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. 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. 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. However, Lalonde later told HBO's Larry Merchant that he didn't have any trouble making weight.[59]. [14]:78, In 1973, Leonard won the National Golden Gloves Lightweight Championship, but lost to Randy Shields in the lightweight final of the National AAU Tournament. It was his first defeat. In 1989, Leonard was introduced to Bernadette Robi by Kenny G at a Luther Vandross concert. The rules stated that a boxer had to be seventeen to box in international competition, so Leonard, only sixteen, lied about his age. [11], Leonard, the fifth of seven children of Cicero and Getha Leonard, was born in Wilmington, North Carolina. He requested a contract for the Lalonde fight and Leonard refused. 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. "[91] In 2011, Leonard revealed in an NPR interview that he had been free of alcohol since July 2006. Dundee had a different proposition. I was so ready, I wanted to get my title, my world championship belt back so bad! Leonard was a shy child, and aside from the time he nearly drowned in a creek during a flood in Seat Pleasant, Maryland, his childhood was uneventful. In the first round, Leonard rocked Benitez with a left hook that came off a jab and right cross. Despite years away from the ring, Leonard defeated Hagler and secured his place as one of the best. Many felt that Hagler deserved the decision because he was the aggressor and landed the harder punches. 2 of his losses came after his first retirement. [24][25], On August 12, 1979, Leonard knocked out Pete Ranzany in four rounds to win the NABF Welterweight Championship. 17 May 1956 -. [38], "I made him quit", Leonard said. The win over Barkley was in many ways the final memory of the old rampaging warrior. Sugar Ray Leonard is one of the fastest boxers in history and his speed was just otherworldly. Astrological Sign: Taurus. The fight was a classic match between a slugger in Marvin Hagler, left, and a boxer in Sugar Ray Leonard. Having lost, Sugar Ray Leonard believed he could catch Duran out of shape due to celebrating his victory in the first match. 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's manager, Carlos Eleta, said, "Durn didn't quit because of stomach cramps. Sugar Ray Leonard's raw and uplifting memoir reveals in intimate detail for the first time the complex human who waged his own personal battle with depression, rage . For his services, Dundee would get 15% of Leonard's purse. Leonard boasted that he would have a couple of ten-round bouts and then take on Milton McCrory, Donald Curry, Durn, Hearns and finally Hagler. Benitez was very slick. It was the only time in Leonard's career that he was knocked out. For the Camacho fight, Leonard had a new trainer, Adrian Davis. After the Los Angeles Times broke the story, Leonard held a press conference and publicly acknowledged that the accusations were true. Leonard fought Wilfred Bentez for the WBC Welterweight Championship on November 30, 1979, at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. himself. Moore fought and lost to Sugar Ramos for the inaugural WBC title. Leonard's most memorable punch came late in the round. In the final round, Hagler continued to chase Leonard. In the second, he dropped Aldama with a left to the chin. [1] He was named after Ray Charles, his mother's favorite singer. 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 never seized total control of the fight as he had against Thomas Hearns two years earlier, when he brutalized Hearns and scored a third-round knockout. The feared warrior who had defeated Sugar Ray Leonard and battled Marvelous Marvin for fifteen back-and-forth rounds had been rendered helpless by Thomas Hearns in just four minutes, left face down in the resin dust, a sight few had imagined they might ever behold. His older brother, Roger, started boxing first. This fight proved to be one of the most controversial fights to date. .css-m6thd4{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;display:block;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-family:Gilroy,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.2;font-weight:bold;color:#323232;text-transform:capitalize;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-m6thd4:hover{color:link-hover;}}Remembering Just Fontaine and His World Cup Record, The Man Behind the First All-Black Basketball Team, 8 Times Brothers Have Faced Off in a Championship, Every Black Quarterback to Play in the Super Bowl, Soccer Star Christian Atsu Survived an Earthquake. 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]. Leonard was on a eight-fight win streak with 25 KO wins. 2 . Leonard had difficulty with Hearns' long reach and sharp jab. Jacobs had quit in 1980, disagreeing with Leonard's decision to have an immediate rematch with Durn. Leonard would continue to pursue his Olympic dream while she and the baby, Ray Charles Leonard Jr., lived with her parents. Hearns' legs were clearly gone and after more pressure from Leonard he was bundled through the ropes, no knockdown was given as it wasn't a punch that sent him there. 