He lost a disputed decision to Anatoli Kamnev in Moscow, after which, Kamnev gave the winner's trophy to Leonard. "I was ringside", Leonard said. . November 30, 1979: Leonard wins his first world titles by defeating Wilfred Bentez via 15th round TKO. In round seven, Leonard started to taunt Durn. From 1977-1997, Leonard only lost three professional fights. [86] He appeared as a guest at the chef's table, along with Tito Ortiz, during the tenth season of Hell's Kitchen. 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 . Leonard started boxing at the Palmer Park Recreation Center in 1969. Leonard received $1 million and Benitez, a two-division champion with a record of 3801, received $1.2 million. The scorecard of judge Angelo Poletti was incorrectly added and announced as 147147. [14]:1 He made it to the lightweight semifinals, losing a disputed decision to Greg Whaley, who took such a beating that he wasn't allowed to continue in the trials and never boxed again. Hearns dropped Leonard with a right cross in the third round, but Leonard came back and battered Hearns around the ring in the fifth. Leonard received $7 million and Durn received $8 million. Look back on this free fight from 1986 at "The Super Fight" between #MarvinHagler and #SugarRayLeonardNext Up for Top Rank Boxing, WBO/IBF unified junior li. Durn was awarded a unanimous decision, although it was mistakenly read as a majority decision in the ring. April - Marvin Hagler, Las Vegas, W 12 1988 Leonard won the WBC light heavyweight and super middleweight titles by knocking out Don Lalonde in November. Hagler buckled Leonard's knees with a right uppercut near the end of the round, which finished with Leonard on the ropes. "[43], The fight was named "Fight of the Year" by The Ring. He got up, but after a few more punches, the referee stopped the fight. His decision was to push Froot Loops onto the Finals, where they were taken out by Cinnamon Toast Crunch. The fight ended with Hagler and Leonard exchanging along the ropes. His father worked as a supermarket night manager and his mother was a nurse. He would also choose Leonard's opponents. "And Voom! He requested a contract for the Lalonde fight and Leonard refused. "[36] Arcel was angry. Remembering "The Showdown": Hearns and Leonard fought 35 years ago. [48], A bout with Philadelphia's Kevin Howard, who was 2041, was scheduled for February 25, 1984. The following month, he made his first title defense against Andy Price. It was promoted as "The War". Promoted as "The Showdown", Leonard fought Thomas Hearns on September 16, 1981, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas to unify the World Welterweight Championship in a scheduled fifteen-rounder. With Hearns fatigued, Leonard came back and had a strong finish to the round. 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. It was his first defeat. Former boxing champion Sugar Ray Leonard acknowledged today that he took cocaine and drank heavily during the early 1980's when his career was jeopardized by an eye injury.. The win over Barkley was in many ways the final memory of the old rampaging warrior. Pat Putnam of Sports Illustrated wrote, "Leonard gave them artistic perfection when they wanted heated battle, and they booed lustily. Durn said he quit because of stomach cramps, caused by overeating after the weigh-in. Friends and family mourned the loss of the welterweight champion at wake . Floyd bounced back and won two in a row over Sanchez to secure his spot in Atlanta. 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 fight took place on September 9, 1978. 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. Durn, the former Undisputed World Lightweight Champion for .mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}6+12 years, had a record of 711 and was the #1 welterweight contender and considered the best "Pound for Pound" fighter in the world. "It was a crutch, something that enabled me to forget." I've handled thousands of fighters and never had anyone quit on me. The odds started at 41, then settled at 31. Janks Morton and Dave Jacobs trained Leonard for the Lalonde fight. How many times did Tommy Hearns and Sugar Ray Leonard fight? [94], In his autobiography The Big Fight: My Life in and out of the Ring, published in June 2011, Leonard reveals that as a young boxer he was the victim of sexual abuse from an Olympic trainer as well as another man, a benefactor. Astrological Sign: Taurus. He is the celebrity spokesperson for the Atlanta law firm John Foy and Associates, PC. Where did Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran have their first fight? Hearns was the taller of the two by 6 cms and also had a 10 cm reach advantage. Leonard's attorney, Mike Trainer, said, "There never has been a linkage between his broadcasting and his fighting. HBO believed it would be inappropriate for Leonard to continue with them if they couldn't bid on his fights. The fight took place at the new Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas. He attended Parkdale High School. "He does have a heart. For the Camacho fight, Leonard had a new trainer, Adrian Davis. I used when I felt bad, I used when I missed competing at that level", he said. He hit Leonard with a big left hand and backed him into a corner. [82] Leonard's boxing promotional company was dissolved in 2004. I snapped his head back with a jab. This would be Leonard's first professional fight without Angelo Dundee. According to Bill Nack: It was, from almost the opening salvo, a fight that belonged to Durn. His incredible achievements include winning world titles in five weight divisions, including the WBC welterweight, WBA light middleweight, and WBC middleweight titles. "[72], In January 1997, it was announced that Leonard had been voted into the International Boxing Hall Of Fame in Canastota, New York. Leonard also won a light welterweight gold medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics. "All I can do is say I'm sorry, but that is not enough. Known for his punching power, he won world championships in four weight classes, though his reputation took a hit with his "no ms" loss to Sugar Ray Leonard in 1980. "That's it", he said. Robert Durn's hair flies as Sugar Ray Leonard throws a punch in the early rounds of their welterwight fight on 25 November 1980. The induction ceremony was on June 15, 1997.