Hagler was a heavy favorite. Knowing he needed a big finish, Leonard fought furiously and had a big final round. After Foreman's thrilling challenge of Holyfield-Don King asked Tyson to fight him. Leonard, with a badly swollen left eye, came out roaring for the thirteenth round. However, Lalonde later told HBO's Larry Merchant that he didn't have any trouble making weight.[59]. In the second, Durn rocked Leonard with a left hook, sending him into the ropes. Hearns managed to rise, but was dropped by a flurry of hard punches near the end of the round. Roberto Duran Speaks: The Untold Story Is Finally Revealed!, Bill Brubaker, The Boxing Writers Association of America, List of light middleweight boxing champions, "Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Robinson and Sugar Ray Leonard lead the way", "The Fabulous Four Hagler, Hearns, Duran, and Leonard", "Ring Magazine's 80 Best Fighters of the Last 80 Years", "Who is the greatest fighter alive? With too much money to be lost by cancelling the fight, the matchmaker for the bout, Ron Katz, found a . "He's got the three B's," Sammy Davis Jr. said of Seales at a 1984 benefit for the fighter. Leonard celebrated his victory with a full 360-degree, no-hands flip. "[77], Leonard has provided commercial endorsements for companies including Coca-Cola, EA Sports, Ford, Nabisco, Revlon and 7 Up. "It was a crutch, something that enabled me to forget." By the fifth, Leonard, who was moving a lot, began to tire and Hagler started to get closer. The scores were 120110, 119109, and 116111. I never had to go to school once because of him."[13]. It ended in 1990, after HBO was not offered an opportunity to bid on the telecast rights to Leonard's fight with Terry Norris. Over his 25-year career, Robinson won the world welterweight and middleweight crowns and was dubbed "pound for pound, the best." The Senate hearing was titled "Type 1 Diabetes Research: Real Progress and Real Hope for a Cure". Yet the book is not really about boxing. He had beaten the best of his . Six years later, Robinson captured the middleweight title for the first time by defeating Jake LaMotta. He made him look like a guy chasing a bus. Leonard responded with a furious flurry, landing few punches but whipping the upset-hoping crowd into a frenzy. "I can never erase the pain or the scars I have made through my stupidity, my selfishness", Leonard said. Leonard learned of the suit several days after returning home from the Olympics. "He has really helped me get ready. In their 2nd fight, a 30-year old Thomas Hearns (46-3, 38 KO) faced Sugar Ray Leonard again, who was now 33 years old with a record of 35-1 in a super-middleweight title defense fight. [81], In 2001, Leonard launched Sugar Ray Leonard Boxing Inc., a boxing promotional company, and announced the company's strategic partnership with ESPN. Sugar Ray Leonard (def. Bonds rose but Leonard didn't let him off the hook. [22] After the fight, Leonard paid back his $21,000 loan to the investors. Round ten was tame by comparison, as the pace slowed after the furious action of the previous round but with Hagler having more spectacular moments. His doctor suggested that he cancel the fight, but Leonard wanted to go through with it. Considered one of the greatest boxers of all time, Sugar Ray Robinson held the world welterweight title from 1946 to 1951, and by 1958, he had become the first boxer to win a divisional world championship five times. "[56], Many others felt that Leonard deservedly got the decision, arguing that Leonard landed more punches and showed better defense and ring generalship. Every time Hagler scored, Leonard came back with something flashier and more eye-catching, if not as effective. Hearns, 320 with 30 knockouts, won the WBA Welterweight Championship in 1980, scoring a second-round knockout of Jos "Pipino" Cuevas in Detroit, Michigan. Robert Durn's hair flies as Sugar Ray Leonard throws a punch in the early rounds of their welterwight fight on 25 November 1980. His partner was Anna Trebunskaya. Just five months after one of the greatest fights in modern boxing history, Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran met in a rematch that somehow managed to transcend the original. "I was ringside", Leonard said. Leonard received $1 million and Benitez, a two-division champion with a record of 3801, received $1.2 million. "[83] Speaking of his promotional company, Leonard said, "We did some great shows with evenly matched fights. Howard knocked Leonard flat on his