The project, initiated by Brambri Durán Productions and Hands of Stone Entertainment, with support cited from the Government of Panama and the World Boxing Council (WBC), was conceived as considerably more than a traditional boxing event. El Legado is intended to establish a development pathway for promising young Panamanian boxers while using the sport to promote opportunity, education, discipline and stronger Panama–Mexico and broader Latin American sporting relationships. The WBC described the initiative as an international amateur boxing project created to revitalize the foundations of boxing in the region, while also highlighting its documentary component, which will capture the selection, training and human-development stories of the participating athletes.

For Panama, the road to El Legado began with a nationwide selection process designed to identify the country’s leading young amateur prospects. Regional evaluation sessions were held June 6 at Centro Deportivo La Basita in David, Chiriquí, June 13 at Centro Deportivo Sion Cohen in Chitré, Herrera, and June 27 at the Atheyna Bylon High-Performance Center in Panama City. The national process was followed by the Nacional Panamá Durán, held July 24–25 in Chitré, where the Panamanian representative group was finalized. Government information stated that 20 official boxers would emerge from the selection process, while the WBC reported that coaches and officials were evaluating more than 120 fighters nationwide.

Following selection, the members of Equipo Panamá Durán entered a high-performance preparation program at the Luis “Matador” Tejada High-Performance Center in Panama City, training under the direct supervision and guidance of Roberto Durán and his coaching team. The preparation period has placed the emphasis not only on competitive readiness but also on the broader mission of developing young athletes. Durán has personally worked with the selected fighters during their preparations, while recent reporting from Panama has highlighted his role in supervising, correcting and sharing the experience accumulated during his legendary professional career.

Across the border, Mexico’s delegation arrives under the leadership of Juan Manuel Márquez and Rafael Márquez, creating a meeting between two of Latin America’s most celebrated boxing traditions. The international competition is being presented as Panama versus Mexico, with Team Durán facing a Mexican delegation associated with the Márquez brothers. The WBC has described the project as a meeting between rising young talents from the two countries and emphasized the opportunity to revive the historic rivalry and contrasting traditions of Panamanian and Mexican boxing while giving a new generation of athletes an international platform.

The international portion of El Legado will unfold over September 18 and 19 in Panama City. On Friday, September 18, the Olympic-style Panama-versus-Mexico competition will begin at the Tierra de Campeones Atheyna Bylon Gymnasium/High-Performance Center, where the opening elimination or semifinal-stage bouts will take place. Recent Panamanian reports consistently identify the first night as the elimination stage of the amateur competition. The following day, Saturday, September 19, the competition moves to the Arena Roberto Durán, where the finals of the Olympic-style tournament will be staged.

The tournament pathway therefore represents a progression from regional discovery to national selection, national competition, high-performance preparation and international team competition. Rather than functioning as an open-entry international tournament, El Legado was structured as a development system through which young Panamanian boxers earned their place on the national team. The publicly confirmed competition consists of the selected Panamanian athletes meeting Mexico in Olympic-style boxing, with September 18 serving as the elimination/semi-final stage and September 19 serving as the finals. The publicly available announcements, however, have not established the exact number of international bouts, final weight categories, individual pairings, age divisions, scoring system or method by which an overall national-team winner will be determined.

Organizers and public announcements have also made clear that professional boxing will form part of the September 19 program, although it should be distinguished from the Olympic-style amateur team tournament itself. Panama’s Ministry of Commerce and Industries originally announced that the broader project would combine amateur and professional boxing, while the latest local reporting confirms a professional card at Arena Roberto Durán alongside the finals of the amateur competition. The professional program is scheduled to begin at approximately 3:30 p.m., serving as part of the Saturday presentation surrounding the tournament finale.

The currently reported professional main event will feature William “Chatel” Vargas against Tony “El Patriota” Gómez, a rematch scheduled for eight rounds at 135 pounds. The co-feature is reported as Rudy Santos versus Yunior “Bronco Man” Menéndez, scheduled for six rounds at 190 pounds, with additional professional bouts completing the card. These professional contests are separate from the Panama-versus-Mexico Olympic-style competition and should not be described as part of the amateur tournament bracket.

At its core, however, the significance of El Legado extends beyond the individual results of a two-day competition. The project is designed as a long-term development platform for young boxers, combining competition with preparation, mentorship, education, storytelling and international exposure. Government officials have also positioned the initiative within Panama’s broader effort to attract major sporting events and audiovisual productions, with the country’s creative and audiovisual sector reported to have generated more than $12.5 million in investment during 2025.

For Roberto Durán, the project places his name and experience directly behind a new generation of Panamanian fighters. For Juan Manuel and Rafael Márquez, it creates an opportunity to guide Mexican prospects into an international meeting built around two of boxing’s most recognized national traditions. And for the young athletes themselves, El Legado provides a pathway that begins with local trials and culminates in the opportunity to represent their country on an international stage in front of one of Panama’s most iconic boxing venues.

When the fighters enter the ring on September 18 at the Atheyna Bylon Gymnasium, they will begin the competitive phase of a process that started months earlier across Panama’s regional boxing community. Twenty selected Panamanian athletes, developed through regional trials, the Nacional Panamá Durán and an intensive training camp, will represent Equipo Panamá Durán against Mexico’s delegation. The surviving competitors will then advance to the finals on September 19 at the Arena Roberto Durán, bringing the sporting competition to the building that carries the name of the man whose career and legacy inspired the entire project.

Roberto Durán – El Legado ultimately represents an effort to connect the past, present and future of Latin American boxing: a Panamanian legend opening a pathway for young fighters, a Mexican boxing dynasty helping lead the opposing delegation, and two historic boxing nations meeting through the next generation of athletes. With the international Olympic-style competition, the September 19 finals and a professional boxing card completing the weekend, Panama City will serve as the setting for a project built around competition, development and the enduring legacy of the sport.

Roberto Durán – El Legado

Panama vs. Mexico — International Olympic-Style Boxing

September 18 — Atheyna Bylon Gymnasium, Panama City

September 19 — Arena Roberto Durán, Panama City

Panama Team Leader — Roberto “Manos de Piedra” Durán

Mexico Team Leaders — Juan Manuel Márquez and Rafael Márquez