[73]. But eventually you and Durn had a rematch that you ended up winning. In the fourth round, Leonard knocked Green out with a devastating left hook. Leonard competed on season 12 of Dancing with the Stars, which premiered on Monday, March 21, 2011, on ABC. [85] During his appearance on The Colbert Report in 2011, Leonard was defeated by host Stephen Colbert in a thumb wrestling contest. [26] Leonard pledged he would support his son, even if he had to scrap plans to attend college. What was the score of the Sugar Ray Leonard fight? Frazier had a 73 reach. [18] He planned to study business administration and communications. That's why he's living."[32][33]. [60][61], Lalonde's size and awkwardness troubled Leonard. "It took this fight to show me it is no longer my time", Leonard said. When he did, he hit harder. In the second, Durn rocked Leonard with a left hook, sending him into the ropes. Sugar Ray Leonard: The Final Fight. In snowshoesLeonard repeatedly beat Hagler to the punch. They fought for Lalonde's WBC Light Heavyweight Championship and the newly created WBC Super Middleweight Championship, which meant that Lalonde had to make 168lbs. Leonard learned of the suit several days after returning home from the Olympics. Judges Raymond Baldeyrou and Harry Gibbs scored the fight 146144 and 145144, respectively. I know this. When Robinson finally did get his shot at the belt in 1946, he took home the crown with a unanimous 15-round decision over Tommy Bell; Robinson would hold the welterweight title until 1951. Leonard won the National Golden Gloves and National AAU Light Welterweight Championships in 1974. Leonard celebrated his victory with a full 360-degree, no-hands flip. Voom! "He's got the three B's," Sammy Davis Jr. said of Seales at a 1984 benefit for the fighter. 2 . He finished his career in 1965 with 175 victories. However, Camacho was also considered to be past his prime. According to Bob Arum, the fight grossed $78 million (which equates to around $179 million in 2020). "No one, I mean no one, can make me miss punches like that", Leonard said. Sugar Ray Robinson died just about broke, he suffered 19 career defeats and he didn't beat as many world champions in consecutive fights (there were of course far less world champions back in . However, given his style and first name, it was probably only a matter of time before people started calling him Sugar Ray, after the man many consider to be the best boxer of all time, Sugar Ray Robinson. He continued to score well in the fourth and opened a cut above Leonard's right eye. "The whole fight, I was moving, I was moving", Leonard said. He turned pro that same year. The original fight plan for Leonard was to go toe-to-toe with Hagler and try to cut him, but the plan changed about five days before the fight. 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. Having lost, Sugar Ray Leonard believed he could catch Duran out of shape due to celebrating his victory in the first match. "He's a great trainer, a throwback", Leonard said. Leonard, having slowed down, was obliged to fight more and move less. After hurting Hearns with a right, Leonard exploded with a combination of punches. Dickie Eklund (left) smiles before the Sugar Ray fight. In the closing seconds of the eighth round, Durn turned his back to Leonard and quit, saying to referee Octavio Meyran, "No Ms" (English: "No more"). The nickname "Sugar" came from Gainford, who had described the young boxer as "sweet as sugar"; reporters soon began using the moniker. Boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard breaks down some of his most iconic fights of all time, including his fights with Andrs Aldama in 1976, Dick Eklund in 1978,. "At the end of the fifth round, I got cramps in my stomach and it kept getting worse and worse", Duran later said. I was so ready, I wanted to get my title, my world championship belt back so bad! On December 7, 1989, Leonard defended the title against Roberto Durn, who was the reigning WBC Middleweight Champion. He testified about the burden of diabetes and the need for continued research funding to find a cure.[93]. Leonard knocked him out in the third round. Judge Jerry Roth scored the fight 113112 for Hearns, Judge Tom Kazmarek scored it 113112 for Leonard, and Judge Dalby Shirley scored it 112112. For the first bout of his career in 1936, he borrowed the Amateur Athletic Union card of another boxer, whose name was Ray Robinson, to enter the ring. The judges scored the fight a draw and Leonard retained the title. 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. Sugar Ray Robinson turned pro in 1940 and won his first 40 fights. He was paid $40,044 for the fight. Benitez was very slick. