Nine Years Haven’t Healed Leonard-Duran Rift

There he was at the head table, the fearsome fighter they once called Manos de Piedra (Hands of Stone). Nowadays, he looks more like Manos de Twinkies.

He sat impassively, elbows on the table, his chin in his hands. Then promoter Bob Arum introduced his long-time rival, Sugar Ray Leonard, and summoned him to the microphone.

Roberto Duran actually smiled slightly . . . and vigorously applauded Leonard.

Wait a minute. That’s Duran, Roberto Duran, applauding Sugar Ray Leonard? No. An impostor, surely. Or was it a mirage?

Toward the end, Duran became a little surly, as in the old days. But for a few seconds, Roberto Duran seemed free of some old demons.

This was at the Golden Nugget Hotel Wednesday, at a news conference to announce the site of Leonard-Duran III, an event promoter Bob Arum calls “Uno Mas. “

It was a party, in a way, to introduce Steve Wynn as the new player in boxing’s big leagues. His gleaming white, high-rise hotel, the Mirage, which has risen to near-completion next door to Caesars Palace, will hold the fight Dec. 7.

So Leonard and Duran, who began the decade in Montreal with what some call the best fight of the decade, will finish the 1980s with an overweight Duran pushing 40 and Leonard in suspect shape after a disappointing performance against Tommy Hearns in a June draw.

It has been said by nearly everyone in boxing the last few years that once Wynn opened his hotel and went into the boxing business, he would drive up the site fees of top boxing shows. But in this case, it didn’t happen, all the principals agreed Wednesday.

“It was not a bidding war at all,” said Mike Trainer, Leonard’s lawyer and a co-promoter, with Arum, for Leonard-Duran III.

“We talked to Caesars Palace first, told them what we had in mind, then we talked to Donald Trump’s people (at Trump Plaza in Atlantic City, N.J.), and then Steve flew to Bethesda (Md.) to see me. Steve and I made a deal in about 10 minutes.

“Basically, Steve said, ‘How much will it cost me? What’s the date?’ then, ‘OK, let’s do it.’ Trump put the same number ($8 million, which Wynn confirmed Wednesday) on the table. Caesars went under that and was either unable or unwilling to match it. Caesars also wanted an option on Ray’s next fight, which was unacceptable to us.

“For some reason, Caesars felt Steve was not a threat to them on this fight, but they were afraid he’d come back in the spring and blow everyone out of the water and get Ray’s next fight.”

In the end, Trainer said, the site was Leonard’s decision.

“There’s a reason for this fight,” Leonard said. “Roberto Duran wants to vindicate himself.”

Then Leonard added, with a smile: “And I like the idea of being the first act at the Mirage.”

His first reference was to Leonard-Duran II, the 1980 rematch in New Orleans, when Duran quit in the middle of the eighth round, saying, “No mas, no mas,” to referee Octavio Meyran.

He has never explained why he quit that night, but Wednesday Duran promised to fully explain “No mas” immediately after Uno Mas.

“That was the biggest disappointment of my career, and you’ll know why (it happened) after the fight,” he told reporters Wednesday, through an interpreter. Many wanted to know what the 38-year-old Duran weighed. The range of guesses was from 185 to 205. Whatever, he has to come down several weight classes.

“My weight is no problem,” he said.

He might be right. He was also in the 190- to 200-pound range six weeks before he fought Iran Barkley last February, somehow got down to 160, and upset Barkley for what has become a $7.5-million victory.

That’s what Duran will make Dec. 7. Then he will have a painful visit to the Las Vegas office of the IRS. Duran has a back-tax bill of $1.5 million, which will come off the top of the $7.5 million.

Duran, at the microphone, turned tough. Moments before, Leonard said that he’d “always” wanted to fight Duran again.

Duran pointed at Leonard and asked: “If you’ve always wanted to fight me, why did you wait nine years?”

He also said he would have to knock out Leonard because “the judges like you here,” possibly a reference to the June 12 Leonard-Hearns draw that most thought Hearns won.

Leonard, 33, who is said to have made $14.2 million from the Hearns fight, will make about $15 million, according to Trainer. That will put him over $100 million for his career.

Wynn, who said he will hold the fight in a 16,400-seat outdoor arena protected by wind barriers, said the Mirage will open in late November, about a week ahead of schedule.