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Roberto Durán vs. Esteban de Jesús II
Roberto Durán vs. Esteban de Jesús II was a professional boxing match contested on March 16, 1974, for the WBA and The Ring lightweight titles.[3] Background15 months prior, undefeated WBA lightweight champion Roberto Durán faced top ranked contender Esteban de Jesús in a non-title bout in Madison Square Garden. Durán was dropped in the opening round and de Jesús outboxed the champion the rest of the way to earn a unanimous decision victory and give Durán his first loss.[4] After that fight, both Durán and de Jesús would go on impressive win streaks. Durán would go 10–0, successfully defending his lightweight title three times while also winning seven non-title fights to bring his record up to 41–1 then while de Jesús had gone 7–0 to also bring his record up to 41–1. Finally, the long-awaited rematch was made official for March 16, 1974 in Durán's native Panama.[5] The fightFor the second time in a row, de Jesús would score and opening round knockdown, dropping Durán with a left hook during the first minute of the round. Durán arose from the knockdown and unlike their previous fight, fought aggressively and by the third round, had taken control of the fight. In the final minute of the seventh round Durán scored a knockdown of his own after he landed a barrage of punches finishing with a right hand after which De Jesús crumpled to the ground, though he survived the round despite a furious rally from Durán. A clearly exhausted de Jesús would make it to the 11th round, though Durán sent him down again following a five-punch combination, though he narrowly missed beating the referee's 10-count and Durán was named winner by knockout.[6] Fight cardConfirmed bouts:[7]
^Note 1 For WBA and The Ring Lightweight titles Broadcasting
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