The referee stopped the fight with Camacho teeing off on a defenseless Leonard on the ropes. He hit Leonard with a big left hand and backed him into a corner. 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]. 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. The following month, he made his first title defense against Andy Price. [55], Leonard was awarded a controversial split-decision. "But then he adjusted to my style. 19522000: 6063.5 kg, 20042012: 6064 kg. Afterward, Leonard retired again, saying, "For sure, my career is definitely over for me in the ring." He finished his career with a record of 3631 with 25 knockouts. Durn's manager, Carlos Eleta, said, "Durn didn't quit because of stomach cramps. "He's a great trainer, a throwback", Leonard said. WBA-WBC era (1963-1983) No . "That's it", he said. He was among the very best of his generation and put on some incredible performances in his fights. TYson had warched film of Foreman destroying Joe Frazier. In his later years, Robinson worked in show business, even doing some television acting. He testified about the burden of diabetes and the need for continued research funding to find a cure.[93]. After the bout Hagler stated it may be his last fight. Durn hesitated. He lost a disputed decision to Anatoli Kamnev in Moscow, after which, Kamnev gave the winner's trophy to Leonard. 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. Durn retired from boxing . . In 1991 the brilliant career of Sugar Ray Leonard appeared to have finally come to an end. Career Highlights Sugar Ray Leonard fought a total of 40 times during his professional career. Going into the final round, Leonard led by scores of 137130, 137133, and 136134. On hand that . Hearns won rounds nine through twelve on all three scorecards. Leonard got up, but was unable to ward off Camacho. I know how Hagler felt now."[70]. Janks Morton and Dave Jacobs trained Leonard for the Lalonde fight. Leonard had difficulty with Hearns' long reach and sharp jab. In the fifth, Camacho dropped Leonard with a right followed by two left uppercuts. Dave Jacobs, a former boxer, and Janks Morton volunteered as boxing coaches. [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]. Later, when he made . I knew he would indulge himself, he'd gain 4050 lbs and then sweat it off to make 147." . Lalonde tried to tie up Leonard, but got dropped with a powerful left hook. After several comebacks, Leonard ended his professional career with 36 wins, three losses, and one draw. Leonard battled back again and again, but he had to work just to find room to breathe and swing, at times simply to survive. We never could tell what he was thinking. Hagler backed off, and Leonard danced away with Hagler in pursuit. During divorce proceedings, Juanita Leonard testified that her husband physically abused her while under the influence of alcohol. He also worked as an adviser in the 2011 robot boxing film Real Steel. Leonard started boxing at the Palmer Park Recreation Center in 1969. Ray Charles Leonard, known as the boxing champion "Sugar Ray" Leonard (after the champion boxer Sugar Ray Robinson), was born on May 17, 1956 in Wilmington, North Carolina to Getha Leonard and Cicero Leonard, who boxed in the Navy. The working environment was not healthy."[84]. Late in the third, Leonard dropped Benitez on the seat of his pants with a stiff left jab. Jacobs had quit in 1980, disagreeing with Leonard's decision to have an immediate rematch with Durn. Sugar Ray Leonard: The Final Fight. Camacho, a light-hitting southpaw, was a three-time world champion with a record of 6231. It was his first defeat. Sugar Ray Leonard and Tommy Hearns during their first fight, on September 16, 1981 in Las Vegas. His most famous commercial was a 7 Up ad he did with his son, Ray Jr., Roberto Durn and Durn's son Roberto Jr. in the early 1980s. Leonard moved up to the junior middleweight division and faced Kalule on June 25, 1981, at the Astrodome in Houston, Texas. By 1958, he had become the first boxer to win a divisional world championship five times. For many years, Leonard has been the International Chairman of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation's Walk for a Cure and is actively involved in raising both awareness and funds. [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. In the final round, Hagler continued to chase Leonard. When he did, he hit harder. Sugar Ray Leonard, the world welterweight champion, underwent two hours of surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore yesterday to repair a partially detached retina in his left eye. Unable to get away, unable to counter and unable to slide away to open up the ring, Leonard seemed almost helpless under the assault. [80], Leonard has also worked as an actor. Durn was guaranteed $7.6 million and Leonard's arrangement guaranteed him over $13 million.[65]. Two years later, he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Judge Jos Guerra scored the fight 118110 for Leonard. His older brother, Roger, started boxing first. Early in the ninth, Lalonde hurt Leonard with a right to the chin. However, Lalonde later told HBO's Larry Merchant that he didn't have any trouble making weight.