back in the fourth round. Robinson finally retired from the sport for good in 1965. Leonard testified before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs in 2009. The scorecards from the ringside press and broadcast media attest to the polarizing views and opinions of the fight. [17] Leonard won his first four Olympic bouts by 50 decisions. Or why Roberto Durn was acting out of prudence, not cowardice, when he quit in his second fight against Leonard. Hagler's punches lacked snap and, although he was scoring solidly to the body, he looked nothing like the powerful fighter who had dominated the middleweight division for the previous five years. . With only a few seconds left in the fight, a Leonard combination forced another standing eight count. All Rights Reserved. Leonard, having slowed down, was obliged to fight more and move less. [14]:3334,43, Wilkinson went to the Olympics to watch Leonard box, but she did not tell him about the suit and never asked him for any money. [76], Leonard has worked as a boxing analyst for ABC, CBS, NBC, ESPN, HBO and EPIX. I snapped his head back with a jab. In round seven, Leonard started to taunt Durn. Robinson, who was unapologetic for his lavish spending, is estimated to have earned more than $4 million as a fighter, all of which he burned through, forcing him to continue boxing much longer than he should have. In the second, he dropped Aldama with a left to the chin. Leonard became a sensation in. Now and then he got loose and counteredleft-right-left to Durn's bobbing headbut he missed punches and could not work inside, could not jab, could not mount an offense to keep Durn at bay.[31]. [1] He was named after Ray Charles, his mother's favorite singer. Often regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time, he competed professionally between 1977 and 1997, winning world titles in five weight classes; the lineal championship in three weight classes;[3] as well as the undisputed welterweight championship. Sugar Ray Leonard: The Final Fight. Thirty years ago to the day, Leonad snapped a three-year retirement due to a detached retina and, at age 30, moved up two weight classes (without a tune-up fight) to face legendary middleweight . After the quick and slick Leonard won the first two rounds on all three scorecards, Hagler started the third round as a southpaw. Leonard landed the harder punches and had Benitez hurt several times late in the fight, but Leonard couldn't put him away. I've handled thousands of fighters and never had anyone quit on me. After the verdict was announced, Leonard announced his retirement. and played to the screaming crowd. [48], A bout with Philadelphia's Kevin Howard, who was 2041, was scheduled for February 25, 1984. In 1991 the brilliant career of Sugar Ray Leonard appeared to have finally come to an end. [46], On November 9, 1982, Leonard invited Marvin Hagler and other boxing dignitaries to a charity event in Baltimore, Maryland to hear him announce whether he would continue his career. When his fighting days were over, however, he was getting beaten up. As a boy growing up in Detroit, Sugar Ray Robinson was neighbors with heavyweight champion Joe Louis. Leonard was the winner by a technical knockout at 2:44 of round eight, regaining the WBC Welterweight Championship. On November 7, 1988, Leonard made another comeback, facing Donny Lalonde at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. Dundee was unhappy with that amount. On June 12, 1989, Leonard defended the WBC Super Middleweight Championship in a rematch with Thomas Hearns at Caesar's Palace. I didn't want anyone to tell me my career had to end." 1 in its book "The 100 Greatest Boxers of All Time.". But at that point in the fight, Hagler appeared to be slightly more ring-general and clearly more aggressive. It didn't take much for Robinson, who'd been a neighbor of heavyweight champ Joe Louis back in Detroit, to strap on fighting gloves. "I wanted that arena. [54], Leonard threw 629 punches and landed 306, while Hagler threw 792 and landed 291. Sugar Ray Robinson turned pro in 1940 and won his first 40 fights. He lost a disputed decision to Anatoli Kamnev in Moscow, after which, Kamnev gave the winner's trophy to Leonard. That's why he's living."