Editing Roberto Durán (section)

=== Lightweight ===
{{main|Ken Buchanan vs. Roberto Durán|Roberto Durán vs. Esteban de Jesús|Roberto Durán vs. Esteban de Jesús II|Roberto Durán vs. Ray Lampkin|Roberto Durán vs. Esteban de Jesús III}}
Durán won his first 31 consecutive professional fights, and scored knockout victories over future [[Featherweight]] Champion [[Ernesto Marcel]] and former [[Super Featherweight]] Champion [[Hiroshi Kobayashi (boxer)|Hiroshi Kobayashi]], culminating in his first title bout in June 1972, where he defeated [[Ken Buchanan]] at [[Madison Square Garden]] for the [[World Boxing Association|WBA]] [[Lightweight]] Championship. Durán, as a 2-to-1 underdog, scored a knockdown against the defending champion just fifteen seconds into the opening round and battered him throughout the bout.<ref>{{cite news |title=Duran Reigns amid Controversy|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=WkM_AAAAIBAJ&sjid=zlEMAAAAIBAJ&pg=3473,5247048 |work=[[The Windsor Star]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |date=June 27, 1972 |via=Google News Archive Search |page=30 |access-date=November 22, 2015}}</ref> He was well ahead on all three cards as the bell rang to end the 13th round, at which time Durán (apparently not hearing the bell) continued to throw a couple of extra punches as Buchanan lay on the ropes. As Durán continued punching, the referee, Johnny LoBianco, grabbed him to pull him away. He pulled down on Durán's arms, which led to a seemingly accidental low blow. Buchanan dropped to the canvas in pain. His trainer Gil Clancy later said he had believed the blow to have been caused by a knee. Durán was not disqualified from the bout; instead, he was deemed as winner by thirteenth-round technical knockout.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2001/07/21/sports/johnny-lobianco-85-referee-in-controversial-duran-bout.html "Johnny LoBianco, 85, Referee In Controversial Duran Bout"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', July 21, 2001. Accessed October 1, 2009.</ref> Columnist [[Red Smith (sportswriter)|Red Smith]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' wrote that LoBianco had to award the victory to Durán, even if the punch was a low blow, as "anything short of pulling a knife is regarded indulgently" in American boxing.<ref>[[Red Smith (sportswriter)|Smith, Red]]. [https://www.nytimes.com/1972/06/28/archives/and-new-champion.html "And New Champion"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', June 28, 1972. Accessed October 1, 2009.</ref> Buchanan said he left the fight "with sore balls".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/arts/news/ken-buchanan-loss-relived-in-de-niro-film-1-3325093|title=Ken Buchanan loss relived in De Niro film|work=scotsman.com}}</ref>

Durán followed up on his title winning performance with several non-title matches. Later that year, in another non-title bout, he lost a ten-round decision to [[Esteban De Jesús]]. Durán got back on track with successful title defenses against Jimmy Robertson, [[Hector Thompson]] and future Lightweight Champion [[Guts Ishimatsu]]. In 1974, Durán avenged his loss to De Jesús with a brutal eleventh round knock out. In 1976, he defeated future [[Light Welterweight]] Champion [[Saoul Mamby]]. Overall, Durán made twelve successful defenses of his title (eleven coming by knockout) and amassed a record of 62–1, his last defense coming in 1978 when Durán fought a third bout with De Jesus in a unification match wherein Durán once again knocked out De Jesus and captured his [[World Boxing Council|WBC]] Lightweight Championship. Durán later visited De Jesús in 1989 when De Jesús was dying of AIDS. “When I see him there so thin, my tears run out because he used to be a muscular guy," Durán said. "I start crying and I hug him, and I kiss him and I tell my daughter to kiss him.” The picture of their embrace was widely distributed, at a time when AIDS patients faced significant stigma.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://boxingnewsonline.net/roberto-duran-and-esteban-de-jesus-the-enduring-friendship-between-two-fierce-rivals/ | title=Roberto Duran and Esteban de Jesus: The Enduring Friendship Between Two Fierce Rivals | date=May 11, 2019 }}</ref>

Durán gave up the [[Undisputed Champion|Undisputed]] Lightweight Championship in February 1979.{{Citation needed|date=December 2023}}