More than 55 selected Panamanian amateur fighters, both male and female, competed over three days in the National Tournament Roberto Durán – The Legacy, aiming to earn a spot on Team Durán and the opportunity to face Mexican opponents, members of Team Márquez, selected and trained by former world champions Juan Manuel and Rafael Márquez, along with their sister, Carmen Márquez.
The icon of Panamanian sports history, Roberto “Hands of Stone” Durán, along with members of his family and a full television production team, traveled throughout the country for more than three months, visiting dozens of boxing gyms to meet with trainers and evaluate young talent invited to the qualifying rounds prior to the final tournament, held in the town of Chitré, nearly four hours from Panama City. There, the Durán family, the fighters, coaches, officials, and Olympic boxing authorities spent five days.
Durán’s daughter, Irichelle, a former professional fighter and boxing commentator for HBO Latino, stated: “We crowned the champions of the first tournament, but more importantly, we contributed to the development of the careers of a new generation of outstanding Olympic fighters. Our next challenge is to prepare them mentally and physically to represent Team Durán with discipline, sacrifice, respect, and love for our homeland, Panama. My father will lead the training camp, which will last nearly six weeks,” added Irichelle, who is also the president of Hands of Stone Entertainment.
Everything that is happening inside and outside the ring is being recorded for a documentary series to be released at a later date. The Roberto Durán – The Legacy tournament is endorsed by the Panamanian Olympic Boxing Federation.
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