1.
SV Interior Duran (in blue shorts) attacking Brooks (in red shorts)
2.09

2.
SV Brooks and Duran exchanging punches
0.37

3.
SCU Brooks attacking Duran on ropes. Referee parts boxers. boxers exchange punches close in and enter clinch. Referee again separates them.
1.05

4.
SV Boxers working for opening in middle of ring
1.09

5.
SV Boxers exchanging punches near ropes. Brooks falls to the floor after combination of punches from Duran.
1.25

6.
TV Duran walks around ring with arms aloft and embraces opponent, Manager and seconds.
1.55

7.
SV Duran carried around ring on shoulders of seconds.
2.00



Initials HS


SPORT: BOXING
TELERECORDING

Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: Boxing... and Panama's Roberto Duran, the World Boxing Association (WBA) lightweight champion confirmed his reputation for explosive punching when he knocked out American Monroe Brooks in a non-title junior -welterweight fight on Saturday (9 December). Duran was above his usual fighting weight, but showed no signs of lack of fitness during the bout.

SYNOPSIS: Seventeen thousand people packed the famous Madison Square Gardens in New York and saw Duran, in the blue shorts attack from the opening bell. Duran's powerful punching had Brooks in trouble. Brooks crowded Duran to try and smother his opponent's jarring head and body punches. And the American landed some good punches in the early rounds.

As the fight progressed, Duran gained the upper hand. He is a national hero in Panama and also has a tremendous following in New York, where he has often defended the WBA lightweight title he won in 1972. The 25 year old Brooks is world-class junior welterweight and put up a brave performance against his hard-hitting opponent. But Duran's punching was relentless.

The ringside doctor's approval was needed before Brooks came out for the seventh round. Duran has won fifty-three of his sixty-six professional fights by knock-out. And two minutes into the eighth round a combination of rights and lefts to the head and body finished off Monroe Brooks. He just failed to beat referee, Arthur Mercante's count.

After being WBA lightweight champion for six years, Roberto Duran is considering stepping up in the weights. The result of this fight, shown courtesy of Madison Square Gardens and Don King Productions suggests the transition might not be difficult.