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. The fight was named "Fight of the Year" and "Upset of the Year" by The Ring. Hearns, 320 with 30 knockouts, won the WBA Welterweight Championship in 1980, scoring a second-round knockout of Jos "Pipino" Cuevas in Detroit, Michigan. Robinson wouldn't go by his birth name for the rest of his career. On hand that . What is known is that Robinson grew up in Detroit, and he was 11 years old when his mother, tired of her husband's absence from the family's life, up and left the city, moving herself, her son and two daughters to Harlem. Leonard landed the harder punches and had Benitez hurt several times late in the fight, but Leonard couldn't put him away. Leonard is also the godfather of Khlo Kardashian and has appeared on many episodes of Keeping Up With The Kardashians. Leonard entered the bout as a 3-1 favorite but Norris dominated the fight, giving Leonard a heavy beating. Leonard kept it up, continuing to move, stop, and mug. I knew he would indulge himself, he'd gain 4050 lbs and then sweat it off to make 147." Dickie's fight against Sugar Ray Leonard was on July 18, 1978 at the Hynes Memorial Auditorium in Boston, Massachusetts. "[71] Judges Raymond Baldeyrou and Harry Gibbs scored the fight 146144 and 145144, respectively. Duran and Leonard would go on to fight two more times, once in November 1980 and again . Sylvester Stallone, who co-hosted during the first season, was one of the executive producers, along with Mark Burnett. With Hearns fatigued, Leonard came back and had a strong finish to the round. Unlike the fight in Montreal, Leonard used his superior speed and movement to outbox and befuddle Durn. Leonard married his high school sweetheart, Juanita Wilkinson, in January 1980. Leonard made his first title defense in Landover, Maryland, on March 31, 1980. The nickname "Sugar" came from Gainford, who had described the young boxer as "sweet as sugar"; reporters soon began using the moniker. [54], Leonard threw 629 punches and landed 306, while Hagler threw 792 and landed 291. Roy Jones Jr. Ensuite Who defeated Mayweather? During the night Durn was admitted to a hospital with stomach pains, and discharged the following day. The fight took place at the new Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas. The "Four Kings" created a wave of popularity in the lower weight classes that kept boxing relevant in the post-Muhammad Ali era, during which Leonard defeated future fellow International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees Hearns, Durn, Hagler, and Wilfred Bentez. Hagler looked stiff and mechanical and missed the speedy Leonard time and again prompting CBS ringside commentator Gil Clancy to remark "and is he ever missingLeonard isn't doing anything to make him miss, he's just missing!". On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. "I can never erase the pain or the scars I have made through my stupidity, my selfishness", Leonard said. 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"). After the quick and slick Leonard won the first two rounds on all three scorecards, Hagler started the third round as a southpaw. Julio Cesar Chavez and Sugar Ray Leonard. Hagler did better, but Leonard's superior speed and boxing skill still allowed him to control the fight. 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. On December 7, 1989, the boxer Sugar Ray Leonard triumphs over a lackluster Roberto Duran in a unanimous 12-round decision at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas. [68] He then offered Hearns a third fight, but Hearns said he could no longer make the weight and moved up to the light heavyweight division. Most fight fans would not spend a dime to watch Van Gogh paint Sunflowers, but they would fill Yankee Stadium to see him cut off his ear. He went to a doctor and discovered that he had a detached retina. 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. Before the fight, he was given a shot of novocaine. Leonard pledged he would support his son, even if he had to scrap plans to attend college. Early in the ninth, Lalonde hurt Leonard with a right to the chin. However, less than a week after the fight, Leonard said he planned to fight again. He won his first Golden Gloves title (featherweight) in 1939, and then repeated the accomplishment in 1940. The announcement generated a lot of controversy because of Leonard's inactivity and eye injuries, yet it also excited many sports fans who had hoped to see them fight years earlier. Leonard, becoming more aggressive, hurt Hearns in the sixth with a left hook to the chin. "To make a man quit, to make Roberto Durn quit, was better than knocking him out."[35]. On June 20, 1980, Leonard returned to the Olympic Stadium in Montreal to defend his title against Roberto Durn before a crowd of 46,317. Hagler continued to score somewhat effectively in round six. 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 . From 1977-1997, Leonard only lost three professional fights. He was voted off in Week 4 of the show. March 13, 2021. by Larry Brown. Hagler's undisputed status ended when the WBA stripped him of the title for choosing to fight Sugar Ray Leonard instead of mandatory challenger, Herol Graham. Floyd bounced back and won two in a row over Sanchez to secure his spot in Atlanta. 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. Outside of the ring, Robinson relished his celebrity, parading around Harlem with a pink Cadillac and making appearances at his high-profile Harlem nightclub. As an amateur, he took an Olympic gold medal in the light-welterweight class at the 1976 Games in Montreal. and played to the screaming crowd. It was a highly competitive and tactical battle. Hearns was leading by scores of 124122, 125122, and 125121. Fearful that her son would get pulled into this shady world, Robinson's mother turned to the Salem Methodist Episcopal Church, where a man by the name of George Gainford had just started a boxing club. Leonard was undefeated (12-0) going . 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. Veteran ringside commentator Don Dunphy said "They're stopping the fight. .