By John Wight: Not many practitioners of the sweet science can claim to have worn the mantle of King of Madison Square Garden during their careers. Indeed, the acknowledged Mecca of boxing in its heyday was the one arena where even the most accomplished of champions and contenders were liable to be overwhelmed by the pressure of occupying its hallowed terrain. Many in fact found themselves leaving the ring to a chorus of boos from the most hard to please fans in the world in response to a lackluster performance.
Indeed it would not be a stretch to claim that Madison Square Garden, or The Garden as its more affectionately known, has become synonymous with the sport of boxing in the over 100 years and four different locations in which it has hosted some of the most epic contests in the history of the fight game – contests involving the likes of John L Sullivan, Rocky Marciano, Sugar Ray Robinson, Jake La Motta, Muhammad Ali, Jerry Quarry, Joe Frazier, Roberto Duran, Sugar Ray Leonard, and the list goes on.
But out of all the legends who’ve garnered a place in The Garden’s illustrious history, perhaps one deserves a special mention in tribute to a career during which he topped the bill there not once, not twice, but a remarkable five times.
Making this achievement all the more remarkable is that the man in question hailed from the unlikely boxing origins of a housing scheme on the outskirts of Edinburgh, Scotland.
This man’s name is of course Ken Buchanan.
During the early 1970s, the Scottish lightweight brought to the ring the elegance of a ballerina and the heart of a pitbull. A piston jab as accurate as a precision guided missile was complemented by the contortions of an escape artist in the way he could frustrate even the most skilled attempts to lay a glove on him. It was a combination that saw him win the world title from Panama’s Ismael Laguna over 15 brutal rounds, fought in the murderous heat of an outdoor arena in San Juan, Puerto Rico in front of a hostile crowd in 1970. In a display of guts and tenacity that even today still ranks as one of the most outstanding in the history of the ring, Ken Buchanan duly announced his arrival on the world stage.
Buchanan’s first appearance at The Garden in his trademark tartan shorts came just three months later in December of the same year, when the newly crowned champion fought Canadian welterweight contender, Donato Paduano, in a ten round non-title fight. Giving away ten pounds in weight, Buchanan lit up the crowd to such an extent that it rose more than once to accord him a standing ovation in appreciation of the sheer artistry he displayed as he took his opponent apart. Ducking and weaving to avoid punches, it almost appeared the Scotsman’s legs were attached to his legs by a ball and socket instead of flesh and bone. Indeed at points during the contest he dipped his head so low he could have untied the Canadian’s laces, and in the end he ran out a comfortable winner with a unanimous decision.
His next outing at The Garden came almost exactly a year after wresting the title from Laguna, when the two met for a widely anticipated rematch. Buchanan had already defended his title twice in the interim, and so by the time he stepped into the ring to meet his old rival he’d established himself as the undisputed champion. It was a contest that took on the same pattern as the first fight, with the Scotsman keeping his jab in the Panamanian’s face for 15 rounds to win yet another unanimous decision in front of a full house.
Another Panamanian in the shape of a young Roberto Duran was Buchanan’s next challenger. Duran may have only been emerging as the legend he was to become, but already he possessed a reputation for destroying his opponents with a relentless, come-forward style whilst throwing bombs.
The fight which took place that night is one that none watching would ever forget, and it remains to this day one of the most controversial that Madison Square Garden has ever played host to. It began at a blistering pace from the opening bell, when Duran literally tried to jump on his opponent with a clear strategy of denying the Scotsman the jab which by then was considered the best in the business. It was a strategy that paid off, as within a minute of the fight Buchanan was forced to touch the canvas at the end of a right hook to take a standing eight count. If he didn’t know it already, the world champion knew now that he was in for a long night.
Back he came though, trading combinations with the challenger in an attempt to keep him at bay. It was in this fashion the fight continued over thirteen bruising rounds in which Duran’s head rarely left the champion’s chest, so intent was he in fighting on the inside.
The low blow which concluded proceedings came after the bell rang at the end of the thirteenth. The controversy which resulted continues to be the subject of debate among fight fans and commentators to this day. More importantly, it still rankles with Buchanan himself, who recently told this writer that even now he’s still reminded of it by an occasional shooting pain through his groin. The blow was clearly low, as anyone watching the fight would testify, and it clearly came after the bell had rung, leaving the champion flat on the canvas unable to continue. However, rather than disqualify Duran for a low blow, the fight was awarded to the Panamanian challenger on the basis that he’d been ahead on all three Judges’ scorecards and in the referee’s opinion the blow had landed just above the belt.
Regardless of the controversy, the decision stood and Roberto Duran was crowned world champion. It is a matter of record that Duran refused to grant Buchanan a rematch afterwards and has always maintained that the Scotsman was his toughest ever opponent.
Ken Buchanan fought twice more at The Garden during his career, recording victories against former three time world champion Carlos Ortiz and then South Korea’s Chang-Kil Lee.
His career thereafter followed the all too familiar pattern of slow but steady decline, until his eventual retirement in 1982. Nonetheless, the former world champion and still proud Scotsman will forever be remembered as a true ring legend and one of only a select few to ever hold the unofficial title of King of Madison Square Garden.