[32][33]. It was the only time in Leonard's career that he was knocked out. [62], After the fight, Leonard vacated the light heavyweight title, but kept the super middleweight title. Leonard blamed his poor performance against Norris on lack of motivation, a rib injury, moving down in weight, and divorce, which was being litigated while he was in training. After the bout Hagler stated it may be his last fight. Associated Press had it 144141 for Durn, while The New York Times had Leonard ahead 144142. Leonard started to do better by the fifth round, finding some punching room and throwing numerous multi-punch combinations. In Poland, local fighter Jan Kwacz was given a disqualification victory over Leonard after being knocked down three times in the first round but the referee ruled that Leonard had punched after the bell.[16]. Shirley was the only judge to give Leonard a 108 margin in the twelfth. "He's a great trainer, a throwback", Leonard said. Unlike the fight in Montreal, Leonard used his superior speed and movement to outbox and befuddle Durn. . It was like looking in a mirror". Early in the ninth, Lalonde hurt Leonard with a right to the chin. Leonard and Duran fought the fiercest battle in welterweight history, fuelled by Duran's utter hatred for the pretty boy with lots of money and Ray's refusal to back down. "I wasn't aware I was in a championship early because I hit him so easy", Leonard said. Leonard was ahead on all three scorecards at the time of the stoppage. Leonard came back to stop Howard in the ninth round, but the stoppage was disputed, with some feeling that the referee stopped the fight prematurely. Trainer talked 24 of his friends and clients into underwriting Leonard's career with an investment of $21,000 to be repaid within four years at 8% interest. When Leonard left the show, he was replaced as host by Tony Danza for the final season. The fight was one of the many battles between the top fighters of the era (Duran, Leonard, Hearns, Hagler). His opponent was Luis "The Bull" Vega, whom he defeated by a six-round unanimous decision. The nickname "Sugar" came from Gainford, who had described the young boxer as "sweet as sugar"; reporters soon began using the moniker. He stuck out his chin, inviting Durn to hit it. The induction ceremony was on June 15, 1997.[73]. He finished his career in 1965 with 175 victories. The scorecard of judge Angelo Poletti was incorrectly added and announced as 147147. Late in the third, Leonard dropped Benitez on the seat of his pants with a stiff left jab. Leonard got hit by sparring partner Quincy Taylor and was badly buckled. After the Los Angeles Times broke the story, Leonard held a press conference and publicly acknowledged that the accusations were true. Round nine was the most exciting round of the fight. Durn received $1.5 million and Leonard, working for a percentage of the closed-circuit gate as well as a guarantee, received over $9 million. Together, Leonard and ESPN would produce and promote "Sugar Ray Leonard and ESPN II Presents Friday Night Fights", which would air the first Friday of every month for twelve months. Leonard had difficulty with Hearns' long reach and sharp jab. "It was stupid for me to fight Norris at 154 lbs", Leonard said. "But then he adjusted to my style. Hagler hurt Leonard with a left cross and pinned him in a corner. Leonard decided to fight Camacho after commentating on Camacho's fight with the 45-year-old Roberto Durn the previous year, describing the disputed unanimous decision as "an early Christmas gift". Leonard made his first title defense in Landover, Maryland, on March 31, 1980. His decision was to push Froot Loops onto the Finals, where they were taken out by Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Many were critical of the fact that Lalonde's light heavyweight title was on the line when the weight limit of the fight with Leonard was at 168 pounds, and critical of Leonard for stipulating that his opponenta natural 175-poundershould weigh less than his usual fighting weight, which could possibly weaken him. Later that year, he boxed in the Eastern Olympic Trials. The live gate was $5.9 million, and the revenue from pay-per-view was $7.5 million. [4] Leonard was part of the "Four Kings",[5] a group of boxers who all fought each other throughout the 1980s, consisting of Leonard, Roberto Durn, Thomas Hearns, and Marvin Hagler. What was the score of the Sugar Ray Leonard fight? Robinson's birth certificate lists his place of birth as Ailey, Georgia, while the boxer stated in his autobiography that he was born in Detroit, Michigan. In the fourth round, Leonard knocked Green out with a devastating left hook. Despite requests from the Hagler camp, Leonard was uninterested in a rematch and retired on May 27, 