Page 6 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – Friday, February 22, 2019 against the undefeated WBC Welterweight Champion Sugar Ray Leonard in the Olympic Stadium in Montreal where Sugar Ray won an Olympic Gold Medal in the 1976 Summer Olympics. Duran was upset because he was only earning one eighth of the purse. Duran won a unanimous decision in 15 rounds. Moving up to middleweight, he defeated Nino Gonzales and PUNCHOUTS By The Old Sachem, Bill Stewart C ontinuing on with Mike’s favorite sport, we come to two brawlers who became champions. The first is the indomitable Roberto Duran, who succeeded in fighting his way to five different championships. Duran was born on June 16, 1951, in El Chorrillo, Panama; his father was Margarito Duran Sanchez, a resident of Arizona, and his mother was Clara Samaniego of Guarare, Panama. His boxing career included 119 fights, 103 wins and 70 knockouts. His actual name was Roberto Duran Samaniego, which he shortened to be more acceptable to the public. His nickname was Manos de Piedra, which translates to Hands of Stone, because of his remarkable punching power. His boxing career spanned 33 years from 1968 to 2003, and included titles of lightweight, welterweight, light middleweight and middleweight. He was raised in the slums of El Chorrillo, the district of La Casa de Piedra, “the house of stone,” which became his nickname. He learned to spar with opponents at eight years old and started fighting professionally at 16. He began his career in the lightweight class and won 31 consecutive fights, including KO’s over future Featherweight Champion Ernesto Marcel and former Super Featherweight Champion Hiroshi Kobayashi. That brought him to his first title bout in June 1972 where he defeated Ken Buchanan for the World Boxing Association (WBA) championship in a disputed bout in Madison Square Garden. Duran made 12 winning defenses of his title, 11 by knockout. Roberto became World Boxing Council (WBC) Lightweight Champion, knocking out Esteban De Jesus, then gave up the Undisputed Lightweight Championship in February 1979. The next step up for Duran was the welterweight battles, after two wins against former WBC Welterweight Champion Carlos Palomino and Zeferino Gonzales. That earned him a title bout Luigi Minchillo. Eventually he earned the right to battle Davey Moore for the WBA Middleweight Championship. The fight was awarded to Duran in the eighth round after he had provided a horrible bunch of punches that closed Moore’s right eye. Roberto lost the title to Marvelous Marvin Hagler in Las Vegas in November 1983. Roberto did not have another title fight until 1989 when he won the WBC Middleweight title from Iran Barkley in February for his fourth title. Now he moved up to super middleweight in a match with Sugar Ray Leonard and lost. He appeared to be ended but he battled for the International Boxing Council (IBC) Super Middleweight in 1994 and 1995, losing both times. Duran was beaten by Vinny Pazienza in 1994 and 1995 in championship fights. In 1996 he faced Hector Comacho in a bout for the vacant IBC Middleweight Championship, but lost in a controversial unanimous decision. He was beaten by former champ Jorge Castro in 1997, but won a rematch in a unanimous decision. Duran at 47 years old challenged the 28-year-old WBA Middleweight Champion William Joppy and was battered in three rounds. Roberto announced retirement in August 1998 but returned to the ring in 1999. In June 2000 he avenged a prior loss to Pat Lawlor, winning the National Boxing Association (NBA) Super Middleweight Championship on his 49th birthday. Duran ended his boxing career when he lost the title to Hector Comacho in a rematch. Over his career he won five world titles in four different divisions, and the Championship belts were stolen from his Panama home. The belts were eventually returned to Duran. On October 14, 2006, Duran was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame in Riverside, Calif., and on June 27, 2007, into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, N.Y. He also appeared in a few films, on television and was honored in a few music albums by Tom Russell, Jackie Leven and Miles Davis. He performed on stage as a Salsa singer with his wife, singing “Felicidad,” and traveled throughout Latin America as a musician. He will always be remembered for winning 70 of his 103 wins by knockout. Truly Hands of Stone. Our second boxer to be remembered was told to me by my good friend Jean Bartolo, a very respected member of