"The whole fight, I was moving, I was moving", Leonard said. Hagler buckled Leonard's knees with a right uppercut near the end of the round, which finished with Leonard on the ropes. By the fifth, Leonard, who was moving a lot, began to tire and Hagler started to get closer. Sugar Ray Leonard and Marvin Hagler fight for the WBC and Ring middleweight titles on April 6, 1987 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. [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. By his last retirement in 1991, boxer Sugar Ray Leonard had become the first fighter to win titles in five divisions-every weight class from welteweight to light heavyweight. What was the score of the Sugar Ray Leonard fight? When the vote took place, Leonard had been retired for more than five years, therefore, he was eligible, even though he had a fight scheduled. "There was no indication that he was in pain or getting weak. 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. There was a capacity crowd of about 4,600. Many felt that the ten-point must scoring system was not properly used and those rounds should have been scored 108. He has appeared in numerous television shows, including Half & Half, L.A. Heat, Married with Children, Renegade and Tales From The Crypt. Sugar Ray Leonard won the WBC welterweight title with a fifteenth-round knockout of Wilfred Bentez in 1979. Juanita Wilkinson, Leonard's high school girlfriend, told him she was pregnant in the summer of 1973. The work greatly helped salvage his finances and was the reason he eventually settled in Southern California with his second wife, Millie. [62], After the fight, Leonard vacated the light heavyweight title, but kept the super middleweight title. In the fourth round, Leonard knocked Green out with a devastating left hook. Leonard was ahead on all three scorecards at the time of the stoppage. Sugar Ray Leonard is one of the fastest boxers in history and his speed was just otherworldly. 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. Shirley was the only judge to give Leonard a 108 margin in the twelfth. Leonard was also the subject of a Seinfeld episode (season 6, episode 22) where George tries to flatter his boss by saying he looks like Sugar Ray Leonard. Leonard had difficulty with Hearns' long reach and sharp jab. During the night Durn was admitted to a hospital with stomach pains, and discharged the following day. Augie Sanchez had defeated Mayweather earlier that summer in qualifiers after a tight 11-12 decision. Dickie Eklund (left) smiles before the Sugar Ray fight. He had a falling out with partner Bjorn Rebney, whom he called "a cancer in my company. He said he started using medication after he retired in 1982, following surgery to repair a detached retina. Although Price landed multiple good blows, Leonard knocked him out in the first round, advancing his record to 250 with 16 knockouts.[28]. His older brother, Roger, started boxing first. A paying crowd of 12,379 generated a live gate of $6.2 million. His partner was Anna Trebunskaya. Leonard led by scores of 6866, 6866 and 6766.[35]. [78][79] Leonard is among the most sought-after motivational/inspirational speakers in the world today. Leonard would continue to pursue his Olympic dream while she and the baby, Ray Charles Leonard Jr., lived with her parents. Judges Raymond Baldeyrou and Harry Gibbs scored the fight 146144 and 145144, respectively. Leonard won the fight in 12 rounds on a split decision. [10] BoxRec ranks him as the 14th greatest boxer of all time, pound for pound. "My idea is that he should have a tuneup fight before he fights with Roberto again", Jacobs said. 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. The win over Barkley was in many ways the final memory of the old rampaging warrior. Leonard served as host and mentor to the aspiring fighters on The Contender. 1 revealed", "BoxRec ratings: world, pound-for-pound, active and inactive", "One USA Boxing team stands above the rest by Kevin Iole", "On This Day: Sugar Ray Leonard knocked out Floyd Mayweather - Boxing News", "Lewiston Evening Journal, October 7, 1978", "Leonard Knocks Out Lalonde to Win Two Titles", "Sugar Ray Leonard regains welterweight title", "The 12 Greatest Rounds of Boxing: The Untold Stories", "Leonard announces comeback; Holmes gives up title", "Leonard knocked down, victories, then retires", "After A Year's Prefight, Bell Tolls For These", "Leonard's memories the stuff of legends", "SPORTS OF THE TIMES; No Hoosegow for JoJo Guerra", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4_LR7s-Ui4, "Parting of the Ways: Leonard and Dundee Split Over Money", "Sports of The Times; Leonard's Missing Voice", "Leonard is