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Page 16-Friday, June 20, 1980-The Michigan Daily
NNESP orts 'MM
... AND IN THIS
CORNER...
Mark Mihanovic
Ingredients are there .. .
. .. Leonard-Duran classic
F EVER YOU would pay $20 to see a boxing match in a theater on closed
circuit television, pay $20 for this one. Sugar Ray Leonard versus Roberto
Duran has the potential to be ... is almost certain to be. . . will be one of the
greatest fights of all time.
All the ingredients are there. Leonard, the undefeated young
welterweight champion with almost unlimited physical grace and style, a
dancing boxer. Duran, the former lightweight title-holder with a 69-1 record
and 55 knockouts, a man possessed of a vicious killer instinct. It's a classic,
almost reminding one of the great Ali-Frazier slugfests, though obviously
on a smaller scale, except that Leonard won't have as great a size advantage
as Ali did and that Duran is a more skilled boxer than Joe Frazier ever was.
But the similarities are striking. Leonard, like Ali, owns fast feet and
faster hands, allowing him to deftly move-and-jab, to confuse an opponent
and then assault him with lightning combinations. He is a very intelligent
fighter and also has a bit of Ali's ring personality, sometimes baiting and
clowning with an inferior opponent, which certainly won't be the case
tonight.
And tonight the fight world, especially Sugar Ray's critics, will discover
what took Ali three brutal battles with Frazier to prove of himself. That the
man has character. Leonard is not just a pretty boy with speed. He is
determined and proud and has the ability to take, as well as deliver, the most
powerful of punches. That ability is called guts, and the 1976 Olympic champ
will need plenty when he steps into the ring with his Panamanian challenger.
When he dropped out of the lightweight division last year, releasing the
championship he had held for seven years, and moved up to the 147-pound
welterweight class, Duran left behind a string of devastated opponents. He
is, in a word, ferocious.
From the outset of most of his contests, Duran charges at his opponent,
pounds away with equal proficiency at his head and body, and then stays on
top of him until it is over. Constant pressure is the key for him, but whether
or not he can get inside and work on the body of the quick-footed Leonard,
who possesses a two-and-a-half inch reach advantage, is questionable.
Duran's punching power, which hasn't seemed as awesome against
welterweight foes, also has raised doubts of late.
What isn't under scrutiny is Duran's ability to absorb the mightiest
blows and keep on coming. That is what made Frazier, a man without.
height, reach, or speed, a heavyweight champion, and that is the reason the
shorter, slower, and older (29) Duran is given a chance to knock off the 24-
year-old Leonard.
Memories of Ali-Frazier
Whether or not he does will be answered tonight in front of about
50,000 at Olympic Stadium in Montreal and millions of others viewing via
closed circuit around the world. It is a bout which has been anticipated ever
since Leonard crossed the Canadian border sporting a gold medal around his
neck. Not since the "Thrilla in Manilla" has a closed circuit fight captured
the imagination of so many casual fans of the sport.
If it lives up to its billing only half as well as did that third war between
Muhammed Ali and Joe Frazier, no one would be disappointed. Those two
athletes seemed to bring out the best in each other, and they gave every
ounce of their best that night.
After ten rounds of seeing Frazier take his best shots and come back for
more, an exhausted Ali almost quit. But for maybe the first time in his
storied career, the great champion closed the mouths of those who doubted
his courage by calling on his depleted energy supply for a little more. Then it
was Frazier, with both eyes bleeding and pounded shut, who displayed his
mettle and came out for round 14, after which his trainer wouldn't allow him
to continue.
When two men pour out their heart and soul in combat with each other, a
mutual respect for the other man often results. That happened in the case of
Ali-Frazier, and it will happen tonight in the case of Leonard-Duran, both of
whom have been trading pre-fight taunts.
If tonight's fight were to go the scheduled 15 rounds, it would be brutal.
The feeling here is that it won't.
Duran will fight the first couple of rounds with uncharacteristic caution.
He'll try to stay away from Leonard's lethal left hook, stepping in to do
damage when he sees an oening. There won't be many, however, as Sugar
Ray will give him trouble with his quickness and long arms. Look for the
champion to hurt Duran surprisingly early, pernaps witn a Knoclaown or a
cut. But Duran will come back.
The challenger will become more aggressive in the fourth through
eighth rounds and rip into Leonard's midsection, but Sugar Ray will
continue to hurt him with quick jabs and combinations. Duran, however, will
come back.
By round ten, the American will feel the effect of Duran's body blows
and relentless pressure, and Duran, a man with a shark-like sense for the
kill, will be a punching machine.
And Duran will win. By a knockout. Eleven rounds, let's say.