1987. Unable to get away, unable to counter and unable to slide away to open up the ring, Leonard seemed almost helpless under the assault. October 30, 1974 - Kinshasa, Zaire It was the way that Ali won which made it the defining moment of his career, shocking the world by defeating a supposedly unbeatable Foreman by spending a good. The following month, he made his first title defense against Andy Price. He has also appeared in several movies, including I Spy and most recently The Fighter (2010), starring Christian Bale and Mark Wahlberg. After that, Leonard decided to box Hagler. [60][61], Lalonde's size and awkwardness troubled Leonard. While training, Leonard started to see floaters. Leonard moved up to the junior middleweight division and faced Kalule on June 25, 1981, at the Astrodome in Houston, Texas. Dickie Eklund (left) smiles before the Sugar Ray fight. Ray Charles Leonard (born May 17, 1956), best known as "Sugar" Ray Leonard, is an American former professional boxer, motivational speaker, and occasional actor.Often regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time, he competed professionally between 1977 and 1997, winning world titles in five weight classes; the lineal championship in three weight classes; as well as the undisputed . The 'Super Fight' between Marvin Hagler and Sugar Ray Leonard sparked a brawl between Bob Arum and Don King, generated $78m and produced one of boxing's biggest controversies Joe Coleman. He had a falling out with partner Bjorn Rebney, whom he called "a cancer in my company. The scores were 120104, 119103, and 116110. AP Photo/Lennox McLendon What it's really about is boxing's great aesthetic divide. In a fight that many considered to be very boring, both fighters were booed often by the fans and many left the arena before the decision was announced. "But you guys know me. Named after Ray Charles, Leonard's parents reportedly wanted him to become a singer, although as . Duran and Leonard would go on to fight two more times, once in November 1980 and again . With the fight in control, Leonard would begin taunting Duran, much to the chagrin of . Montreal Not long after this fight ended, a rematch fight was scheduled. However, Hagler's moments were more spectacular and one of Hagler's cornermen: Roger Perron (in an interview that took place on an episode of HBO's Legendary Nights episode segments in 2003) later stated that: "the ninth round was probably Marvin (Hagler)'s, best round". In this episode [87] of the "March Milkness" series (where Rhett and Link created a March Madness style bracket to determine the best breakfast cereal), Leonard was brought in to break a tie between the Fruity Region Champion, Froot Loops, and the Chocolatey Region Champion, Oreo O's. [14]:63, When Leonard decided to turn professional, Janks Morton introduced him to Mike Trainer, a friend of his who was an attorney. The real Leonard (a Seinfeld fan) mentioned that he was told about the episode by friends and family, but had never seen it for himself until a friend gave him the DVD set for a gift. 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[ 59 ] 43 ], Leonard Benitez. Norris at 154 lbs '', Leonard was uninterested in a corner end of the fight career that he knocked... Fight of the stoppage, whom he defeated by a technical knockout at 2:44 of eight! Decision was to push Froot Loops onto the Finals, where they were taken out by Cinnamon Toast.! The sport for good in 1965 Leonard celebrated his victory with a right the... Knocked Green out with partner Bjorn Rebney, whom he defeated by a technical knockout at of... For a Cure '' NBC, ESPN, HBO and EPIX two more times, once in November 1980 again... Ray Leonard fight defeated by a technical knockout at 2:44 of round,... Made my decision a lot, began to tire and Hagler started the third round as a boy growing in... The Bull '' Vega, whom he defeated by a six-round unanimous decision,,... Hbo and EPIX room and throwing numerous multi-punch combinations where they were taken out by Cinnamon Toast Crunch 76. 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Some great shows with evenly matched fights [ 32 ] [ 61,... The matchmaker for the final season it 144141 for Durn, while the New York times Leonard... Leonard paid back his $ 21,000 loan to the chagrin of days were over, however, Lalonde hurt with! A two-division champion with a furious flurry, landing few punches but whipping the upset-hoping crowd into frenzy...
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