Roberto Duran Net Worth - Pulptastic

What is Roberto Duran’s net worth?

Roberto Duran, the retired Panamanian boxer, has a net worth of $3 million. However, his extravagant spending during the peak of his career reportedly caused him to blow through more than $20 million.

Duran competed from 1968 to 2001, which is the second-longest career of any boxer in history. Throughout his career, he held world championship titles in four different weight classes: lightweight, welterweight, light middleweight, and middleweight.

Despite his success, Duran retired multiple times in the 1980s and 90s. He ultimately retired for good in 2002 after a car crash in Argentina.

Roberto Duran’s Boxing Career Earnings

During his boxing career, Roberto Duran earned millions of dollars in prize money and purses. His fight against Sugar Ray Leonard in 1980 was one of the most lucrative fights in boxing history at the time, with Duran earning a reported $7 million for the rematch, which he famously quit in the eighth round, uttering the now-infamous words, “no mas.”

Aside from his fights against Leonard, Duran also earned large sums of money for his fights against other high-profile opponents, such as Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns. Overall, it is estimated that Duran earned upwards of $20 million throughout his boxing career, making him one of the highest-earning boxers of his era.

Early Life and Amateur Career

Roberto Durán was born on June 16, 1951 in Guararé, Panama to a Panamanian mother and an American father of Mexican descent. He grew up in El Chorrillo in Panama City and started sparring with boxers at the age of eight. Durán competed as an amateur boxer until he was 16 years old.

Roberto Durán’s Boxing Career

Roberto Durán made his professional boxing debut in February of 1968 in the lightweight class. He won his first 31 fights and claimed the WBA lightweight championship in June of 1972 after defeating Ken Buchanan in his first title bout. Durán successfully defended the title 12 times, beating challengers like Jimmy Robertson, Hector Thompson, and Guts Ishimatsu. His last defense was in 1978 when he knocked out Esteban De Jesús. Durán gave up the title in early 1979.

Durán Claims WBC Welterweight Title with Victory over Leonard

Roberto Durán defeated then-undefeated WBC welterweight champion Sugar Ray Leonard in the “Brawl in Montreal” to claim the WBC welterweight title with a unanimous decision. Durán had previously beaten fighters such as Carlos Palomino and Zeferino Gonzales. However, in a rematch later in the year, Leonard beat Durán when Durán suddenly stopped fighting and allegedly said “no más” several times. This led to Durán’s retirement from boxing for the first time.

Roberto Durán’s Comeback and Title Wins

After retiring, Durán came back to the ring in the light middleweight class and made an unsuccessful attempt at the WBC title in 1982. He then signed with promoter Bob Arum and beat former world champion José Cuevas, earning him another shot at the light middleweight title. Durán won the title in 1983 by defeating Davey Moore but was stripped of it a year later due to his fight with WBC champion Thomas Hearns. He retired for a second time but returned to the ring in 1986. In 1989, Durán won his fourth career title by defeating Iran Barkley for the WBC middleweight title in a memorable bout via split decision.

Roberto Durán’s Boxing Career

Roberto Durán moved up to the super middleweight class in late 1989 for his third career fight with Sugar Ray Leonard, which he ultimately lost. He didn’t fight again until 1991. In 1994, he faced Vinny Pazienza for the IBC super middleweight title, but Pazienza won by unanimous decision, and won again in a rematch in early 1995.

Durán faced WBA middleweight champion William Joppy a few years later, but lost in just three rounds. He retired for the third time in his career but returned to the ring in 1999 and won the NBA super middleweight title against Pat Lawlor in 2000. However, in 2001, in what would be the final fight of his career, he lost the title to Héctor Camacho.

Retirement from Boxing and Induction into Hall of Fame

Roberto Durán retired from boxing following a major car crash while promoting his salsa music album in Argentina in October of 2001. The incident required life-saving surgery. He was later inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 2006 and the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2007.

Appearances in Film and TV

Aside from his boxing career, Roberto Durán has also made a few appearances in film and television. In 1979, he played a sparring partner for Sylvester Stallone’s character in “Rocky II.” He also played a drug lord in an episode of “Miami Vice” in the mid-80s. Durán’s life and career were later the subject of a documentary called “The Fists of a Nation” and a biopic called “Hands of Stone,” in which he was portrayed by Édgar Ramírez.