In his testimony, Leonard confirmed his wife's claims and went on to reveal that the problems of their marriage were not due to drug and alcohol use.[90]. "Sugar Ray Robinson had a nice ring to it," Robinson later said. In his later years, Robinson worked in show business, even doing some television acting. "All I can do is say I'm sorry, but that is not enough. He stayed home a lot, reading comic books and playing with his dog. [81], In 2001, Leonard launched Sugar Ray Leonard Boxing Inc., a boxing promotional company, and announced the company's strategic partnership with ESPN. I snapped his head back with a jab. In 1989, Leonard was introduced to Bernadette Robi by Kenny G at a Luther Vandross concert. In the second, Durn rocked Leonard with a left hook, sending him into the ropes. 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. I know this. In the first round, Leonard rocked Benitez with a left hook that came off a jab and right cross. Many of the people being considered wanted absolute control and a cut somewhere near the manager's traditional 33%. "I was ringside", Leonard said. The legendary boxer Sugar Ray Leonard had an impressive professional boxing career, with a total of 36 wins, 3 draws, and 1 loss. After several comebacks, Leonard ended his professional career with 36 wins, three losses, and one draw. Then his friends came to help. Durn's manager, Carlos Eleta, said, "Durn didn't quit because of stomach cramps. [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. Leonard celebrated his victory with a full 360-degree, no-hands flip. "[71] 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. Come under with a punch.". To make matters worse, his father was hospitalized with meningitis and his mother had a heart attack. [27] Price, an up-and-coming contender who was sponsored by Marvin Gaye, had a reputation for prolonged bouts in earlier fights and was believed by sports reporters to defeat or give a long fight to Leonard. . He was among the very best of his generation and put on some incredible performances in his fights. Leonard kept it up, continuing to move, stop, and mug. With the fight in control, Leonard would begin taunting Duran, much to the chagrin of . Tyson had a 71 reach, even shorter than Frazier's. Afterward, Leonard retired again, saying, "For sure, my career is definitely over for me in the ring." The boxer continued his dominance until 1991 when he lost by decision to Terry Norris and retired again. Early in the seventh round, Hearns hurt Leonard but punched himself out going for the knockout. In the fourth round, a right hand to the top of Leonard's head dropped him for just the second time in his career. "I'm watching John 'The Beast' Mugabi outbox Hagler. He actually scored it 148147. "To make a man quit, to make Roberto Durn quit, was better than knocking him out."[35]. "Sugar Walker Smith wouldn't have been the same.". 19522000: 6063.5 kg, 20042012: 6064 kg. In round seven, Leonard started to taunt Durn. The nickname "Sugar" came from Gainford, who had described the young boxer as "sweet as sugar"; reporters soon began using the moniker. Shortly afterward, Leonard dropped him with a flurry of punches. Leonard pledged he would support his son, even if he had to scrap plans to attend college. 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. He had a career record of 79-6-3 and was a showman in the ring, chanting 'It . I'm in the best shape possible. Hagler did better, but Leonard's superior speed and boxing skill still allowed him to control the fight. Over his 25-year career, Robinson won the world welterweight and middleweight crowns and was dubbed "pound for pound, the. Judge Dave Moretti scored it 115113 for Leonard, while judge Lou Filippo had it 115113 for Hagler. Durn was guaranteed $7.6 million and Leonard's arrangement guaranteed him over $13 million.[65]. "[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. I never had to go to school once because of him."[13]. No. The judges scored the fight a draw and Leonard retained the title. Having lost, Sugar Ray Leonard believed he could catch Duran out of shape due to celebrating his victory in the first match. 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. and played to the screaming crowd. Leonard made his first title defense in Landover, Maryland, on March 31, 1980. Complete Fight Highlights: LEONARD vs. DURAN 'NO MAS' (1980) Watch on Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran's 1980 rematch, known as the No Mas Fight. These seven fights are the highlight of his career. Robinson, who had a son from a previous marriage, helped raise Millie's two children. Despite requests from the Hagler camp, Leonard was uninterested in a rematch and retired on May 27, 1987. Leonard won the National Golden Gloves and National AAU Light Welterweight Championships in 1974. The scores were 120104, 119103, and 116110. Montreal Not long after this fight ended, a rematch fight was scheduled. Paternity Suit". The following year, he again won the National AAU Light Welterweight Championship, as well as the Light Welterweight Championship at the Pan American Games. In his prime, he was unstoppable. But New York proved rough in other ways. Leonard's most memorable punch came late in the round. [24][25], On August 12, 1979, Leonard knocked out Pete Ranzany in four rounds to win the NABF Welterweight Championship. Sugar Ray Leonard and Marvin Hagler fight for the WBC and Ring middleweight titles on April 6, 1987 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Roberto Duran Speaks: The Untold Story Is Finally Revealed!, Bill Brubaker, The Boxing Writers Association of America, List of light middleweight boxing champions, "Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Robinson and Sugar Ray Leonard lead the way", "The Fabulous Four Hagler, Hearns, Duran, and Leonard", "Ring Magazine's 80 Best Fighters of the Last 80 Years", "Who is the greatest fighter alive? He had a falling out with partner Bjorn Rebney, whom he called "a cancer in my company. Doctors said they believed he would be able to resume his boxing career before the end of the year. However, Lalonde later told HBO's Larry Merchant that he didn't have any trouble making weight.