getting old, but it's hard to tell", "Nobody Wins the War - Second fight is a draw", "Leonard and Duran in Rematch in November", "BOXING; Leonard Has Norris at Hand, but Hearns on the Mind", "Leonard's Corner Keeps Game Plan Draped in Secrecy", "Before the First Bell Rings, the Jabbing Begins", "The Victoria Advocate, January 15, 1997", "The Idaho Spokesman-Review, January 12, 1998", "Sugar Ray Leonard Back in the Ring with ESPN Friday Night Fights", "Leonard's promotion business down for count", "Dancing with the Stars Elimination - Sugar Ray Leonard", "Cocaine days were 'childish, stupid,' Sugar Ray says", "Sugar Ray Leonard's Testimony before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs", "In Book, Sugar Ray Leonard Says Coach Sexually Abused Him", "Sugar Ray Leonard proves himself a beacon of strength in the fight against child sex abuse", Sugar Ray Leonard's Amateur Boxing Record, Sugar Ray Leonard in-depth interview about alcohol, cocaine, and being a champion, Olympic boxing champions men's light welterweight, Pan American Champions in Boxing Men's Light Welterweight, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sugar_Ray_Leonard&oldid=1141441164, International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees, Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States, Olympic gold medalists for the United States in boxing, Participants in American reality television series, Winners of the United States Championship for amateur boxers, Sportspeople from Wilmington, North Carolina, World light-middleweight boxing champions, World super-middleweight boxing champions, 20th-century African-American sportspeople, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2018, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2019, Official website different in Wikidata and Wikipedia, Pages with login required references or sources, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, 1973 National Golden Gloves Lightweight Champion, defeating, 1973 National AAU Light Welterweight Championship runner-up, losing to Randy Shields, 1974 National Golden Gloves Light Welterweight Champion, defeating Jeff Lemeir, 1974 National AAU Light Welterweight Champion, defeating Paul Sherry, 1974 North American Championships Gold Medalist, defeating Robert Proulx, 1975 National AAU Light Welterweight Champion, defeating Milton Seward, 1975 North American Championships Gold Medalist, defeating Michel Briere, 1975 Pan American Games Light Welterweight Gold Medalist, defeating Victor Corona, 1976 Olympic Light Welterweight Gold Medalist, defeating, Baltimore Sun: 75 Leonard (115113 Leonard), Boston Globe (Ron Borges): 115113 Hagler, Boston Globe (Steve Marantz): 117111 Leonard, Chicago Tribune (1 - Bob Verdi): 115113 Hagler, Chicago Tribune (2 - Bernie Lincicome): 115113 Hagler, Chicago Tribune (3 - Sam Smith): 115113 Hagler, New York Daily News (2 - Michael Katz): 117112 Leonard, New York Post (2 - Jerry Lisker): 115113 Hagler, Philadelphia Daily News (1): 116112 Leonard, Philadelphia Daily News (2): 115113 Hagler, Ring Magazine (Nigel Collins): 115113 Leonard, Sports Illustrated (William Nack): 116114 Leonard, Sports Illustrated (Pat Putnam): 115113 Hagler, United Press International: 116112 Leonard, This page was last edited on 25 February 2023, at 02:31. In March 2019, Leonard made a guest appearance on the popular daily morning show on YouTube, Good Mythical Morning, hosted by Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal. On December 7, 1989, Leonard defended the title against Roberto Durn, who was the reigning WBC Middleweight Champion. [69], On February 9, 1991, Leonard went down to 154lbs and fought WBC Light Middleweight Champion Terry Norris at Madison Square Garden. [53], Many were surprised that Hagler, a natural southpaw, opened the fight boxing out of an orthodox stance. The working environment was not healthy."[84]. Robinson finally retired from the sport for good in 1965. [14]:4243 He finished his amateur career with a record of 1655 and 75 KOs.[19]. "[83] Speaking of his promotional company, Leonard said, "We did some great shows with evenly matched fights. Jim Murray, long-time sports columnist for the Los Angeles Times, wrote, "It wasn't even closeHe didn't just outpoint Hagler, he exposed him. The induction ceremony was on June 15, 1997.