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." Pat Putnam of Sports Illustrated wrote, "Leonard gave them artistic perfection when they wanted heated battle, and they booed lustily. He became known as Sugar Ray Robinson as an under-aged boxer, after using a fellow boxer's Amateur Athletic Union card to fight in a show. [18] He planned to study business administration and communications. [60][61], Lalonde's size and awkwardness troubled Leonard. You're blowing it!". Hagler buckled Leonard's knees with a right uppercut near the end of the round, which finished with Leonard on the ropes. Leonard, with a badly swollen left eye, came out roaring for the thirteenth round. According to Bill Nack: It was, from almost the opening salvo, a fight that belonged to Durn. He rose but was soon down again, and the fight was stopped. Leonard was guaranteed $11 million, and Hagler was guaranteed $12 million. He staggered Bonds with a right in the fourth round and dropped him with a follow-up combination. But I never had any problems with him. In rounds, he had it three for Durn, two for Leonard, and ten even. With neither parent able to work, with his child and the mother of his child to support, and without any endorsement opportunities, Leonard decided to become a professional boxer. He died at the Brotman Medical Center in Culver City, California, on April 12, 1989. Associated Press had it 144141 for Durn, while The New York Times had Leonard ahead 144142. In a career that spanned 25 years, Robinson amassed 175 wins, 110 knockouts and just 19 losses. Leonard competed on season 12 of Dancing with the Stars, which premiered on Monday, March 21, 2011, on ABC. Camacho, a light-hitting southpaw, was a three-time world champion with a record of 6231. Late in the round, Leonard dropped Benitez with a left. 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. I don't believe it. 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. They decided to have the baby but marriage would be put off until after the Olympics in 1976. Tyson had a 71 reach, even shorter than Frazier's. For Leonard's fight with Hagler, Dundee worked without a contract and received $175,000, which was less than 2% of Leonard's purse. 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. According to Bob Arum, the fight grossed $78 million (which equates to around $179 million in 2020). The fight ended in a split draw, meaning both fighters retained their respective titles. He has also appeared in several movies, including I Spy and most recently The Fighter (2010), starring Christian Bale and Mark Wahlberg. Yet the book is not really about boxing. The fight was one of the many battles between the top fighters of the era (Duran, Leonard, Hearns, Hagler). Roberto Duran takes on Sugar Ray Leonard at the Superdome in New Orleans in November 1980. . In 1984 The Ring magazine placed Robinson No. He quit because he was embarrassed. On December 7, 1989, Leonard defended the title against Roberto Durn, who was the reigning WBC Middleweight Champion. [22] After the fight, Leonard paid back his $21,000 loan to the investors. (Photo . Durn attacked at almost every turn. . 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. "It was a crutch, something that enabled me to forget." Leonard testified before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs in 2009. "I don't have contracts. Even though Leonard dominated, hurting Hearns and battering him, all three judges gave both rounds to Leonard by a 109 margin. "I was ringside", Leonard said. In 2007 he was awarded The Ambassador Award of Excellence by the LA Sports & Entertainment Commission at the Riviera Country Club for his continued community involvement. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. Many of the people being considered wanted absolute control and a cut somewhere near the manager's traditional 33%. My word is my bond", Leonard said. "[66] Although Leonard dominated the fight, he suffered several cuts. Although he would prescribe the training procedures, he would leave the day-to-day work to Dave Jacobs and Janks Morton. "He's a great trainer, a throwback", Leonard said. To be a champ you have to believe in yourself when no one else will. In round fourteen, after staggering Hearns with an overhand right, Leonard pinned Hearns against the ropes, where he unleashed another furious combination, prompting referee Davey Pearl to stop the contest and award Sugar Ray Leonard the Unified World Welterweight Championship. Late in the third, Leonard dropped Benitez on the seat of his pants with a stiff left jab. But even though it was bereft of some of the normal fight card touches, this show offered a fun presentation of boxing that never mocked the sport. The action see-sawed back and forth for the rest of the round, with each man having his moments. Picking himself off the canvas twice, Leonard showed . Leonard used constant lateral movement and won by a lopsided twelve-round unanimous decision over a listless Durn. "The whole fight, I was moving, I was moving", Leonard said. Now I want to go to school." He continued to score well in the fourth and opened a cut above Leonard's right eye. Leonard had no answer for the skillful, younger, faster man. [14]:63, When Leonard decided to turn professional, Janks Morton introduced him to Mike Trainer, a friend of his who was an attorney. In snowshoesLeonard repeatedly beat Hagler to the punch. Lalonde tried to tie up Leonard, but got dropped with a powerful left hook. During divorce proceedings, Juanita Leonard testified that her husband physically abused her while under the influence of alcohol. 