Boxing legend Roberto Durán tested positive for coronavirus on Thursday and remains in a hospital in Panama City, Panama, where he was admitted due to a viral infection.
“My father’s tests have just arrived and confirm that he is positive for COVID-19. Thank God he is not having symptoms beyond something similar to a cold,” Robin Duran, the former champion’s son, wrote on Instagram.
Duran, 69, was taken to the health center as a preventive measure due to his age and because “he has a lung that does not work 100% due to an accident he suffered in 2001 in Argentina,” his son said in the post.
“We just spoke to the doctor and he told us that his lungs are fine and that there are no signs of serious damage,” added Robin Duran.
In the post, the four-time champion’s son also thanked his father’s fans for their support and said his father will remain in the hospital under observation.
Durán, who rose to fame as a lightweight champion, is considered one of the greatest boxers of all time. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2007 after a 33-year professional career that yielded a record of 103-16 with 70 knockouts.
Duran’s most memorable rivalry was against “Sugar” Ray Leonard. In his first fight in 1980 in Montreal, Duran beat Leonard to win the WBC welterweight title. Five months later, Leonard stopped Durán in the eighth round in the infamous “No Mas” fight, one of the most iconic in sports history.
Another highlight of Duran’s career came in 1989, when he overtook Iran Barkley to win the WBC middleweight title.
ESPN’s Ben Baby contributed to this report.
.
