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The Return of the Champions
Date	January 29, 1983
Venue	Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California
Tale of the tape
Boxer
Boxer	Roberto Durán
Nickname	Manos de Piedra; ("Hands of Stone")
Hometown	Panama City, Panama Province, Panama
Purse	$50,000
Pre-fight record	75–4 (56 KO)
Age	31 years, 7 months
Height	5 ft 7+1⁄2 in (171 cm)
Weight	152 lb (69 kg)
Style	Orthodox
Recognition	WBA; No. 10 Ranked Light Middleweight; 2–division world champion
Result
	Durán wins via 4th round TKO

Roberto Durán vs. José Cuevas, billed as The Return of the Champions, was a professional boxing match contested on January 29, 1983.^[3]

Background

In December 1982, a fight between former world champions Roberto Durán and José "Pipino" Cuevas was made official. The bout was to take place on January 29, 1983, at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena on the eve of Super Bowl XVII, which was being played in nearby Pasadena. The fighters agreed to a catch weight of 150 pounds, between the welterweight limit of 147, where Cuevas had spent his entire career, and the super welterweight limit of 154 where Durán was now fighting, though Durán came into the fight 2 pounds over.^[4]

Both fighters were hoping that a victory could launch a comeback as both of their careers had suffered recent setbacks. Cuevas had been inactive for a year after unanimous decision loss to little-known Roger Stafford in what was The Ring magazine's upset of the year for 1981. Meanwhile, Durán had suffered a split decision loss to fringe contender Kirkland Laing only four months prior, this was The Ring magazine's upset of the year for 1982.^[5] The two men had fought in the welterweight division for a number of years and both had held a version of the welterweight world title, but a fight between the two was never made. Said Cuevas, "I've been waiting about three or four years to fight Duran. I still consider him a tough competitor and I think it will be a great fight." Durán mimicked Cuevas' sentiments stating "I've wanted to fight Cuevas ever since I became a welterweight but it was the circumstances the promoters were in that made it impossible for me to fight him. I feel I am well-prepared. I intend to win."^[6]

Durán had a lot riding on the fight as a victory over Cuevas all but guaranteed him a title shot against WBA super welterweight champion Davey Moore. Moore had originally been scheduled defend his title against the undefeated up-and-coming prospect Tony Ayala Jr., but the match was scrapped after Ayala was arrested and charged with the burglary and rape of a young woman whom had been his neighbor.^[7] With Moore suddenly in need of an opponent, Durán stated that promoter Bob Arum had "promised him" the fight. Arum would confirm the promise following Durán's victory over Cuevas.^[8]

The fight

Durán controlled the duration of the fight by keeping a rusty Cuevas off balance with jabs in the first two rounds, then hammering him with combinations in the third and fourth rounds. In the fourth round, a Durán combination sent Cuevas into the corner though the turnbuckle saved him from hitting the canvas, the referee nevertheless counted it as a knockdown and after answering the 8-count, the fight continued with Durán immediately unleashed a series of combinations that sent Cuevas down again. A clearly hurt Cuevas struggled to get back to his feet, but his manager Lupe Sanchez entered the ring to signify surrender and prevent any further punishment, giving Durán the victory by technical knockout.^[9]

Aftermath

After the fight, Moore wondered, "Was that Duran looking so good or Cuevas so bad?".^[10]

Fight card

Confirmed bouts:^[11]

Weight Class	Weight		vs.		Method	Round
Catchweight	151 lbs.	Roberto Durán	def.	José Cuevas	TKO	4/12
Super Lightweight	140 lbs.	Sergio Medina	def.	Alfredo Escalera	UD	10/10
Bantamweight	118 lbs.	Daniel Zaragoza	def.	Lorenzo Ramirez	PTS	10/10

Broadcasting

Country	Broadcaster
Australia	Seven Network
Canada	Superchannel
Mexico	Televisa
Philippines	MBS 4
Puerto Rico	WAPA-TV
United Kingdom	ITV
United States	NBC

References

^ "WBA Rankings for December". The Times-News. Panama City. Associated Press. 28 December 1982. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
^ "Ring ratings". The Spokesman-Review. New York: The Ring Magazine. Associated Press. 11 January 1983. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
^ "Roberto Duran vs. Pipino Cuevas". boxrec.com. BoxRec. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
^ Roberto Duran and Pipino Cuevas, once among the best..., UPI article, 1982-12-02 Retrieved on 2024-06-26
^ Jan. 29, 1983: Duran vs Cuevas, The Fight City article, 2014-01-29 Retrieved on 2024-06-26
^ Two former welterweight champions -- Roberto Duran of Panama..., UPI article, 1983-01-28 Retrieved on 2024-06-26
^ Jamaican Upsets Duran, NY Times article, 1982-09-05 Retrieved on 2024-06-24
^ Duran Wants Another Title, Washington Post article, 1983-01-30 Retrieved on 2024-06-26
^ Duran Is Winner Over Cuevas in 4th, NY Times article, 1983-01-31 Retrieved on 2024-06-26
^ Michael Katz (1 February 1983). "SCOUTING; Duran, Lighter, Enjoys It More". New York Times. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
^ "BoxRec - event".

Preceded by vs. Jimmy Batten	Roberto Durán's bouts 29 January 1983	Succeeded by vs. Davey Moore
Preceded by vs. Roger Stafford	José Cuevas's bouts 29 January 1983	Succeeded by vs. Mauricio Bravo