JACOB “STITCH” DURAN has lost count of the amount of fights he has worked over his career – but there is one he could never forget.
Duran has cornered a who’s who in both boxing and MMA, spanning over four decades, so little can faze or shock the 72-year-old legend.
But, in 2005, he worked in what at the time was described by UFC commentator Joe Rogan as the “bloodiest round in mixed martial arts history.”
Jay Hieron was taking on Jonathan Goule in a welterweight bout when, in round two, he took a brutal knee to the forehead.
Immediately, Hieron was drenched in blood and Duran knew he had a job on his hands.
Duran recalls almost PASSING OUT from the sheer smell alone as Hieron was covered from head to toe in claret.
READ MORE IN BOXING
He told SunSport: “Jay Hieron got that one cut in the vein where you laugh and it popped out and he bled like a pig, to the point where both fighters had blood from the top of their head to the bottom of their feet.
“As I was cleaning Jay up, there was so much blood I literally got nauseated. The smell of that iron, that had to be the bloodiest fight.
“And Jay Hieron is so proud of it, the mat is up in Randy Couture’s gym in Las Vegas. So we’re intertwined in his history.”
Despite Duran’s best efforts, the bleeding was so severe the fight was called off a minute into round three with Goule winning by stoppage.
Most read in Boxing
The one that got away
DESPITE working with the best of the best, the most notable name Stitch never cornered was Floyd Mayweather.
Instead, Mayweather famously had the late Rafael Garcia – who died in 2017 – work his cuts and more importantly his hands.
But Stitch did have the chance to join Mayweather’s team, telling us: “I walk into the gym with a friend of mine, barber shop type of thing and he’s going through guys wrapping his hands, as he does have problems.
“Well this one guy is wrapping his hands and I’m telling my friend right off the bat, ‘Too tight.’ Floyd is shaking his hands and the other guy is wrapping his other hand.
“Finally, they finish and Floyd and James Prince – his manager at the time – they walk into the dressing room and as he’s walking out Floyd is cutting the wraps off his hands.
“At that point I could have said, ‘Hey Floyd, I’ll wrap your hands.’ But out of respect for that cutman, I said nothing.
“Then of course, later on Rafael got the opportunity and the assignment and I’m glad he got the assignment because Rafael was a super, super, super guy.
“He never really got the credit that was due to him until Floyd gave him the opportunity. So everything worked out.”
CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS
It marked the only ever time Duran – who estimates he has worked over 1,000 fights – was taken aback by an incident.
He said: “That was the only time I ever really smelt the blood. There was that much blood to the point, I could smell the iron in it.
“But it’s not usually an issue when it comes to smelling blood. At this point I ain’t got no time to be freaking out.”
Duran had a military background before moving into the sport of kickboxing, where he coached and promoted.
From there, he made the life-changing decision to work fighters’ cuts and wrap their hands.
No cornerman has had a bigger impact across the sports, with Duran working with the likes of Wladimir Klistchko and Tyson Fury.
He has even featured in Hollywood movies, most notably in the Rocky series and Creed spin-offs.
But away from the lights, camera and action, Duran has one of the crucial jobs in the ring.
He said: “It’s definitely a pressure point. People ask me, ‘What does it take to be a good cutman?’ And I always say, ‘Composure.’
“During those points you’ve got to keep your composure and give that fighter every positive airwave.
“He looks at you, and you look at him and you’ve just got to know what you’re doing a coach can be in the back but we’re in the front and centre.”
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