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. [55], Leonard was awarded a controversial split-decision. Come under with a punch.". This latest eye problem further fueled the flames of those who opposed Leonard's comeback. Judge Stuart Kirshenbaum had Lalonde ahead 7675. Boxing in Serenity Hearns managed to rise, but was dropped by a flurry of hard punches near the end of the round. [47], Missing the limelight and the competition, Leonard announced in December 1983 that he was returning to the ring. Roger helped start the boxing program, urging the center's director, Ollie Dunlap, to form a team. Named after Ray Charles, Leonard's parents reportedly wanted him to become a singer, although as . The working environment was not healthy."[84]. Camacho applied pressure from the opening bell and started to score well in the third. Close Alert. 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. [75] He was scheduled to fight Tony Menefee on February 15, 1998, in Australia, but he pulled out of the fight, saying that he didn't have the motivation. Durn said he quit because of stomach cramps, caused by overeating after the weigh-in. 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. Robinson, who had a son from a previous marriage, helped raise Millie's two children. . [80], Leonard has also worked as an actor. 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. This would be Leonard's first professional fight without Angelo Dundee. "I was shocked", Brown said. Then his friends came to help. The headline in the Washington Star read, "Sugar Ray Leonard Named in Welfare Dept. [48], A bout with Philadelphia's Kevin Howard, who was 2041, was scheduled for February 25, 1984. . His relationship with HBO lasted for more than a decade. Leonard learned of the suit several days after returning home from the Olympics. Leonard dropped him again in the tenth. Leonard led by scores of 6866, 6866 and 6766.[35]. The fight ended in a 12 . . Also, Leonard and Janks Morton split because of personal differences. 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. 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.. In his later years, Robinson worked in show business, even doing some television acting. "[56], Many others felt that Leonard deservedly got the decision, arguing that Leonard landed more punches and showed better defense and ring generalship. I snapped it back again. The referee stopped the fight with Bonds taking punishment in a corner.[39]. How many times did Tommy Hearns and Sugar Ray Leonard fight? Over his 25-year career, Robinson won the world welterweight and middleweight crowns and was dubbed "pound for pound, the. Leonard's 1987 fight with Hagler, which served as a comeback after a three-year retirement, is one of the greatest fights ever. Leonard won the National Golden Gloves and National AAU Light Welterweight Championships in 1974. Always moving forward, he mauled and wrestled Leonard, scoring inside with hooks and rights. The Classic bout between Sugar Ray Leonard V Thomas Hearns.Leonard Snatches Victory from the jaws of defeat with a dramatic late Stoppage! On November 7, 1988, Leonard made another comeback, facing Donny Lalonde at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. [17] Leonard won his first four Olympic bouts by 50 decisions. In the fifth, Camacho dropped Leonard with a right followed by two left uppercuts. Asked if Leonard was the best he ever fought, Durn thought for a moment and then answered, "Si, si." Standing in a boxing ring with Howard Cosell, the master of ceremonies, Leonard announced his retirement, saying a bout with Hagler would unfortunately never happen. In round seven, Leonard started to taunt Durn. Durn was guaranteed $7.6 million and Leonard's arrangement guaranteed him over $13 million.[65]. More embarrassed than hurt, Benitez got up quickly. The cuts required a total of 60 stitches. Leonard landed several good left hooks in the first round. This is terrible. It was a fascinating fight in which a determined Leonard roared back from the brink of defea. [23] Leonard won by a tenth-round knockout. goes on to explain what went through his mind before he quit the fight - a bout in which he wasn't . Leonard's observation that the Hagler who beat John Mugabi was older and slower proved to be spot on. "I didn't feel like being bothered by all those complications by asking him for any money for support", she said. [15], Sarge Johnson, assistant coach of the US Olympic Boxing Team, said to Dave Jacobs, "That kid you got is sweet as sugar". [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]. Roberto Duran, known as one of the greatest boxers of all time, held world championships in four weight classes during his career and met Sugar Ray Leonard in the ring for the first time in June 1980. Sugar Ray Leonard boxed Marvin Hagler and forced him to fight away from his strengths while using what he did bestflurrying with the mindset of disrupting Hagler and not trying to hurt or drop himwhich was something Ray knew could only fail, and open the door for Hagler to nail him. "[72], In January 1997, it was announced that Leonard had been voted into the International Boxing Hall Of Fame in Canastota, New York. The following year, Leonard won the National Golden Gloves and National AAU Lightweight Championships. He made him look like a guy chasing a bus. 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. 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. They fought before a live crowd of 23,618. Leonard and . Where did Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran have their first fight? Or why Roberto Durn was acting out of prudence, not cowardice, when he quit in his second fight against Leonard. Howard knocked Leonard flat on his back in the fourth round. No. The fight was postponed when Leonard had minor surgery on his right eye to fix a loose retina. Sports Illustrated called his scorecard "a monument to indecision." "[36] Arcel was angry. While training, Leonard started to see floaters. 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