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DOLO FLICKS: REVIEW - The Kings: Part Two: Flesh & Blood

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By Hector Franco

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Published: June 16, 2021

"The fight that really made Duran was this fight. But he won and lost that night. Who would have thought that on a night that was going to lead him to his greatest moment, to open the gates to great wealth and all the things that this poor kid from Panama starved for, dreamed of, was the same night that was gonna condemn him in the future. All the things that made Duran great and that made the world watch and made his legend were gone after that night." -- Teddy Atlas

The second episode of Showtime’s four-part documentary series “The Kings” picks up where the first episode left off, focusing on the aftermath of the first historic bout between Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran.

One of the primary focal points in the episode falls on Duran’s relationship with his manager Carlos Eleta. The Panamanian fighter did not grow up with his father in his life, and in the episode, he goes on to explain that his father was a random soldier that was stationed at the Panama Canal border who met his mother one day and left.

For Duran, Eleta was the closest person in his life that he would consider a father.

“The man who was my real father figure was Mr. Carlos Eleta,” Duran stated in the second episode of ‘The Kings.’ “Thanks to Carlos Eleta, the world opened up to me.”

The first Duran-Leonard match was a massive success from the fight itself, the finances generated to forcing rival promoters Don King and Bob Arum to work together to promote the event.

The rematch that took place later the same year was a significant anchor of the episode, with Leonard now having something to prove to himself and the general public.

“Ray Leonard had the magic of superstardom,” said Larry Merchant. “But when he fought with Duran, he lost the fight. When the world says he can be a superstar and he hasn’t actually proved it in the ring, there are bound to be a lot of skeptics.”

Out of the nine fights involving Hagler, Duran, Leonard, and Hearns, the second bout between Leonard and Duran may have penetrated pop culture more than any other.

The ending of the fight with Duran choosing to quit during the eighth round without taking much to any punishment was astonishing and still one of the many mysteries in sports history.

The documentary doesn’t give a definitive answer as to what happened that night in New Orleans in November 1980. Still, it does establish just how flabbergasted the general public was at witnessing a fighter like Duran quit in such a high-profile fight.

“The idea that any great fighter would do that was hard to digest,” stated Steve Farhood. “But the idea that Duran did it was even harder to understand.”

The downfall of Duran following the loss to Leonard in the rematch is looked at with the blame-shifting from Duran’s weight gain in between fights to the fight-taking place too soon after the first bout.

Hagler takes somewhat of a backseat to the other three Kings in the episode. The middleweight title victory over Alan Minter in the United Kingdom is highlighted, and the episode does a wonderful job showing how much longer it took Hagler to be accepted by the general public when compared to Duran, Leonard, and Hearns.

The political climate of the 1980s is still one of the themes in the episode. One could criticize these portions of the documentary for choosing to focus on a divisive topic like politics instead of what was happening in pop culture at the time.

However, in today’s world, the nostalgia for 1980s music and films has been oversaturated. While the politics behind a president like Ronald Reagan can be divisive, the documentary does a fantastic job tying politics with the sports world and the four fighters featured.

The climax of the episode has the first bout between Leonard and Hearns at its center. The fight that took place in September 1981 is arguably the most historically significant out of all the fights between the four kings.

The rise of Hearns up the welterweight rankings leading to the bout with Leonard was vital in showing the magnitude of the first Leonard-Hearns fight. Showing the lead up and highlights of the fight, the documentary shows the significance of Lenard-Hearns I not just to boxing but the world in general.

“You see all the celebrities,” says Teddy Atlas on the episode. “They trekked down from the mountain, why? For me, it's because they want a peek. They want a peek at something real, and maybe they get hope from it. I hope that by watching this that maybe it’ll rub off on them. Maybe they could be braver, and I think that’s the magic of it.”

The second episode of “The Kings” was every bit as good as the first. For boxing fans, the episodes so far have highlighted the most critical fights of each of the four kings' careers. The first two episodes fit together like a puzzle piece. The final two installments will have expectations to finish the overall story of four fighters that are still and may forever be the gold standard by which all fighters are judged.

#HF #Showtime Sports #The Kings #Documentary

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