Jacob ‘Stitch’ Duran is at the pinnacle of fame and success, with a life and career he can look back on with great pride and fulfillment.
But he wasn’t about to have a new film based on his personal journey be released without first sharing it with the people of Planada — all those old friends and extended family members who experienced the same humble beginnings working in the fields and living in and around the migrant camps.
“The film producers, they don’t usually do this,” Duran told the Times. “It’s very early on, and they are talking about going to film festivals before anything. But you know, I wanted to return to Planada. I want to give back to my people, especially right now with what’s going on. It breaks my heart. It’s horrible how immigrants are being treated. … Immigrants are the same people we were so many decades ago. And also, we’re all just getting older, you know. It inspires me to come back and see everybody together and talk about old times.”
Duran is widely considered the most famous cutman in boxing and mixed martial arts. He’s known for his skill in treating injuries during fights and has worked with numerous top fighters. But his fame and celebrity status extend beyond the ring, with acting appearances in several Hollywood movies, such as the Rocky series. He also wrote the 2010 biography “From the Fields to the Garden,” and that’s also the title of an upcoming documentary on his life.
The film has not been released yet, but Duran managed to organize a private screening at the Merced Theatre last Saturday, July 12. Everybody met at the El Capitan Hotel where there was socializing, drinks and mariachi music throughout the lobby and the patio area. The place was packed with more than 200 people. It was a literal “Who’s Who” gathering of longtime Planada residents — smiling, embracing each other, and recalling old times. After an hour or so, they all took part in a procession — UFW style — down Main Street to the historic Merced Theatre, which they all know and love dating back to their childhood days.
The title of the documentary refers to Duran’s humble beginnings to making it to Madison Square Garden in New York, known as the “The Mecca of Boxing.” Back in the day, Duran picked cotton and fruit with dreams of seeing the world. He later served overseas for the U.S. Air Force, and then found himself being introduced to the world of boxing, where he mastered a craft and seized new opportunities. Along the way, he became admired by both fans and peers.
“He’s made a name for himself,” said older brother Ben Duran, who many might know as the former president of Merced College. “Like he’s been in about seven movies, but for this kind of moment — a documentary about his life — it’s about everyone getting together. My brother is really a humble guy. He insisted on the private showing to invite people he grew up with. We lived within a labor camp, and there are people we went to school with, people we worked side by side with in the fields who are here right now. These people would not typically have an opportunity to see a film premiere at some major festival or anything like that. So this is a chance for my brother to basically come back home and tell his friends: ‘Hey, I’m still one of you.’ … That’s just the kind of guy he is. He always refers to Planada. One time, he was in Asia, and they asked him: ‘Where are you from?’ and he says: ‘I live in Las Vegas, but I’m from Planada.’ … I thought that was so cool.”
Jacob Duran has four brothers, two sisters, children and grandchildren, and many of them were on hand to help him celebrate the new film.
The documentary was reportedly created by Rudy Mondragon and is expected to be featured on a major film service such as Netflix or Amazon. It has major financial backers, like Mark Fox, the tribal chairman of the MHA Nation (Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara), with links to major national energy producing contracts, casino investments on the Las Vegas Strip, and blockbuster films such as “The Revenant.” Fox was happily at Duran’s side during the festivities in Merced.
Duran told the Times he was not going to take a break after the reunion. In fact, he was headed back to New York to work in the corner ring for an upcoming fight. His skills remain in high demand. He also said he is interested in pursuing more documentaries about his profession and the fighters who compete in the ring. He said he is concerned about their health and safety, and what the industry has done about those issues over the years, particularly those involved with Mixed Martial Arts.
So stay tuned. Stitch Duran is still standing, and as Rocky puts it, “keeps moving forward.”