By: Hans Themistode
For 31 years, hall of fame boxer Roberto Duran took on some of the biggest names in boxing history. Matchups against Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns were grueling inside of the ring, but his current fight with COVID-19 could be his toughest one yet.
The boxing legend was first taken to a hospital in his hometown of Panama City as a precautionary measure due to what was first believed to be a common cold. The news of Duran’s hospital stay was broken by his son, Robin Duran via Instagram.
“My dad felt a bit of a cold,” said Robin. “That’s why he made the decision to take him to the hospital. He has a lung that doesn’t work 100% due to an accident in Argentina a few years ago. Apart from age factor, the doctors have decided to leave him under observation. The first exams show a simple cold virus, but as this is the situation and while the tests are finished, the decision to leave him in the hospital is the best.”
The decision to allow Duran to be fully tested proved to be a sagacious one as he has officially contracted the virus.
“My father’s tests have just arrived and confirm that he is positive for COVID-19.”
News of Duran and his positive test comes on a day where Panama has seen a spike in it’s COVID-19 cases. The country has seen a low amount of positive results since the pandemic first broke through and made headlines in early 2020. Now however, as of June 26th, the country has seen more than 1,000 new cases, which includes Duran.
Much like Duran’s style inside of the ring though, he appears to be fighting off the virus well and is currently on the road to recovery.
“Thank God he is not having symptoms beyond something similar to a cold. We have just spoken with the doctor and he told us his lungs are fine. There are no signs of any serious damage.”