Career
During his eleven-year professional career Duran held the WBA World Light Middleweight title, in addition to this he also challenged for the WBC version of the title and held the EBU title. Duran made his professional debut on November 30, 1967 in Barcelona, Spain. Duran made a victorious start to his career by scoring a knockout over Ben Hamida in the third round.
After winning 22 consecutive bouts Duran suffered his first defeat, losing to Jean Josselin via an eight round decision on June 22, 1970.
On May 7, 1975 Duran made his first attempt at winning the world title. He travelled to Monaco to fight Miguel de Oliveira for the vacant WBC Light Middleweight title.
In his next fight Duran lost his EBU title in Germany to Eckhard Dagge, a man Duran had previously beaten by a technical knockout in the eleventh round. On this occasion, however, it was Dagge who scored the knockout, with the fight being stopped in the ninth round.
Duran once again challenged for the world light middleweight title on May 18, 1976.
On this occasion Duran travelled to Tokyo, Japan to successfully challenge Koichi Wajima for the WBC version of the title. Wajima was knocked down once again in the thirteenth round before the fight was finally stopped in the fourteenth. Duran lost his title in his first defence, against the Argentine challenger Miguel Angel Castellini on October 8, 1976.
Duran, fighting in his home city of Madrid, was knocked down in the third round by a left hand to the jaw.
Although Duran rose from the canvas, he was outworked by the faster challenger and lost his title via a split decision in a fight where both boxers finished with bloody faces. The result was never in doubt, as Mattioli knocked Duran down in the second, fourth and early in the fifth before delivering the final knockout punch late in the fifth round.
