SACRAMENTO — Former Pueblo boxer Richard "Bam Bam" Duran, died April 26 following a stroke.
Funeral services for the 44-year-old Duran were held Monday in Roseville, Calif., 20 miles north of Sacramento, where Duran had been working with young boxers.
Duran was born in Sacramento but was raised in Pueblo, learning to box with the CYO Stylers under the direction of Ed Apodaca, according to his son, Manuel Duran.
Duran returned to California as a teenager with a young family in 1983 and continued a successful amateur career under trainer Don Conley. He was a member of the U.S. Team and participated in the Olympic trials before compiling a professional record of 27-3 with 13 knockouts.
His three defeats, two in title bouts, occurred within his last four fights and he retired in 1994.
Duran's first title fight was April 17, 1993, in Sacramento, a 12-round unanimous decision loss to 1988 Olympic gold medalist Kennedy McKinney for the International Boxing Federation super-bantamweight crown. Less than a year later, on April 9, 1994, in Reno, he lost a unanimous decision to Tracy Harris Patterson for the World Boxing Council title.
"Richard was a terrific, terrific fighter, but we agreed that he probably stayed in the amateurs too long before turning pro," promoter Don Chargin told the Sacramento Bee.
Duran is survived by his wife, Geraldine, of Pueblo, and seven children including Manuel, Sirena and Joe, all of Pueblo.
Funeral services for the 44-year-old Duran were held Monday in Roseville, Calif., 20 miles north of Sacramento, where Duran had been working with young boxers.
Duran was born in Sacramento but was raised in Pueblo, learning to box with the CYO Stylers under the direction of Ed Apodaca, according to his son, Manuel Duran.
Duran returned to California as a teenager with a young family in 1983 and continued a successful amateur career under trainer Don Conley. He was a member of the U.S. Team and participated in the Olympic trials before compiling a professional record of 27-3 with 13 knockouts.
His three defeats, two in title bouts, occurred within his last four fights and he retired in 1994.
Duran's first title fight was April 17, 1993, in Sacramento, a 12-round unanimous decision loss to 1988 Olympic gold medalist Kennedy McKinney for the International Boxing Federation super-bantamweight crown. Less than a year later, on April 9, 1994, in Reno, he lost a unanimous decision to Tracy Harris Patterson for the World Boxing Council title.
"Richard was a terrific, terrific fighter, but we agreed that he probably stayed in the amateurs too long before turning pro," promoter Don Chargin told the Sacramento Bee.
Duran is survived by his wife, Geraldine, of Pueblo, and seven children including Manuel, Sirena and Joe, all of Pueblo.
SACRAMENTO — Former Pueblo boxer Richard "Bam Bam" Duran, died April 26 following a stroke.
Funeral services for the 44-year-old Duran were held Monday in Roseville, Calif., 20 miles north of Sacramento, where Duran had been working with young boxers.
Duran was born in Sacramento but was raised in Pueblo, learning to box with the CYO Stylers under the direction of Ed Apodaca, according to his son, Manuel Duran.
Duran returned to California as a teenager with a young family in 1983 and continued a successful amateur career under trainer Don Conley. He was a member of the U.S. Team and participated in the Olympic trials before compiling a professional record of 27-3 with 13 knockouts.
His three defeats, two in title bouts, occurred within his last four fights and he retired in 1994.
Duran's first title fight was April 17, 1993, in Sacramento, a 12-round unanimous decision loss to 1988 Olympic gold medalist Kennedy McKinney for the International Boxing Federation super-bantamweight crown. Less than a year later, on April 9, 1994, in Reno, he lost a unanimous decision to Tracy Harris Patterson for the World Boxing Council title.
"Richard was a terrific, terrific fighter, but we agreed that he probably stayed in the amateurs too long before turning pro," promoter Don Chargin told the Sacramento Bee.
Duran is survived by his wife, Geraldine, of Pueblo, and seven children including Manuel, Sirena and Joe, all of Pueblo.
Funeral services for the 44-year-old Duran were held Monday in Roseville, Calif., 20 miles north of Sacramento, where Duran had been working with young boxers.
Duran was born in Sacramento but was raised in Pueblo, learning to box with the CYO Stylers under the direction of Ed Apodaca, according to his son, Manuel Duran.
Duran returned to California as a teenager with a young family in 1983 and continued a successful amateur career under trainer Don Conley. He was a member of the U.S. Team and participated in the Olympic trials before compiling a professional record of 27-3 with 13 knockouts.
His three defeats, two in title bouts, occurred within his last four fights and he retired in 1994.
Duran's first title fight was April 17, 1993, in Sacramento, a 12-round unanimous decision loss to 1988 Olympic gold medalist Kennedy McKinney for the International Boxing Federation super-bantamweight crown. Less than a year later, on April 9, 1994, in Reno, he lost a unanimous decision to Tracy Harris Patterson for the World Boxing Council title.
"Richard was a terrific, terrific fighter, but we agreed that he probably stayed in the amateurs too long before turning pro," promoter Don Chargin told the Sacramento Bee.
Duran is survived by his wife, Geraldine, of Pueblo, and seven children including Manuel, Sirena and Joe, all of Pueblo.
