By Don Colgan

There were some boxing matches we would have loved to have seen happen, but, for various reasons, over the course of history, they never came to pass.  In the first of a series of such mythical matches,  we will examine what certainly would have been a compelling contest, Roberto “Manos De Piedra” Duran vs. Tony Ayala, Jr.

Boxing has long been colored by classic, epic rivalries that have lent the "Sweet Science" an aura of historical immortality and endless debate, representing an enduring dimension on the American sports landscape.

”Bouts That Never Were" does not attempt to mirror the mythical matchups of past world titleholders that began decades ago with the Murray Woroner Computer Series in 1969.  Murray was a pioneer and was far ahead of his time.   That series featured a progression of historical pairings such as Bob Fitzsimmons vs. Jack Sharkey, Max Baer vs. Jack Johnson and Jack Dempsey vs. Gentleman Jim Corbett.

The tournament ended with Rocky Marciano defeating the Manassa Mauler, Jack Dempsey. 

It also included, in a separate computer contest, a 46-year-old Rocky Marciano, weeks away from his tragic death, and an exiled Muhammad Ali, playing out a hypothetical bout that, after a half dozen different endings were filmed, saw Rocky stop Ali, in the States, and lose via the TKO route in England.

 

"Bouts That Never Were" reflect classic pairings that certainly would have come to pass had fate, and history, taken a slightly different course. Had Conn kept his head!  Had Tunney defended his championship one more time. Had Frazier looked past his friendship with Ken Norton. Had Monzon delayed his retirement and took on a young tiger named Marvin Hagler.

There was one pairing that seemed inevitable, unavoidable, and explosive.  It was 1983 and Roberto Duran had brutally knocked out Davey Moore to annex the WBA Jr. Middleweight Championship, and reclaim his rightful role as the ultimate machismo in the fistic world.

Thought by more than a few to be clearly past his prime, Duran was a solid underdog to Moore, only to administer a round-by-round battering to the young champion.

Then there was Tony Ayala, Jr. Rising through the Junior Middleweight rankings with an aura of absolute brutality, Ayala used a combination of stunning punching power and utter fearlessness to put himself squarely on a collision course with Manos De Piedra.

However, the rage Ayala demonstrated within the squared circle could not be contained outside of it. Arrested and, ultimately, convicted of aggravated rape, his dream of world championship glory was shattered as he was to spend the next 16 years of his life behind bars.

Let's suppose Ayala had avoided his criminal act. Duran, looking towards a big payday within his own division, or a megabucks super fight with Middleweight Champion Marvelous Marvin Hagler, elects to defend his mantle as the ultimate machismo and signs to meet Ayala at Madison Square Garden on December 21, 1983. The Panamanian and Hispanic contingents supporting the fighters were at a pitched fever. Ayala, wholly unafraid of Duran, and with youth on his side, sneers at Roberto at the press conference announcing the bout -- "You won't leave the ring alive!"

Duran, accustomed to being the intimidator, lunges at Ayala and grabs him by the shirt collar. "I knock you out now and I kill you in the ring," he screamed.

Duran was a 9 to 5 favorite, yet the late money was with "El Toro."

The reliable Richard Steele received the prestigious assignment in a bout that had the unmistakable aura of Graziano-Zale.

Ayala leapt from his corner at the opening bell, crowding Duran into the ropes and immediately snapping the Panamanians head back with jolting right cross.

Ayala dug a hard left hook to Duran's body, moved right, then sent the spray flying off of the Champion's head with a vicious left hook that buckled Duran’s knees. Duran tied Ayala up in ring center. Ayala buried a right to the kidney, Duran was short with his jab, then landed a glancing left off of Ayala's shoulder.

The challenger was carrying the fight to Duran, crowding the titleholder at every opportunity. Ayala missed with a left hook. Ayala jabbed Duran hard against the ropes, then rocked the Champion with another sizzling straight right.

Duran scowled at the young challenger and Ayala slammed a hard left, right, left combination to the head. A small abrasion was already visible under Duran's left eye. Duran wrestled Ayala along the ropes. Ayala again drove a hard right to the body at the bell.

Ayala cursed Duran as they met in ring center to start round two.

Ayala scored with a left hook to Duran's mouth and a hard right to Duran's neck. Ayala drove a left hook below the border and was warned by Steele. Ayala continued to control the action, jabbing Duran twice in Champion's corner and digging another jolting left hook to the kidneys.

