Yorkshire plasterer who boxed the big way - BBC Sport

Roberto Duran and Dave Radford were from different worlds.

Duran was a champion boxer, considered one of the greatest to ever step into the ring, while Radford, a part-time plasterer from Hemsworth, West Yorkshire, often fought in leisure centers and social clubs.

Yet in November 1997, a series of unlikely events saw the 28-year-old Radford fly to South Africa and fight Duran in front of 10,000 people at the Carousel Casino in Hammanskraal.

"It was a dream come true, you couldn't write it." said Radford on the Sporting Witness podcast.

Johnny I'Anson spoke to Radford and his trainer about their experiences on the BBC World Service.

Radford was plastering the wall when his trainer James Walker called.

"He said, 'You better sit down, I've got something to tell you, I've got a fight for you in Africa,'" Radford said.

Radford's coach also told him who he would be facing.

The reaction was understandable.

"No, no, no Roberto Duran, he'll kill me."

Duran was 46 years old at the time and had been world champion in four different weight classes.

The Panamanian great had been booked to fight in South Africa, but plans were thrown into chaos when his intended opponent broke his ankle shortly before the bout.

Duran's management scrambled to find a quick replacement to save the race, and Radford received an unlikely call-up just days before the scheduled show.

He was chosen because the organizers wanted someone in the top 10 in Britain. Radford was ninth and willing to step in at short notice.

Within hours, he was on his way to Manchester Airport to fly to South Africa, but not without another surprise.

"Dave talks to the Spice Girls!" Walker told his family over the payphone before the flight.

In addition to Duran, Radford was also courted by boxing legend Marvin Hagler, who was in the ring for the match.

"When I jumped into the ring, I looked to my left. Who was sitting at the table doing commentary? The amazing Marvin Hagler," he recalled.

"I'm just thinking, 'I can't believe what's happening'. I've always wanted to meet him."

Meeting Hagler would have to wait as Radford fought one of his heroes.

Radford said the Duran fight "sickened" him.

The man he traded punches with, nicknamed "Hands of Stone," was a superstar boxer in the 1980s.

"He hit me a lot of times with shots to the head, but the worst were the body shots," Radford said.

"I can't really describe what it is, it just wiped everything out of me."

But Radford wasn't going to leave without giving a good account of himself.

"I hit him a few times, it was a good hard right hand that I hit him with," Radford said.

"I remember knocking his hand back. I'm just thinking to myself, 'I've just rocked Roberto Duran.'

He felt his "energy running out" with only 15 seconds left.

When the final bell rang, Radford thought not of how he had fought his hero, but how he "survived" the fight.

Radford lost the fight on points, but became a hero.

"At the end of the fight, the crowd was chanting 'Radford, Radford.' It was crazy," Walker said.

It took a moment for Radford to realize what had happened.

"I just looked at my fists and that's when it hit me ... I've come a long way with one of my heroes," said Radford.

"Not just meeting a guy and shaking a guy's hand, but fighting a guy and then shaking a guy's hand. It was amazing."

The surprises didn't end there for Radford and his coach.

"It was chaos," said Walker, recalling how the couple were surrounded by a crowd at the airport.

They met with promoters Rodney Berman and Cedric Kushner, who paid Radford for the match.

"I count money and put it in each of my pockets," added Walker.

Radford's experience was unique, as the boxer usually fought in social clubs in front of 600 people.

"You've got people who really wanted to see the good old scrap," he said. "They threw money into the ring after the fight. The boxers picked it up and they both split the tip."

Radford retired from boxing the following year, in 1998.

He remained friendly with Duran, who visited West Yorkshire when Radford opened the boxing gym in 2010.

BBC World Service's Sporting Witness takes an inside look at the most important moments in sporting history and personal stories.