[59]. He finished his career in 1965 with 175 victories. November 30, 1979: Leonard wins his first world titles by defeating Wilfred Bentez via 15th round TKO. The fight, promoted as "The Super Fight" and "The King of the Ring", was scheduled for April 6, 1987, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Howard knocked Leonard flat on his back in the fourth round. But I never had any problems with him. My word is my bond", Leonard said. Yet the book is not really about boxing. "[66] Although Leonard dominated the fight, he suffered several cuts. However, less than a week after the fight, Leonard said he planned to fight again. The fight was a classic match between a slugger in Marvin Hagler, left, and a boxer in Sugar Ray Leonard. He had a career record of 79-6-3 and was a showman in the ring, chanting 'It . Sign In I think he needs a psychiatrist more than he needs anything else." He tried to get me against the ropes, I'd pivot, spin off and Pow! Paternity Suit". His opponent was Luis "The Bull" Vega, whom he defeated by a six-round unanimous decision. Robinson inspired Ali's famous matador style, which he used to defeat Sonny Liston for the heavyweight title in 1964. Robi is the daughter of Paul Robi, one of the original Platters, and she is the ex-wife of Lynn Swann. 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. 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. Dickie's fight against Sugar Ray Leonard was on July 18, 1978 at the Hynes Memorial Auditorium in Boston, Massachusetts. Durn attacked at almost every turn. Robinson, who had a son from a previous marriage, helped raise Millie's two children. The British challenger had a record of 332. Leonard received $1 million and Benitez, a two-division champion with a record of 3801, received $1.2 million. Leonard was awarded a 50 decision and the Olympic gold medal. 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. Hearns managed to rise, but was dropped by a flurry of hard punches near the end of the round. The boxer continued his dominance until 1991 when he lost by decision to Terry Norris and retired again. The rules stated that a boxer had to be seventeen to box in international competition, so Leonard, only sixteen, lied about his age. Despite years away from the ring, Leonard defeated Hagler and secured his place as one of the best. 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. "[77], Leonard has provided commercial endorsements for companies including Coca-Cola, EA Sports, Ford, Nabisco, Revlon and 7 Up. But eventually you and Durn had a rematch that you ended up winning. WASHINGTON POST. 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. [1] He was named after Ray Charles, his mother's favorite singer. Of all people, John 'The Beast' Mugabi." Astrological Sign: Taurus. Duran rode out his trilogy with Sugar Ray Leonard with little fire. 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. 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. Leonard's 1987 fight with Hagler, which served as a comeback after a three-year retirement, is one of the greatest fights ever. Hearns, with too much faith in his powerful right hand, lost to Sugar Ray Leonard in their first match. "I don't have contracts. Although he would prescribe the training procedures, he would leave the day-to-day work to Dave Jacobs and Janks Morton. As a boy growing up in Detroit, Sugar Ray Robinson was neighbors with heavyweight champion Joe Louis. The nickname stuck. [50], Leonard and Howard fought on May 11, 1984, in Worcester, Massachusetts. In the second, he dropped Aldama with a left to the chin. His father worked as a supermarket night manager and his mother was a nurse. "I'll try, I'll give it a shot", Leonard said of his latest retirement. His opponent was Dave "Boy" Green. 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. The fight ended in a split draw, meaning both fighters retained their respective titles. The fight with Camacho took place on March 1, 1997, in Atlantic City, New Jersey. 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. He stayed home a lot, reading comic books and playing with his dog. The odds started at 41, then settled at 31. Leonard's observation that the Hagler who beat John Mugabi was older and slower proved to be spot on. Asked if Leonard was the best he ever fought, Durn thought for a moment and then answered, "Si, si." The first fight occurred in '81 and was a highly anticipated welterweight unification match. I know this. [22] After the fight, Leonard paid back his $21,000 loan to the investors. The Classic bout between Sugar Ray Leonard V Thomas Hearns.Leonard Snatches Victory from the jaws of defeat with a dramatic late Stoppage! .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. 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. First, in 1991, he lost by decision to Terry Norris. On November 7, 1988, Leonard made another comeback, facing Donny Lalonde at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. But New York proved rough in other ways. Hearns was the WBA champion while Leonard held the WBC title. Hagler continued to score somewhat effectively in round six. By the fifth, Leonard, who was moving a lot, began to tire and Hagler started to get closer. "All I can do is say I'm sorry, but that is not enough. "My idea is that he should have a tuneup fight before he fights with Roberto again", Jacobs said. Leonard, with a badly swollen left eye, came out roaring for the thirteenth round. 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 . Sugar Ray Leonard and Marvin Hagler fight for the WBC and Ring middleweight titles on April 6, 1987 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Later that year, he boxed in the Eastern Olympic Trials. Judges Raymond Baldeyrou and Harry Gibbs scored the fight 146144 and 145144, respectively. [45] Leonard's next fight was scheduled to be against Roger Stafford on May 14, 1982, in Buffalo, New York. Leonard maintained his eye was fully healed, but that he just didn't want to box anymore. "[91] In 2011, Leonard revealed in an NPR interview that he had been free of alcohol since July 2006. 