Sugar Ray Leonard

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Sugar Ray Leonard (born May 17, 1956 in Wilmington, North Carolina) is an American former professional boxer. He was one of the leading boxers in the world in the 1970s and 1980s, winning world titles at multiple weights and engaging in contests with such celebrated opponents as Wilfred Benitez, Thomas Hearns, Roberto Duran and Marvin Hagler. He was born Ray Charles Leonard, named after the singing legend Ray Charles. Leonard was given the nickname "Sugar" by one of his amateur coaches.

Amateur career

Leonard had a successful amateur career, winning several championships, including a gold medal at the Pan-American Games in 1975. His amateur career cumulated in a Olympic gold medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada. Fighting as a junior welterweight, Sugar Ray finished his amateur career with a record of 145-5, with 75 KO's. After winning the gold medal, Leonard told sportscaster Howard Cosell he was quitting boxing for good.

Turning professional

After this success, Leonard wanted to go to college. However, his father became ill and his family needed money. With no endorsement contracts coming his way, Leonard announced his intention to become a pro boxer.

Angelo Dundee, one of Muhammad Ali's cornermen, was brought in to be Leonard's co-trainer. Long-time coaches Janks Morton, Dave Jacobs and lawyer Mike Trainer made up the rest of Leonard's team. Promoted by ABC TV as their replacement for the worn out Ali, Leonard made $40,000 for his first professional fight (then a record) against Puerto Rican Luis Vega. The fight was televised nationally on CBS-TV, and the novice Leonard won by a 6 round unanimous decision.

Unlike other boxers, Leonard did not sign a long-term contract with a single boxing promoter. Because of Ray's popularity, and shrewd advisors, he was free to choose with whom he did business. TV networks and promoters came to Leonard with various deals. As a result, Leonard's fights were either broadcast on NBC, CBS, HBO, or ABC. This wide exposure gained Leonard a tremendous following in America and around the world. It also generated resentment among some fans, reporters and boxers who felt Leonard was given too many breaks.

Leonard won his first 25 pro fights. In Sugar Ray's most impressive performance to date, he knocked out Pete Ranzany in four rounds to win the North American Boxing Federation (NABF) welterweight championship. This bout took place in August 1979. A month later, a 1st round KO of respected Andy Price followed. Leonard signed to meet Wilfred Benitez for the WBA welterweight title in November.

WBC World Champion

To the annoyance of his handlers, Benitez trained very little for this important bout, yet still fought well and long against the superbly conditioned Leonard.

The fight was closely contested, both men having similar styles. Leonard was declared world champion with a technical knockout in round 15, with the referee stopping the fight in Leonard's favor with 6 seconds left. Leonard had been slightly ahead on points at the time of the stoppage.

Leonard won his first defense by easily beating British challenger Dave Green in four rounds in Landover, Maryland.

Roberto Duran

Next, Leonard went back to the Olympic Stadium in Montreal to defend his title against former lightweight champion Roberto Duran, in the first superfight of the 1980s. In a long, grueling contest, mostly fought against the ropes or in corners, the more experienced Duran outmauled Leonard and captured a unanimous decision. To the surprise of many, Leonard fought Duran toe-to-toe most of the bout, not using his quick feet to move away and box.

Their rematch was in New Orleans on November 25, 1980. This time around, Leonard used the entire ring to stay away and outbox Duran, using far more side-to-side movement and jabs. Still, the fight was close up until the end. In round 8, Duran turned around, walked to his corner and gave up, saying the now famous words, "no más." Referee Octavio Meyran, perhaps as incredulous as was the rest of the world at what he was seeing, asked Duran if he was sure, and Duran repeated, "No más, no más." In violation of what any professional fighter does on the day of a fight, Duran gorged himself after the weigh-in, claimed he quit because he was having stomach cramps. The controversy regarding this bout continues to this day.

Even though Duran would have lost on a disqualification if the rules of boxing were applied, this fight is listing as a 'knockout' win for Leonard.

