Roberto Duran Bio, Wife, Children, Family Net Worth, Is He Alive or Dead?

The history of boxing has been graced by several legends since its acceptance as a global sport; the likes of Evander Holyfield, George Foreman, Sugar Ray Leonard, Mohammed Ali, Mike Tyson, Jake LaMotta, Floyd Mayweather and even Roberto Duran. However, in this article we will focus on former Panamanian boxer Roberto Duran, who has been in the sport for over five decades. Duran is best known for defeating Sugar Ray Leonard to become the WBC welterweight champion of the world. He also became a four-weight division world champion with a record of just 16 losses from 119 total bouts in his boxing career.

Roberto Duran: Bio

Roberto Duran was born on June 16th , 1951 in Guararé , Panama. His father, Margarito Duran Sanchez, was from Arizona, USA and of Mexican descent. His mother, Clara Samaniego, was from Guararé. Roberto grew up in the slums of El Chorrillo in the “La Casa de Piedra” (The Stone House) neighborhood. At the age of eight he had started training with experienced boxers at the Neco de La Guardia high school, gaining a lot of experience for the sport he would later grow up in. Raised in poverty, the champion sold newspapers with his brother brother and danced in the streets to earn money. He also painted houses and washed dishes in restaurants and gave the money he earned to his mother.

He made his professional debut at the age of 16. His first professional game was against Carlos Mendoza, which he won by unanimous decision after 4 rounds. His second match against Juan Gondola would be different as he won that one by KO. Roberto Duran would go on a 31-game winning streak against boxers from Panama, Mexico, Great Britain, the United States, Cuba, Japan and even Puerto Rico. It was at his 32nd game that Roberto recorded his first loss in a non-title game against Esteban de Jésus at Madison Square Garden on the 17th of November 1972.

The loss would see Duran double down and win the next 41 games, taking revenge against Esteban along the way. He would win Sugar Ray Leonard on the 20th. This win gave him the WBC title and marked him in the history books as the person who would stop Ray’s unbeaten streak.

Roberto’s strength and winning streak earned him the nickname “Manos de Piedra” (Hands of Stone) thanks to the power behind his punches. During his career he won the lightweight, welterweight, light middleweight and middleweight championships. He also decorated his career with undisputed linear lightweight and linear welterweight championship wins.

Roberto also tried his hand at television, appearing as Sylvester Stallone’s sparring partner in the film Rocky II (1979). He also had minor roles on Harlem Nights and Miami Vice . Before the car accident, he was in Argentina to promote a salsa music CD he had released.

A biopic was made in 2016 called Hands of Stone . The film starred Edgar Ramirez as Roberto Duran and Usher Raymond as Sugar Ray Leonard.

Wealth (income and earnings)

With the numerous accolades and winning streaks Roberto Duran has raked in his life, it only makes sense that he could live comfortably in retirement. And he can with an estimated net worth of $3 million. Chances are the amount would be higher, except that Roberto is known to give back a huge chunk of his money to his community in Panama, comparing himself to Robin Hood.

wife, children, family

Roberto married his longtime girlfriend MiaFelicidad in the early stages of his career. Some reports state that this happened at 17 years old and at 14 years old. In the slums of Panama, however, it was not uncommon for two people to call themselves husband and wife before a ceremony. Christian Giudice’s book Hands of Stone documents the marriage surrounding Roberto’s victory over Sugar Ray, just as Felicidad’s parents had finally accepted him.

Together they have six children; Irichelle,Giovana, Roberto Jr., Víctor, Dalia and Robin, named after English folklore hero Robin Hood. There are also rumors that he fathered a daughter named Dalia with a friend named Silvia whom he saw before meeting Felicidad. Roberto Duran has two brothers; Domingo Samaniego and Armando.

Is he alive or dead?

Roberto is very much alive and enjoying his retirement with his wife. Although the car accident he faced was horrifying enough to require life-saving surgery, Roberto has left it behind and kept fit. His reason for being fit is because his friend, former footballer Diego Maradona, gained weight after retiring. He noted that when it comes time to give him credit, he’d like to look it up and be fit for the committee rather than end up looking fat.

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