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 . He made three successful title defenses, stopping Luis Primera, Randy Shields, and Pablo Baez. Hagler did better, but Leonard's superior speed and boxing skill still allowed him to control the fight. Roberto Duran takes on Sugar Ray Leonard at the Superdome in New Orleans in November 1980. . From 1977-1997, Leonard only lost three professional fights. For the Durn fight, Leonard cut his entourage from twenty-one to six. That's why he's living."[32][33]. [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. The referee stopped the fight with Bonds taking punishment in a corner.[39]. Unlike the fight in Montreal, Leonard used his superior speed and movement to outbox and befuddle Durn. "I was ringside", Leonard said. In 2009, the foundation expanded to support programs that help people rebuild their communities in ten cities across the United States. [citation needed] After eight tough rounds, Leonard was ahead although Kalule appeared to be coming on strong in the eight and ninth. goes on to explain what went through his mind before he quit the fight - a bout in which he wasn't . The fight grossed over $35 million. Kalule and his handlers had expected Leonard to use lateral movement against him, but Leonard chose to fight inside instead. Shortly before the Olympics, Wilkinson had filed an application to receive $156 a month in child support payments from Prince George's County, Maryland. This is terrible. With only a few seconds left in the fight, a Leonard combination forced another standing eight count. 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"). However, Camacho was also considered to be past his prime. Leonard was undefeated (12-0) going . Judge Jerry Roth scored the fight 113112 for Hearns, Judge Tom Kazmarek scored it 113112 for Leonard, and Judge Dalby Shirley scored it 112112. Many felt that the ten-point must scoring system was not properly used and those rounds should have been scored 108. Leonard also won a light welterweight gold medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics. Over his 25-year career, Robinson won the world welterweight and middleweight crowns and was dubbed "pound for pound, the. However, Emanuel Steward, Hearns' manager and trainer, said, "I felt that the referee was justified in stopping the fight Tommy did not have enough energy to make it through the fight. He rose but was soon down again, and the fight was stopped. Sugar Ray Robinson turned pro in 1940 and won his first 40 fights. [85] During his appearance on The Colbert Report in 2011, Leonard was defeated by host Stephen Colbert in a thumb wrestling contest. 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. His decision was to push Froot Loops onto the Finals, where they were taken out by Cinnamon Toast Crunch. In the fourth round, Leonard knocked Green out with a devastating left hook. [23] Leonard won by a tenth-round knockout. In his prime, he was unstoppable. Foreman had an 84 inch reach. If you moved, he was lost."[57]. He stuck out his chin, inviting Durn to hit it. 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. 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.. For three rounds Durn drove at Sugar Ray with a fury, and there were moments when it seemed the fight could not last five. Leonard yelled "Yeah!" 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. Sugar Ray Robinson turned pro in 1940 and won his first 40 fights. The Boxing Writers Association of America and The Ring named Leonard "Fighter of the Year" for 1979. "[37] According to Randy Gordon, who witnessed Durn's antics beforehand and was in his dressing room immediately afterwards, Durn quit because of his huge eating binge prior to the fight. The following year, Leonard won the National Golden Gloves and National AAU Lightweight Championships. Leonard, having slowed down, was obliged to fight more and move less. [67], In August 1990, Leonard relinquished the WBC super middleweight title, saying that he was under the weight for the division. In 1976, Leonard made the U.S. Olympic Team as the light welterweight representative. In the second, Durn rocked Leonard with a left hook, sending him into the ropes. Hagler hurt Leonard with a left cross and pinned him in a corner. Roger won some trophies and showed them off in front of Ray, goading him to start boxing. [42] Some also considered the stoppage premature. Robinson finally retired from the sport for good in 1965. Leonard would continue to pursue his Olympic dream while she and the baby, Ray Charles Leonard Jr., lived with her parents. Thomas Hearns) 16 September 1981 - 9 November 1982 . He attended Parkdale High School. He knocked Leonard down with a left hook in the second round, and in the seventh, he dropped Leonard again with a short right. He was given a scholarship to the University of Maryland, a gift from the citizens of Glenarden, Maryland. and played to the screaming crowd. Hearns (left) had not lost in his 32 fights before facing Leonard. After the fight, there was controversy due to the scoring of rounds six and seven. himself. 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". A strange night, a boring fight. . 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. The fight was postponed when Leonard had minor surgery on his right eye to fix a loose retina. 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. "I think I pretty much fought from the heart."