But Leonard was a world champion again and, after avenging his only defeat, once more was on top of the boxing world.

In March 1981, Leonard scored a routine 10th round TKO of unheralded Larry Bonds in a welterweight title defense.

A second world title, and \"The Showdown\" with Thomas Hearns

On June 25, 1981, Leonard fought Ayub Kalule, world junior middleweight champion. Kalule gave Leonard a tough fight. But by round 9, after a vicious body assault, Leonard connected with a combination of punches that sent Kalule down. Kalule rose before being counted out, but told the referee he could not continue.

Ring arch-rival Thomas Hearns, meanwhile, was tearing apart the welterweight division and had won the WBC world title by knocking out Pipino Cuevas. A unification bout was set for September 16, 1981, once again at Caesar's Palace.

Hearns unexpectedly weighed in at a very light 145 pounds, causing many to speculate he over-trained. "The Showdown" was televised on closed-circuit and pay-per-view outlets throughout the world.

Leonard and Hearns engaged in one of the most memorable bouts in boxing history. Hearns controlled the early rounds with his jab, keeping Leonard off-balance. In the middle rounds, Leonard got inside and seriously hurt Hearns with left hooks. From rounds 8-12, Hearns rebounded and took charge again, this time up on his toes, showing surprising boxing skills. After round 12, trainer Angelo Dundee told Leonard that he was losing and running out of time. "You're blowing it son, you're blowing it," Dundee warned.

Like a tiger, Leonard came out for the 13th round and hurt Hearns with a right cross. A blinding series of combinations put Hearns down twice, although only one was officially recorded as a knockdown. In the 14th round, Leonard trapped Hearns on the ropes, unleasing more flurries. The referee then stopped the fight, making Leonard undisputed champion. Hearns was ahead on all judges scorecards.

Leonard was later named Fighter of the Year by Ring Magazine for 1981.

Eye Injury

In February 1982 Leonard KO'd Bruce Finch in the 3rd round to retain his undisputed title. However, Leonard's next defense against Roger Stafford in May had to be canceled. A few days before the bout, doctors discovered Leonard had suffered a detached retina in his left eye, and he underwent surgery at Johns Hopkins hospital to repair the problem. The boxing world had to wait 6 months for Leonard to announce his future boxing plans.

Retirement and 1st comeback

In November 1982, after consulting with doctors, friends and family, Sugar Ray invited Hagler and other boxing dignitaries to an charity event in Baltimore, Maryland. Standing in a boxing ring with ABC's Howard Cosell nearby, Leonard announced his retirement, saying a bout with Hagler would unfortunately never happen. Leonard maintained his eye was fully healed, but that he just didn't want to box anymore. In retirement, Leonard continued to be a commentator on HBO & CBS boxing contests, and performed other assignments for them. He also did more endorsements.

Leonard announced in December 1983 that he was returning to the ring. This was the first of what would be several boxing comebacks during his career. Leonard boasted that he would re-claim his welterweight titles, and then take on Aaron Pryor, Donald Curry, Milton McCrory, Duran, Hearns and finally Hagler. This decision was met with a torrent of criticism from fans and the media, who felt Leonard was taking unnecessary risks with his surgically repaired eye.

The Kevin Howard bout took place on May 11th in Worcester, Massachusetts, televised live on HBO. With Hagler, Pryor, Donald Curry in attendance, and millions more watching on TV, Kevin Howard knocked Leonard flat on his back in the fourth round. Leonard scored a disputed 9th round TKO when the referee stopped the fight without Howard having been knocked down. Howard protested vociferously, and was blacklisted as a result, not getting another fight for over a year, despite his showing against media hero Leonard. At the post-fight press conference, Leonard surprised everyone by announcing his retirement again, saying he just didn't have it anymore.

Wanting to fight Marvin Hagler

In May 1986, Leonard shocked the sports world once again when he announced he would return to the ring for one more fight: against middleweight champion Marvin Hagler. Hagler took a few months to decide, then agreed to the match, scheduled for April 1987. In exchange for more money, an over-confident Hagler agreed to a 12 round limit (which guaranteed WBC sanction) and 10-ounce gloves. The 12-round limit would haunt Hagler later on.