[59]. After the Los Angeles Times broke the story, Leonard held a press conference and publicly acknowledged that the accusations were true. 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. He has also appeared in several movies, including I Spy and most recently The Fighter (2010), starring Christian Bale and Mark Wahlberg. "I did the best I could", Leonard said. "I can never erase the pain or the scars I have made through my stupidity, my selfishness", Leonard said. Many felt that Hagler deserved the decision because he was the aggressor and landed the harder punches. 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. [14]:75, In his fourteenth professional fight, Leonard fought his first world-ranked opponent, Floyd Mayweather, who was ranked seventeenth. "I think I pretty much fought from the heart." The scorecards from the ringside press and broadcast media attest to the polarizing views and opinions of the fight. "I decided to search for a substituteI resorted to cocaine. Frazier had a 73 reach. 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. They fought before a live crowd of 23,618. Leonard also won a light welterweight gold medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics. In Poland, local fighter Jan Kwacz was given a disqualification victory over Leonard after being knocked down three times in the first round but the referee ruled that Leonard had punched after the bell.[16]. Augie Sanchez had defeated Mayweather earlier that summer in qualifiers after a tight 11-12 decision. All Rights Reserved. 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. For Leonard's fight with Hagler, Dundee worked without a contract and received $175,000, which was less than 2% of Leonard's purse. Three booming rights from Hearns sent Leonard down for the second time in the fight. 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. 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. [45] Leonard's next fight was scheduled to be against Roger Stafford on May 14, 1982, in Buffalo, New York. His older brother, Roger, started boxing first. He made him look like a guy chasing a bus. According to Bob Arum, the fight grossed $78 million (which equates to around $179 million in 2020). 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. Late in the round, Leonard dropped Benitez with a left. He turned pro that same year. There was a capacity crowd of about 4,600. He blamed his loss on a torn right calf muscle. He was also named "Athlete of the Year" by ABC's Wide World of Sports and "Sportsman of the Year" by Sports Illustrated. If he had scored it 109, as his two colleagues did, Hearns would have won by a split decision. The fight ended with Hagler and Leonard exchanging along the ropes. He drove him to the ropes and unleashed a furious assault. He said he started using medication after he retired in 1982, following surgery to repair a detached retina. The fight grossed over $35 million. The fight took place at the new Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas. [53], Many were surprised that Hagler, a natural southpaw, opened the fight boxing out of an orthodox stance. His decision was to push Froot Loops onto the Finals, where they were taken out by Cinnamon Toast Crunch. .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." On May 1, 1986, Leonard announced on a Washington, D.C. talk show that he would return to the ring to fight Hagler. November 30, 1979: Leonard wins his first world titles by defeating Wilfred Bentez via 15th round TKO. Leonard got hit by sparring partner Quincy Taylor and was badly buckled. 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. It ended in 1990, after HBO was not offered an opportunity to bid on the telecast rights to Leonard's fight with Terry Norris. My journey has ended, my dream is fulfilled. The Camacho fight was Leonard's last. Leonard battled back again and again, but he had to work just to find room to breathe and swing, at times simply to survive. Robi is the daughter of Paul Robi, one of the original Platters, and she is the ex-wife of Lynn Swann. [citation needed] After eight tough rounds, Leonard was ahead although Kalule appeared to be coming on strong in the eight and ninth. Sylvester Stallone, who co-hosted during the first season, was one of the executive producers, along with Mark Burnett. 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. During a 20-year period, Sugar Ray Leonard was considered one of the greatest boxers. For three rounds Durn drove at Sugar Ray with a fury, and there were moments when it seemed the fight could not last five. In a fight that many considered to be very boring, both fighters were booed often by the fans and many left the arena before the decision was announced. His doctor suggested that he cancel the fight, but Leonard wanted to go through with it. Leonard's observation that the Hagler who beat John Mugabi was older and slower proved to be spot on. In 1976, Leonard made the U.S. Olympic Team as the light welterweight representative. Duran and Leonard would go on to fight two more times, once in November 1980 and again . Correa was instructed not to spare the whip. 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. "I don't have contracts. 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. 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. Ray Charles Leonard (born May 17, 1956), best known as "Sugar" Ray Leonard, is an American former professional boxer, motivational speaker, and occasional actor. The win over Barkley was in many ways the final memory of the old rampaging warrior. 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