[80], Leonard has also worked as an actor. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. Afterward, Leonard retired again, saying, "For sure, my career is definitely over for me in the ring." With too much money to be lost by cancelling the fight, the matchmaker for the bout, Ron Katz, found a . Veteran ringside commentator Don Dunphy said "They're stopping the fight. For the Camacho fight, Leonard had a new trainer, Adrian Davis. Benitez started improving in the fourth, slipping numerous punches and finding the range with his right hand. Morton was replaced as co-trainer by Pepe Correa, who had worked with Leonard for most of the previous fifteen years.[63]. Thomas Hearns) 16 September 1981 - 9 November 1982 . In the second, he dropped Aldama with a left to the chin. He said he started using medication after he retired in 1982, following surgery to repair a detached retina. The two fought with great intensity throughout the fight. Dickie Eklund (left) smiles before the Sugar Ray fight. Sugar Ray Leonard and Tommy Hearns feature in fight one of a BBC Sounds look back at some of boxing's greatest fights. He requested a contract for the Lalonde fight and Leonard refused. [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. I snapped his head back with a jab. Durn attacked at almost every turn. 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. Leonard's observation that the Hagler who beat John Mugabi was older and slower proved to be spot on. Roy Jones Jr. Ensuite Who defeated Mayweather? Dec. 16, 1989 12 AM PT. 19522000: 6063.5 kg, 20042012: 6064 kg. . Between rounds twelve and thirteen, Angelo Dundee told Leonard, "You're blowing it, son! It was the first knockdown of Leonard's professional career. [88] In 1984, they had another son, Jarrell. The following month, he made his first title defense against Andy Price. . Having lost, Sugar Ray Leonard believed he could catch Duran out of shape due to celebrating his victory in the first match. For Leonard's fight with Hagler, Dundee worked without a contract and received $175,000, which was less than 2% of Leonard's purse. After the Los Angeles Times broke the story, Leonard held a press conference and publicly acknowledged that the accusations were true. Leonard made his first title defense in Landover, Maryland, on March 31, 1980. Death Year: 1989, Death date: April 12, 1989, Death State: California, Death City: Culver City, Death Country: United States, Article Title: Sugar Ray Robinson Biography, Author: Biography.com Editors, Website Name: The Biography.com website, Url: https://www.biography.com/athletes/sugar-ray-robinson, Publisher: A&E; Television Networks, Last Updated: April 13, 2021, Original Published Date: April 2, 2014. The nickname stuck. Leonard ended the series with his hand raised in victory, but the boos couldn't be hidden and many fled the arena long before the final bell. "[72], In January 1997, it was announced that Leonard had been voted into the International Boxing Hall Of Fame in Canastota, New York. The scorecards from the ringside press and broadcast media attest to the polarizing views and opinions of the fight. During a 20-year period, Sugar Ray Leonard was considered one of the greatest boxers. "But then he adjusted to my style. His lower lip was cut from a headbutt in the fourth round, his left eye was cut in the eleventh round, and his right eye was cut in the twelfth round. WASHINGTON POST. After hurting Hearns with a right, Leonard exploded with a combination of punches. Robert Durn's hair flies as Sugar Ray Leonard throws a punch in the early rounds of their welterwight fight on 25 November 1980. On March 10, 1986, Marvin Hagler knocked out John Mugabi in eleven rounds to retain the Undisputed World Middleweight Championship for the twelfth time and advance his record to 6222. 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 a career that spanned 25 years, Robinson amassed 175 wins, 110 knockouts and just 19 losses. Leonard got up, but was unable to ward off Camacho. Frazier had a 73 reach. When he did, he hit harder. Juanita Wilkinson, Leonard's high school girlfriend, told him she was pregnant in the summer of 1973. [69], On February 9, 1991, Leonard went down to 154lbs and fought WBC Light Middleweight Champion Terry Norris at Madison Square Garden. [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. Durn hesitated. Hearns, with too much faith in his powerful right hand, lost to Sugar Ray Leonard in their first match. [12] The family moved to Washington, D.C., when he was three, and they settled permanently in Palmer Park, Maryland when he was ten. Leonard's 1987 fight with Hagler, which served as a comeback after a three-year retirement, is one of the greatest fights ever. Dundee was unhappy with that amount. Sylvester Stallone, who co-hosted during the first season, was one of the executive producers, along with Mark Burnett. He would also choose Leonard's opponents. Despite Leonard's obvious fatigue, he boxed well in the eleventh. He wasn't afraid, he was being a smart businessman. Associated Press had it 144141 for Durn, while The New York Times had Leonard ahead 144142. . Sugar Ray Leonard is one of the fastest boxers in history and his speed was just otherworldly. Late in the final round, he again hurt Aldama, which brought a standing eight count from the referee. Bonds got up and continued to move, with Leonard in pursuit. He took control, attacking and driving Leonard against the ropes, bulling him back, hitting him with lefts and rights to the body as he maneuvered the champion against the ropes from corner to corner. "I did the best I could", Leonard said. Leonard fought Wilfred Bentez for the WBC Welterweight Championship on November 30, 1979, at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. Although he would prescribe the training procedures, he would leave the day-to-day work to Dave Jacobs and Janks Morton. 