Hagler was a heavy favorite, the odds starting at 4-1, then 3-1. Leonard had only fought once in five years, and that one bout was three years earlier. Leonard had never fought as a middleweight. Leonard won the early rounds by constant movement and occasional quick flurries near the end of the round. Hagler began to take charge in round 5 with a constant body attack. Round 9 was the highlight of the fight, both boxers landing furious combinations and bringing the crowd to its feet. In general, Hagler landed the harder blows, and neither fighter was cut or knocked down. Leonard was warned repeatedly for holding, but no points were deducted. The decision went to Leonard via split decision. Hagler bitterly protested the result, and many boxing fans and writers have argued about the decision since. Leonard announced his retirement a month later.

Past his prime, but still fighting

On November 7, 1988 Leonard came back and fought Don Lalonde. He picked himself up off the canvas and knocked out Lalonde in the ninth round to win two world titles in one fight, the newly created WBC super middleweight championship, and Lalonde's WBC light heavyweight championship, despite the fact that because of the conditions Leonard set in the contract Lalonde was not allowed to weigh the light-heavyweight limit of 175 pounds for the fight, and instead came into the bout weighing only 167 pounds.

In 1989, Leonard fought two old rivals. In June, he battled Hearns again at Caesar's Palace. Leonard was knocked down twice, but the decision by the officials was a twelve round draw. Most onlookers thought the draw decision unfair since Hearns knocked Leonard down twice. Years later, Leonard himself would admit this. Six months later, in December 1989, he fought Roberto Duran for a third time. This took place at the new Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas. Fighting a Duran who threw almost no punches, Leonard won an extremely boring twelve round unanimous decision. Both fighters were booed often by the fans during the bout.

Failed comebacks and post-boxing life

Leonard was inactive in 1990, but came back in February 1991 to fight world junior middleweight champion Terry Norris at Madison Square Garden, Leonard's first outing there. Norris knocked Leonard down twice and won a lopsided unanimous decision. After the verdict was announced, a battered Leonard took the microphone and once again announced his retirement.

Around this time, Leonard's job as a boxing commentator with HBO came to an end. His association with CBS had ended a few years earlier.

Ahead were very difficult times: after the fight, Leonard admitted to a stint with cocaine that lasted from 1982 to 1986. He fell victim to the drug, and reports surfaced of violence against his wife Juanita. Leonard admitted that his problems were caused by a need to be involved in the sport of boxing during the periods he was away from it, and immaturity.

He and Juanita divorced, and in 1993, he married Bernadette Robi, the daughter of Paul Robi, a member of the original Platters.

In 1997, at age 40, Leonard launched his final boxing comeback against former lightweight champion Hector 'Macho' Camacho. Years past his prime, Leonard was easily stopped by the smaller, usually light-hitting Comacho in 5 rounds. After this humiliating defeat, it was finally enough for Leonard, and he has not fought since. Later that year, Leonard was inducted into the International Boxing Hall Of Fame.

For a short time, Leonard headed a boxing promotion company that included world cruiserweight champion Vassiliy Jirov and rising heavyweight Joe Mesi.

He is now involved in the TV reality boxing series, The Contender. He, along with Sylvester Stallone, serves as host and boxing mentor to the aspiring fighters.

Trivia

• Ray Leonard was named after Ray Charles, whose real name is Ray Robinson. This is also the name of the original Sugar Ray, Sugar Ray Robinson, from whom Leonard gets his nickname.

See also

• List of male boxers
• List of WBC world champions
• The No Más Fight
• Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Thomas Hearns

External links

• [Sugar Ray Leonard's Professional Record]
• [Sugar Ray Leonard's U.S. Olympic Team bio]

>

Previous champion This class was founded in 1988.

WBC World Super middleweight 1st Champion November 7, 1988 - 1990

Next champion Mauro Galvano

 

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