the Saugus Town Meeting. Her father, Sal Bartolo, was the WBA Featherweight Champion from March 1944 through May 1946. His title was also sanctioned by the NBA at that time. Salvatore Interbartolo, “The Pride of East Boston,” was born NoFriday, February 22 at 8 PM Singer/Guitarist DAVID MACK Saturday, February 23 at 8 PM DJ LOGIK Dance to all the Hits of Yesterday and Today! MONDAY'S SHUCK! $1.00 Oysters Book Your Special Events With Us! Call 781-629-3798 SUNDAY BRUNCH BUFFET Only $19.95 / 11am-2pm Featuring Al Whitney Jazz Band BOOK YOUR NEXT FUNCTION WITH US * GIFT CARDS AMPLE FREE www.marinaatthewharf.com 543 North Shore Rd. Revere 781-629-3798 PARKING AMAZING WATER VIEWS vember 5, 1917, in South Boston and died at 84 on February 17, 2002, in Lynn. Starting as an amateur, he won the 118-pound bantamweight division of the New York Golden Gloves Tournament in March 1937. He also won the New York Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions. He became a professional in April 1937 and won four straight bouts before losing to Ace Hutchins in a six-round decision in Holyoke. He won the USA New England Featherweight Championship in 1939. On March 10, 1939, Sal took his first attempt for the USA Featherweight title in the Arena in Boston, now the site of the hockey rink for Northeastern, losing a 10-round split decision. He won the championship in a rematch in Mechanics Hall in Worcester. Sal lost to Al Reid in a decision at the Broadway Arena in Brooklyn on October 3, 1939. He fought to a draw on October 14, 1940, against Maxie Shapiro in the St. Nicholas Arena in New York. Sal won a rematch in November. He next lost three consecutive MINIMIZING CASINO | from page 2 tional research, the Town of Saugus and the City of Revere applied jointly for a second joint grant to fund preliminary design work on the roadways, Crabtree’s press release notes. “It is a top priority to continue to provide the residents and visitors of Saugus with the safest and most reliable infrastructure,” Crabtree said in his statement. “We strive to continue to work together with the Massachusetts Gaming Commission and the City of Revere to make essential roadway improvements along these major arteries that will help alleviate existing traffic and offset anticipated traffic resulting from the increased volume of vehicles visiting the new casino,” the town manager said. MGC was created to ensure public confidence in the integrity of the gaming licensing process while overseeing the operation of gaming establishments. The Commission adBill Stewart The Old Sachem bouts to Shapiro before beating his nemesis in Boston Garden in a 10-round unanimous decision. He beat Willie Pep in a non-title match in April 1943. Later, on June 8, 1943, he lost to Pep for the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) World Featherweight title at Braves Field in Boston, now the site of the Boston University athletic field. Bartolo fought Phil Terranova in 15 rounds for the NBA World Featherweight title in Boston Garden on March 10, 1944. At the time Sal was serving in the U.S. Maritime Service, stationed at Hoffman Island in Lower New York Bay near Staten Island. He defeated Terranova again in May 1944 in a split decision at Boston Garden. Bartolo next defended his World Featherweight title against Willie Roach and Spider Armstrong, beating Roach in a 15-round decision and Armstrong by KO in the sixth round. Sal lost the NBA World Featherweight Championship to Willie Pep in June 1946, suffering his first loss by KO in his career. His career record was 97 professional fights and 74 wins, a 76% account. He later owned and managed the Ringside Café in East Boston for over 30 years and later became a court officer for the courts in Salem and Peabody. He was married twice, once to June Dunbar and once to Margaret Pastelack, and had four children and several stepchildren. I think a 76% mark makes him a true local hero – thanks for the info Jean. ministers the Community Mitigation Fund to help host and surrounding communities in offsetting costs related to construction and operating of gaming establishments. In the application for the latest grant, the communities of Revere and Saugus would use $275,000 of the requested funds to address traffic issues and impacts directly related to anticipated traffic volume increases from the opening of the Encore Boston Harbor casino. The remaining $150,000 would be used to continue MINIMIZING CASINO | SEE PAGE 11
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