) is a former Spanish professional boxer

Boxing

Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...

. During his eleven year professional career Duran held the WBA

World Boxing Association

The World Boxing Association is a boxing organization that sanctions official matches, and awards the WBA world championship title at the professional level. It was previously known as the National Boxing Association before changing its name in 1962...

 World Light Middleweight title, in addition to this he also challenged for the WBC

World Boxing Council

The World Boxing Council was initially established by 11 countries: the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Philippines, Panama, Chile, Peru, Venezuela and Brazil plus Puerto Rico, met in Mexico City on February 14, 1963, upon invitation of the then President of Mexico, Adolfo...

 version of the title and held the EBU

European Boxing Union

The European Boxing Union is an organization that oversees competition in that sport over the continent of Europe.-History:The EBU started life as the International Boxing Union in Paris in 1910...

 title.

Professional career

Duran made his professional debut on November 30, 1967 in Barcelona

Barcelona

Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...

, Spain. Duran made a victorious start to his career by scoring a knockout

Knockout

A knockout is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, Karate and others sports involving striking...

 over Ben Hamida in the third round. After winning 22 consecutive bouts Duran suffered his first defeat, losing to Jean Josselin via an eight round decision on June 22, 1970. Duran was able to avenge this defeat on May 21, 1971, once again the fight went the eight round distance although Duran won the decision on this occasion. Duran won his first championship on June 7, 1974 by beating Jacques Kechichian and thus winning the EBU title.

On May 7, 1975 Duran made his first attempt at winning the world title. He travelled to Monaco

Monaco

Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...

 to fight Miguel de Oliveira

Miguel de Oliveira

Miguel de Oliveira is a former Brazilian boxer at middleweight. He was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil.- Professional career :...

 for the vacant WBC Light Middleweight title. de Oliveira, a native of Brazil, won the title via a uanimous decision after a bloody battle which lasted the full fifteen rounds. In his next fight Duran lost his EBU title in Germany to Eckhard Dagge

Eckhard Dagge

Eckhard Dagge , was a professional boxer in the super welterweight division....

, a man Duran had previously beaten by a technical knockout in the eleventh round. On this occasion, however, it was Dagge who scored the knockout, with the fight being stopped in the ninth round.

Duran once again challenged for the world light middleweight title on May 18, 1976. On this occasion Duran travelled to Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 to successfully challenge Koichi Wajima

Koichi Wajima

Koichi Wajima was a professional boxer in the super welterweight division. He is a former WBC and WBA champion.- Childhood and Early Career :...

 for the WBC version of the title. Duran started the fight well by opening a large cut on the champion's forehead and knocking him down in the second round. Wajima was knocked down once again in the thirteenth round before the fight was finally stopped in the fourteenth.

Duran lost his title in his first defence, against the Argentine

Argentina

Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...

 challenger Miguel Angel Castellini

Miguel Angel Castellini

Miguel Angel Castellini is a former Argentine professional boxer. Castellini, who was active as a professional from 1965 to 1980, is most notable for having held the WBA World Light Middleweight title....

 on October 8, 1976. Duran, fighting in his home city of Madrid, was knocked down in the third round by a left hand to the jaw. Although Duran rose from the canvas, he was outworked by the faster challenger and lost his title via a split decision in a fight where both boxers finished with bloody faces.

In his final fight Duran challenged the Italian-Australian champion Rocky Mattioli

Rocky Mattioli

Rocky Mattioli an Italian-Australian former boxer at junior middleweight, and former world champion.- Career :...

 for the WBC Light Middleweight title. The result was never in doubt, as Mattioli knocked Duran down in the second, fourth and early in the fifth before delivering the final knockout punch late in the fifth round.

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