Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns, and the late Marvelous Marvin Hagler, is revered as one of the greatest fighters to compete in professional boxing.
And winning gold one last time in his decorated professional career, Duran put the less-than-heralded NBA (National Boxing Association) super middleweight crown up for grabs against a familiar rival in his career swansong outing.
Roberto Duran faces the late Hector Camacho in retirement rematch fight
On this day in 2001, Duran — then aged 50, would make his final-ever walk to the ring, closing the curtain on a Hall of Fame career in the historic sport.
And taking on a familiar foe, Duran shared the ring with the late Puerto Rican icon, Hector Camacho in a rematch of their 1996 IBC middleweight title fight.
Failing to prevail on that occasion with world championship spoils on the line, in his return against the iconic Camacho at the turn of the century, Duran would not bring down the curtain in fairytale fashion, however.
Suffering a unanimous decision loss to the 11-year junior, Camacho in his final outing, a much older Duran — who was well beyond the peak of his staggering powers — bowed out on a glamorous career in combat sports.
Roberto Duran’s legacy remains despite retirement fight defeat
As mentioned above, alongside Leonard, Hearns, and Hagler, Duran was part of a stable known as the Four Kings — during a dominant period of professional boxing in the 1980s.
An impactful lightweight champion in the decade prior, Duran even enjoyed welterweight success during the next decade, becoming the first fighter to defeat the above-mentioned Leonard during their pair of historic championship fights in Quebec and Louisiana, respectively.
With his loss to Camacho, Duran’s record in the sport fell to 106-16 by the time of his retirement; however, despite his recent slump, he’s still regarded as one of the best to ever lace up a pair of gloves.