In the second part of our BoxingScene interview with Jacob Duran this week, “Stitch” talks about the tips and challenges of editing and how to teach fighters to focus on their Health and Safety.
About 20 years ago, a small promotion called Guilty Boxing held light club shows at the Orleans Hotel and Casino west of the Las Vegas Strip. A testing ground for Las Vegas boxing talent: Future featherweight champion Augie Sanchez and junior middleweight world champion Ish Smith, among others, stepped into the ring, and the newcomers cards were played. Brad Goodman. If Vegas owners aren’t involved in any of the drama, chances are they’re just sitting on the sidelines. Floyd Mayweather Jr. he wasn’t a superstar yet, right-hander Leonard Ellerbe was his regular player. For anglers and editors, the show is an opportunity to take on a job, sometimes at the last minute, as not all shops have the budget to bring all the equipment. A local editor named Jacob Duran, known for professional and personal reasons as “Stitch”, often works on multiple games at night.
“At the time, I tried to have a little honesty here, a little honesty there, and, you know, do the best I could to make it better. I do it,” he said recently. “Everything is fine, son.”
And they did it. Twenty years later, he is one of the most recognizable faces in combat sports. (Google “boxing cutman” and his name will come up first and often.) He has worked with champions including Wladimir Klitschko, who he still holds to this day (as is the younger brother of Vlad and Vitali). He’s been one of the UFC’s top promoters for years, and his departure from the organization has made him a household name. He also played his own characters in movies, working with Mason Dixon in “Rocky Balboa” and Adonis Creed in the movie “Creed.” (Michael B. Jordan, who played “Creed,” is also a Stitch fan.)
In sports and business where talking down or insulting others is the price of admission, Stitch – that’s right – Stitch – by no other name – is the opposite. Maybe it wasn’t a coincidence, but he wasn’t one to play sniper games behind other people’s backs. “I grew up with this idea,” he explains. “My parents were hard workers. They were farm workers, always helping people. They always fought for human rights against Cesar Chavez. We were eight – five boys, three girls – the same We all think: be a good person. Don’t be stupid. Be correct. And you know, it’s not that hard to do.
The cumulative experience is normal.
“I grew up in a migrant camp in California,” he said. “I picked tomatoes, peaches, cotton, apricots.”
From Migrant Camp to Klitschko’s ‘Dad’: Stitch Duran and the Art of Doing Right by Others https://t.co/1r1ykVKEct
— BoxingScene.com (@boxingscene) April 28, 2024
In 1972, at the age of 21, Duran joined the Air Force. – My friends have been living in Thailand and they invited me to participate in some competitions. Muay Thai, the guy kicks and knocks him out. I said, “Wow, let’s do this.”
He started learning Muay Thai, Taekwondo and Taekwondo. After retiring from the military, he took up boxing.
“Then I opened my own kickboxing school in downtown Fairfield with just a credit card,” he said. – So I’m a trainer, I promote boxing matches and manage some people. I did everything, but I had to learn how to edit.
In February 1986, he watched Marvis Frazier defeat James Bonecrusher Smith in 10 rounds at an auditorium in Richmond, California. I’ll never forget this scene with this guy doing a big cut and I said, “Man, you’re doing great, I’m trying to learn how to edit, can you tell me what do you do? I will take him to my grave.
Due to his appearance, Duran did not reveal the man’s name, but he met him again a few years later when he teamed up with middleweight champion Andre Ward. – He must have forgotten because now he and his son want to take a photo with me. I just said yes. But I thought, “Yeah, fuck it.”
Over time, he gained experience fixing kickboxing matches and moved to Las Vegas to find work fixing. But when the boxing world didn’t recognize his kickboxing experience, he found work as a stand-up – until one day, the UFC came calling. “I was competing in a K-1 kickboxing tournament, and after the fight, Dana [White] asked for my card and said, ‘Listen, we bought the UFC. We want to know if you fight Leon Tower. Booth is one of the editors, so Dana knew to have a professional editor in every corner and reach out there.
Duran later credited White’s role as “changing my life”.
In 2015, the UFC signed an agreement with Reebok, in which fighters, officials and corners wear uniforms designed exclusively by the clothing company, and are not allowed to wear sponsor logos. For wrestlers and cornerbacks, these endorsements are a real source of income. “At the time, the UFC was paying dirt,” Stich said. “A lot of fighters make just $50,000, $100,000 per fight.” When an MMA reporter asked him about the story, he agreed to do Reebok accordingly. Influence him and others in the company.
“Maybe I pissed Dana off when I said I should start boxing because it’s better paid,” he said.
He then called a UFC official and told him that he would no longer be working for the company as a result of the interview. – I said to him: – Help me. Tell Dana she doesn’t have the balls because she brought me, so tell her I’m out.
During that time Duran had become as popular in combat sports as some of his competitors, and his departure caused an uproar among UFC fans and fans alike. White tried to fire him, but the editor’s popularity only increased, as did his work. It’s rare for Duran to have at least one corner position in a major boxing game, and he’s still on top of mixed martial arts.
He has no regrets about the way he left the UFC. He simply followed the example set by his parents and always stood by the workers. He always stood in the corner. He knows that the reaper is not in the business of knocks, bruises and cuts; This is meant to put the fighter at ease and encourage them to relax, make sure they are in good hands and focus on the task at hand.
Perhaps his proudest and most celebrated moment in his career and life came on April 29, 2017, when he defended Vladimir in the Ukrainian’s last fight against Anthony Joshua. They have been together since 2004 and their relationship has grown stronger over the years. As the battle became more intense, the editor heard that the former champion was nervous and tried to calm his nerves. “The mentality of a boxer is important,” Duran said. – This is not something you can learn. You have to be there to find out. At the end of the weigh-in, I raised my hand and said to Vladimir, “Hey, you don’t have to worry about tomorrow.” Vladimir said, “You can call me ‘son’.” Enough. That is very powerful. The last time I saw him a few months later in Germany, I asked him: Vladimir, so. Why? He said, “Stitch, there are only a few people in my life that I can trust. You are one of them.”
He played Klitschko’s written message, and Klitschko is now, of course, heavily involved in a fight that has more opportunities. “Stitch has saved my life many times,” said the familiar voice. Without Stitch’s help, I would never have achieved the record of winning the title for twelve years.
The sewing is finished.
“That’s very strong,” he replied quietly. – That’s the essence of my relationship with the Warriors, man. You have to take care of it. You have to do what they ask.
His parents, who fought alongside Cesar Chavez for the rights of farm workers years ago, understood this idea well, and they were very proud of it.