The waiting is over

TONIGHT AT Olympic Stadium in
Montreal, Roberto Duran (above) and
Sugar Ray Leonard battle for the WBC
welterweight title in the biggest fight of
their respective lives, at least as far as
finances are concerned. Leonard (27,0),
the champion, will earn between $8 and
$10 million for the scheduled 15-
rounder, while Duran (69-1) will take
home "only" $1.5 million.
SPOR TS OF THE DA IL Y:
Quebec names coaeh

QUEBEC (AP) - General Manager
Maurice Filion of the Quebec Nordiques
took on the added role of coach yester-
day when he was named by the
National Hockey League club to
replace Jacques Demers.
Demers resigned from that post
following the 1979-80 NHL season,
which saw the Nordiques finish 18th and
out of the playoffsin their first year in
the league.
FILION, WHO was named general
manager of the Nordiques in 1974 when
the club was a member of the World
Hockey Association, will be assisted by
Andre Boudrias, an assistant to
Demers last season, and Michel
Bergeron, formerly the coach of Troi-
Rivieres Draveurs of the Quebec Major
Junior Hockey League.
It will be the second time Filion has
coached the Nordiques, having oc-
cupied the position briefly during the
1972-73 WHA season.
The Nordiques also announced that
Demers will serve as coach and general
manager of Quebec's farm team in the
American Hockey League.
Olvmpic sexism?
LOS ANGELES (AP) - The ACLU of
Southern California accused the Inter-
national Olympics Committee of sex
discrimination and violation of its own
rules yesterday in preventing the ex-
pansion of women's events in the
Games.
Romona Ripston, executive director
of the local American Civil Liberties
Union, cited a San Francisco-based
Women's Sports Foundation report in
charging the IOC with preventing
women from competing in athletic
events for which they qualify under the
committee's guidelines.

SHE ALSO hinted that the ACLU may
file a lawsuit against the IOC, or the Los
Angeles Olympic Organizing Commit-
tee - charged with running the 1984
Summer Games - and the city of Los
Angeles if the issue of expanded
women's participation in the Games
fails to win IOC action.
Ripston said the ACLU's aim is not to
win participation for women in "every
sport, just some of the obvious ones in
which women have qualified under
IOC's own guidelines."
Morse adsances
CHARLEVOIX (UPI) - Defending
champion Pete Green was ousted from
the 69th Michigan Amateur Golf Cham-
pionship yesterday, losing to long-time
rival Melvin "Bud" Stevens, one-up, in
the second round of match play.
Qualifying medalist and 1978 cham-
pion John Morse of Marshall had a pair
of tough matches but won both to ad-
vance to today's third round action at
the Belvedere Golf Club.
Morse ousted John Lyons of South-
field, two-up, and Steve Braun of Flint,
last year's runner-up to Green, one-up.
In Morse's win over Braun, the
University of Michigan golfer knocked
in a 20-foot birdie putt on the eighth hole
(their No. 17) after Braun had snaked
one in from 40 feet.
SCORES
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Minnesota 5, Detroit I
Baltimore 4, Oakiand 3
Boston 2,Seattle0
NATIONAL LEAGUE
San Diego4, Philadelphia 3
san Francisco4 New York 3 (10 innings)
Chicagoa5. Cincingati 2
Atliata 4. Pittsburgh 3

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