The mouse under Duran's left eye with swelling quickly. Duran landed a good right to the body in close and was short with a left hook. Ayala feinted with his left and slammed a pair of hard rights flush on Duran's jaw. Ayala was wild with a left hook. Duran forced a clinch in Ayala's corner, then pushed the challenger away.

Ayala raged at Duran, missed a wild right to the body and jolted the Champion with a heavy left hook to the head. Ayala missed with a looping right hand and fired a hard left to Duran's body, then forced Duran to the ropes. Ayala missed a left to the body.

Duran pushed him off, feinted with his left and exploded a short right to Ayala's jaw that traveled less then six inches, dropping him flat on his back near his own corner.

The challenger pulled himself to one knee by Steele's count of seven and rose at nine. Badly hurt, Ayala badly missed with a left hook and was dumped a second time by a smashing Duran left hook. Ayala grasped at the ropes and pulled himself up at the count of five, to be rescued by the bell.

Hurt, yet unrelenting, Ayala forced the action early in round three, scoring heavily to Duran's body and forcing Roberto to hold with a short inside right.

Duran was short with a left hook. Ayala, staying at long range for the first time in the fight, landed a good left hook off of the jab and was showing remarkable recuperative powers.

Duran and Ayala traded hard right hands to the head. Duran bulled Ayala into the Champion's corner and dug a hard left hook to Tony's body. Ayala was short with a right. Duran ripped a right to the midsection, missed a short left hook, and buried a smashing right lead again to Ayala's ribcage.

Ayala clinched and missed with a left hook. Duran drove both hands to the body. Ayala connected with a left hook to the head, then took a punishing right to the body in return. Ayala wrestled Duran into a clinch and pushed the Champion, drawing a second rebuke from Steele.

Duran landed a short right cross to Ayala's cheek, Ayala countered with a hard right to the Champion's forehead. Cursing, Duran hooked Ayala hard to the ribcage and nailed Ayala with a bristling right hand to the head at the bell.

Duran resumed his steady pounding of Ayala's body in the fourth. Ayala was short with a left hook and caught Duran with a glancing right to the chin. Duran landed a hard left, right, left to Ayala's now rapidly reddening ribcage.

Duran tied the challenger up near the ropes. Ayala missed badly with a left hook. Duran rode under the blow and ripped a right hand under Ayala's heart. Duran landed a solid left to the chin, was short with a follow-up right, and took a hard Ayala right to the jaw which did little damage.

Duran forced Ayala into his own corner. The Panamanian portion of the crowd roared hysterically as Duran drew blood from Ayala's mouth with a pair of stiff right jabs. Duran hooked a left to Ayala's body. Ayala countered with a hard right to Duran's head. Ayala slammed a solid left hook to Duran's body. Ayala banged a right off of Duran's cheek. Duran, snarling, rushed Ayala into the ropes and was wild with a left hook at the bell.

Ayala answered the bell quickly for round 5. Still leaking blood from the mouth, he drove Roberto into the ropes with a solid left hook.

"Manos De Piedro" bulled Ayala into the ropes and drove a hard left hook to the body. Duran feinted, then landed another short, powerful right to Ayala's jaw. Ayala wobbled into the ropes. Duran slammed a left hook to the ribcage and another to the kidneys. Ayala forced a clinch. Duran jolted Ayala with a good left hook. Ayala would not give ground.

He was short with a terrific left hook and banged a hard follow-up right to the Champions jaw. Duran clinched, then hooked both hands to Ayala's body. Ayala missed a right uppercut from the floor. Duran feinted, then landed a crushing straight right to the jaw. Ayala went down in ring center, flat on his face.

Staggering to one knee, he beat Steele's count of ten by an instant. Waving Duran in, Steele looked carefully as the Champion buried a left hook to the body, followed by a booming right to the jaw that sent Ayala staggering helplessly into the ropes.

Ayala covered up as Duran ripped a pair of left hooks to the head followed by a vicious right to the body that doubled Ayala up. Steele stepped between the two fighters, calling a halt to the battering at 2:23 of round 5.

The bloodied Ayala found his way to Duran's corner. "You teach me tonight, next time I kill you," he whispered in the Champion's ear as he wrapped his arm around his conqueror's neck.

The great Duran had prevailed.