Roberto Hands of Stone Durán is at Home and Feeling Well

The legendary Panamanian boxer Roberto ‘Hands of Stone’ Durán has been discharged from the hospital, where he was admitted last week for a heart condition.  “Thank you for worrying about me. I’m home, calm and feeling good. Thank you for all your messages, prayers and good wishes for me,” the four-time world boxing champion said with a happy face.  Pointing to his chest, Durán stated that he has his pacemaker in place and now all that remains is to be checked from time to time, and at the same time he wanted to thank all the people who cared about his condition and Roberto took the opportunity to give his blessings to everyone.  The family of ‘El Cholo’ – as the Panamanian fighter is affectionately known – had announced in a statement his happiness at the progress: “The operation on our champion, pacemaker implant, was a complete success.”  Durán, 72, was hospitalized last week due to a cardiac complication resulting from complete atrioventricular (AV) block, as his family reported at the time.  According to medical literature, atrioventricular (AV) block is a partial or complete interruption of the transmission of impulses from the atria to the ventricles of the heart. Symptoms and treatment depend on the degree of blockage, but if considered necessary, a pacemaker is usually required. Durán, a member of the Boxing Hall of Fame, is recognized worldwide as the best lightweight (135 pounds) of all time, and also listed as one of the best pound for pound in the entire history of boxing.  The former Panamanian fighter, who also entered the bantamweight, featherweight, superfeatherweight, lightweight, welterweight, superwelterweight, middleweight and supermiddleweight divisions, finished his career with a professional record of 103-16 with 70 wins by knockout.