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. Voom! They fought before a live crowd of 23,618. She named Leonard as the father and the county's state attorney's office filed a civil suit against Leonard to establish paternity and get support payments for the child. I'm in the best shape possible. "For the first time in a long time, I allowed someone to push me", Leonard said. After the bout Hagler stated it may be his last fight. But New York proved rough in other ways. In the sixth, there was an accidental clash of heads, which opened a cut on the forehead of Benitez. [55], Leonard was awarded a controversial split-decision. My journey has ended, my dream is fulfilled. I know how Hagler felt now."[70]. The fight began as expected, Leonard boxing from a distance and Hearns stalking. The action see-sawed back and forth for the rest of the round, with each man having his moments. Howard knocked Leonard flat on his back in the fourth round. [42] Some also considered the stoppage premature. Leonard called it "the hardest single punch I ever threw."[30]. [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. [85] During his appearance on The Colbert Report in 2011, Leonard was defeated by host Stephen Colbert in a thumb wrestling contest. 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"). Hearns started to stick and move, and he started to pile up points again. Career Highlights Sugar Ray Leonard fought a total of 40 times during his professional career. [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]. [14]:93 A month later, Leonard defeated his old amateur nemesis Randy Shields by a ten-round unanimous decision. 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. He was also named "Athlete of the Year" by ABC's Wide World of Sports and "Sportsman of the Year" by Sports Illustrated. Judge Dave Moretti scored it 115113 for Leonard, while judge Lou Filippo had it 115113 for Hagler. 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. [50], Leonard and Howard fought on May 11, 1984, in Worcester, Massachusetts. The scorecard of judge Angelo Poletti was incorrectly added and announced as 147147. But eventually you and Durn had a rematch that you ended up winning. Tyson had a 71 reach, even shorter than Frazier's. Bonds was a southpaw, which made him a good opponent for Leonard, given that his next opponent was scheduled to be the WBA Light Middleweight Champion Ayub Kalule, a southpaw. Leonard responded with a furious flurry, landing few punches but whipping the upset-hoping crowd into a frenzy. "It took this fight to show me it is no longer my time", Leonard said. This movie brought back memories of his fight with Dicky Eklund. Leonard battered Hearns in rounds six and seven, but Hearns regrouped. 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 . In snowshoesLeonard repeatedly beat Hagler to the punch. 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!". These seven fights are the highlight of his career. According to Bill Nack: It was, from almost the opening salvo, a fight that belonged to Durn. I think he needs a psychiatrist more than he needs anything else." The Boxing Writers Association of America and The Ring named Leonard "Fighter of the Year" for 1979. "I've had it. 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.. He won his first Golden Gloves title (featherweight) in 1939, and then repeated the accomplishment in 1940. He tried to get me against the ropes, I'd pivot, spin off and Pow! 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. 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. Benitez was very slick. They decided to have the baby but marriage would be put off until after the Olympics in 1976. 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. 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. 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. 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 . I've handled thousands of fighters and never had anyone quit on me. Rounds nine and ten were good rounds for Leonard, but he ran into trouble in the eleventh round. Leonard's attorney, Mike Trainer, said, "There never has been a linkage between his broadcasting and his fighting. It supports accessible housing, healthcare services, and educational services and job training. [54], Leonard threw 629 punches and landed 306, while Hagler threw 792 and landed 291. Correa was instructed not to spare the whip. 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. Durn was awarded a unanimous decision, although it was mistakenly read as a majority decision in the ring. He was voted off in Week 4 of the show. Early in the ninth, Lalonde hurt Leonard with a right to the chin. Leonard was named "Fighter of the Year" by The Ring and The Boxing Writers Association of America. His opponent was Dave "Boy" Green. To make matters worse, his father was hospitalized with meningitis and his mother had a heart attack. Leonard competed on season 12 of Dancing with the Stars, which premiered on Monday, March 21, 2011, on ABC. 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. Early in the seventh round, Hearns hurt Leonard but punched himself out going for the knockout. . Astrological Sign: Taurus. He drove him to the ropes and unleashed a furious assault. Sugar Ray Leonard (def. "It was stupid for me to fight Norris at 154 lbs", Leonard said. I know this. Sugar Ray Leonard and Tommy Hearns during their first fight, on September 16, 1981 in Las Vegas. . After the fight, there was controversy due to the scoring of rounds six and seven. Everyone was surprised by Durn's actions, none more so than his veteran trainers, Freddie Brown and Ray Arcel. On November 7, 1988, Leonard made another comeback, facing Donny Lalonde at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. Pregnant in the ring., Massachusetts season, was one of the fight catch out. 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