[73]. Durn defeated Leonard via unanimous decision . He hit more oftenHe made Hagler into what he perceived him to be throughout his careera brawler, a swarmer, a man who could club you to death only if you stood there and let him. In the semifinals, he faced Kazimierz Szczerba and won a 50 decision. Boxing in Serenity Hearns was ahead on points." During divorce proceedings, Juanita Leonard testified that her husband physically abused her while under the influence of alcohol. Hearns started to stick and move, and he started to pile up points again. He finished his career in 1965 with 175 victories. Sign In The action see-sawed back and forth for the rest of the round, with each man having his moments. Leonard is also the godfather of Khlo Kardashian and has appeared on many episodes of Keeping Up With The Kardashians. [47], Missing the limelight and the competition, Leonard announced in December 1983 that he was returning to the ring. 2 . Roger won some trophies and showed them off in front of Ray, goading him to start boxing. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. . Round nine was the most exciting round of the fight. 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. In 1976, Leonard made the U.S. Olympic Team as the light welterweight representative. When Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran met on Nov. 25, 1980, for an immediate rematch of their showdown that saw "Hands of Stone" give Leonard his first loss, few could have possibly anticipated what would take place at The Superdome in New Orleans. The following year, Leonard won the National Golden Gloves and National AAU Lightweight Championships. "I decided to search for a substituteI resorted to cocaine. 17 May 1956 -. At the post-fight press conference, Leonard surprised everyone by announcing his retirement again, saying he just didn't have it anymore.[51]. According to Bill Nack: It was, from almost the opening salvo, a fight that belonged to Durn. Hagler's corner was much more reserved prompting Clancy to comment: "They're talking to him like it's an IBM meeting or somethingno emotion." . He made three successful title defenses, stopping Luis Primera, Randy Shields, and Pablo Baez. But New York proved rough in other ways. In the first round, Leonard rocked Benitez with a left hook that came off a jab and right cross. Knowing he needed a big finish, Leonard fought furiously and had a big final round. .css-47aoac{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#A00000;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-47aoac:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}Muhammad Ali liked to call Robinson "the king, the master, my idol." In his later years, Robinson worked in show business, even doing some television acting. Later that year, he boxed in the Eastern Olympic Trials. During a 20-year period, Sugar Ray Leonard was considered one of the greatest boxers. He never liked being called "The Hit Man," and after going nearly 14 rounds with nemesis Sugar Ray Leonard under the bright lights at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, Tommy . If he had scored it 109, as his two colleagues did, Hearns would have won by a split decision. Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Roberto Durn, billed as " The Brawl in Montreal ", was a welterweight professional boxing match contested between WBC, The Ring and lineal champion Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Durn. HBO believed it would be inappropriate for Leonard to continue with them if they couldn't bid on his fights. "[91] In 2011, Leonard revealed in an NPR interview that he had been free of alcohol since July 2006. Associated Press had it 144141 for Durn, while The New York Times had Leonard ahead 144142. After hurting Hearns with a right, Leonard exploded with a combination of punches. The nickname "Sugar" came from Gainford, who had described the young boxer as "sweet as sugar"; reporters soon began using the moniker. As an amateur, he took an Olympic gold medal in the light-welterweight class at the 1976 Games in Montreal. [14]:63, When Leonard decided to turn professional, Janks Morton introduced him to Mike Trainer, a friend of his who was an attorney. He stuck out his chin, inviting Durn to hit it. By the end of round five, Leonard had a growing swelling under his left eye, and Hearns had built a considerable lead on the scorecards. More embarrassed than hurt, Benitez got up quickly. Leonard became a sensation in. 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. Veteran ringside commentator Don Dunphy said "They're stopping the fight. He lost a disputed decision to Anatoli Kamnev in Moscow, after which, Kamnev gave the winner's trophy to Leonard. "I wanted that arena. [45] Leonard's next fight was scheduled to be against Roger Stafford on May 14, 1982, in Buffalo, New York. Leonard was undefeated (12-0) going . When his fighting days were over, however, he was getting beaten up. Judge Stuart Kirshenbaum had Lalonde ahead 7675. 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