These are the gloves that produced the plaintive “No Mas,” from Roberto Duran in his second meeting in the course of a year with arch-rival Sugar Ray Leonard. The first bout had taken place in Montreal in June of 1980, with the defending WBC Welterweight Champion Leonard facing a challenge from Duran, then the No. 1 contender. The lightning-quick Leonard had abandoned his traditional tactics of constant movement and opted instead to stand toe-to-toe with Duran, a perhaps misguided strategy fueled by months of acerbic words between the two fighters that marked their rivalry as one of the most renown in all of sports.
A mere five months after Duran’s unanimous decision, the pair took part in a lavish rematch at the Superdome in New Orleans. Determined not to make the same mistake that had cost him the title in the first match-up, Leonard out-boxed and outmaneuvered the champion for six rounds, then started taunting him in Round Seven before unleashing the most memorable punch of the fight late in the round. After elaborate whirlwind motions with his right hand that seemingly distracted Duran, Leonard unleashed a left jab that struck him full in the face. In the closing moments of the next round, No. 8, a wearied Duran turned his back on the challenger and told referee Octavio Meyran,”No Mas.” No translation from the Spanish is necessary. If you’ve read this far, you know what it means.
Like the Phantom Punch from Ali/Liston II, Duran’s throwing in the towel in Round Eight would quickly go down in the annals of boxing lore as a topic of never-ending debate. Duran himself insisted it had been stomach cramps that had leveled him and not the tactics of his hated rival, but his loyal fans in his native Panama were apparently reluctant to embrace that particular spin. It was almost certainly no consolation to Duran, but the peculiar nature of the ending of No. 2 helped solidify a place in boxing history that might not have been there with a more traditional finish.
The great iconic rivalry in professional boxing from 1980 would await the passage of nearly a decade before the two met in the rubber match, this time in Las Vegas, with Leonard retaining his WBC Super Middleweight crown in a lopsided 12-round unanimous decision.
Retained by Leonard’s immortal trainer Angelo Dundee, these 8-oz. red-and-white Cleto Reyes Professional gloves are in top condition and problem free, with largely intact lace and only the expected cracking on the Malcolm Faber Sporting Goods and WBC stamping on each. On the white panel inside the thumb of each, Leonard signed as follows: “To Helen, Love from the Champ, Sugar Ray Leonard,” with the personalization directed to Angelo Dundee’s wife, Helen. The black marker autograph is crystal clear on the right thumb and slightly less visible on the left. Inside each glove are ballpoint pen notations from Dundee of “Ray-Duran” and the date notation, plus Dundee’s blazing black marker autograph below.
The gloves come with a Letter of Authenticity from the late Angelo Dundee on his personal letterhead. The gloves are also accompanied by two full LOA's from Beckett Authentication Services.
Originates from the Angelo Dundee collection sold at SCP in 2012 for $34,243.
Estimate: $50,000+