Boxing great Roberto Duran has received a pacemaker after being hospitalized over the weekend, his family said.
‘The Durán family is pleased to inform that thanks to God the surgery in our champion, a pacemaker implant, was totally successful,’ his family posted on Duran’s Instagram account on Monday.
The 72-year-old Duran suffered health issues on Saturday due to an atrioventricular blockage.
One of his sons, Robin Duran, said his father needed the pacemaker because his heartbeats were ‘a bit irregular due to the obstruction of the artery.’
Asked whether Roberto suffered a heart attack or faced any risk of death, Robin Duran said his father was well when he arrived at the Panama City hospital, where exams detected the blockage.
Boxing great Roberto Duran, 72, received medical care for a heart problem over the weekend
A mural with the image of the Panamanian boxer better known as ‘Manos de Piedra’ (Hands of Stone) in Panama City, Panama
The legend of boxing was successfully operated, and an artificial pacemaker was implanted
Durán was a world champion at four different weights and retired in 2002 at age 50 due to a severe car crash in Argentina. He had broken ribs, a collapsed lung and other injuries from the wreck.
After the life-altering incident, Duran told the newspaper El Panama America that he would promote boxing matches and planned to act in a proposed film about his life. He also has been working as a singer.
‘As of now, I am exercising so that when the (retirement) honors arrive the people will see me in shape. I don’t want to (look) like Maradona did, all fat,’ Duran said, referring to Argentina soccer star Diego Maradona.
Duran fighting Marvin Hagler during their championship bout in Nov. of 1983 in Las Vegas
Duran holds world championships in four weight classes: lightweight, welterweight, light middleweight, and middleweight
Duran posing with former US President Donal Trump at a UFC event in New York City in 2019
Duran won Ken Buchanan’s WBA lightweight title in 1972, and his most famous victory was over Sugar Ray Leonard in a welterweight championship fight in 1980.
In a rematch against Leonard, Duran quit before the eighth round, saying, ‘No mas.’ He later won two other titles.
From 1967-01, Duran fought at least once every year except 1985. His career record was 104-16. In Duran’s last fight, he lost by unanimous decision to 39-year-old Hector Camacho in July of 2001.
The boxer nicknamed ‘Hands of Stone’ was scheduled to be in Chicago last weekend. He constantly travels abroad to sign autographs and promote boxing events.