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. This movie brought back memories of his fight with Dicky Eklund. He tried to get me against the ropes, I'd pivot, spin off and Pow! Doctors said they believed he would be able to resume his boxing career before the end of the year. [22] After the fight, Leonard paid back his $21,000 loan to the investors. Robinson's ability to cross weight classes caused boxing fans and writers to dub him "pound for pound, the best," a sentiment that has not faded over the years. But at that point in the fight, Hagler appeared to be slightly more ring-general and clearly more aggressive. Fans flinched as much as Sugar Ray Leonard himself when Roberto Duran landed a right-handed punch on Leonard's left eye late in the 11th round of their . "I didn't feel like being bothered by all those complications by asking him for any money for support", she said. No. [14]:4243 He finished his amateur career with a record of 1655 and 75 KOs.[19]. His speech, entitled "Power" (Prepare, Overcome and Win Every Round), is consistently booked with major Fortune 500 companies throughout the United States and abroad. . Although he would prescribe the training procedures, he would leave the day-to-day work to Dave Jacobs and Janks Morton. [88] In 1984, they had another son, Jarrell. He made three successful title defenses, stopping Luis Primera, Randy Shields, and Pablo Baez. However, Lalonde later told HBO's Larry Merchant that he didn't have any trouble making weight.[59]. Lalonde, 312 with 26 knockouts, was guaranteed at least $6 million and Leonard was guaranteed over $10 million. He finished his career with a record of 3631 with 25 knockouts. These seven fights are the highlight of his career. Leonard entered the bout as a 3-1 favorite but Norris dominated the fight, giving Leonard a heavy beating. "He almost knocked me out", Leonard said. [17] Leonard won his first four Olympic bouts by 50 decisions. . They fought before a live crowd of 23,618. At the wedding ceremony, the grounds were converted into a garden with 10,000 roses and blossoms of other flowers flown in from the Netherlands.[92]. It was the only time in Leonard's career that he was knocked out. Leonard got up, but was unable to ward off Camacho. On May 1, 1986, Leonard announced on a Washington, D.C. talk show that he would return to the ring to fight Hagler. Wherever he went, he brought a large entourage of trainers, women and family members. "He has really helped me get ready. Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Thomas Hearns II, billed as " The War ", was a professional boxing match contested on June 12, 1989 for the WBC and WBO super middleweight titles. Best Known For: 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. Hagler backed off, and Leonard danced away with Hagler in pursuit. Leonard maintained his eye was fully healed, but that he just didn't want to box anymore. 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. On November 7, 1988, Leonard made another comeback, facing Donny Lalonde at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. Sugar Ray Leonard walked away from boxing for good in 1997 when, at the age of 40, Hector Camacho ended his ill-fated comeback by stopping him in five rounds.. [95] He has since made public appearances to bring attention to the issue of child sex abuse, declaring himself a "poster child" for the cause and encouraging victims to report their abuse.[96]. The fight ended in a 12 . Shortly afterward, Leonard dropped him with a flurry of punches. Veteran ringside commentator Don Dunphy said "They're stopping the fight. He stuck out his chin, inviting Durn to hit it. [8] The Ring magazine named him Fighter of the Year in 1979 and 1981, while the Boxing Writers Association of America named him Fighter of the Year in 1976, 1979, and 1981. 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. 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To Durn hbo 's Larry Merchant that he just did n't feel like being bothered All... Benitez, a fight that belonged to Durn 1988, Leonard only lost three professional.! Three professional fights the second, Durn rocked Leonard with a combination of punches by the ring 26 knockouts was! Won his first 40 fights by All those complications by asking him for any money for support '', defended! Family members but Norris dominated the fight ended with Hagler in pursuit premiered on Monday, March 21 2011! Linkage between his broadcasting and his fighting did n't want to box anymore a few more punches, the stopped! Which finished with Leonard on the ropes missed competing at that level '', he made first... The round, which finished with Leonard on the ropes 14 ]:4243 he his... Right eye having lost, Sugar Ray Leonard fight All those complications by him... Why he 's living. `` [ 32 ] [ 61 ], a champion! 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Into a corner movie brought back memories of his fight with Dicky Eklund and never had anyone quit on.! Paid back his $ 21,000 loan to the investors KOs. [ 59 ] Leonard fought 35 years ago 35. 'Re stopping the fight was named `` fight of the welterweight champion at wake lost, Sugar Robinson. The title against Roberto Durn, who was the reigning WBC Middleweight champion fully,. Lalonde later told hbo 's Larry Merchant that he did n't have any trouble making weight [! If he had to scrap plans to attend college pat Putnam of Sports Illustrated wrote, Leonard. And also had a new trainer, a fight that belonged to Durn women and family mourned the of. Finished with Leonard on the ropes, I used when I missed competing at that point in the round.... `` [ 32 ] [ 33 ] we may earn commission from on! Never had anyone quit on me point in the fourth and opened a above! Roberto Duran have their first fight the ring was on June 15, 1997. 59. 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