Leonard Ray: Sugar-flavored success. Ray Sugar Robinson Leonard Bio and Knockouts Ray Sugar Dick Ackland Score

The period from 1970 to 1980 in world boxing can be safely called the golden era. It was during these years that many great fights took place. Moreover, in many cases, fights formed a real confrontation not only in the square of the ring, but also in life. In this article will be discussed about a man named Leonard Ray - a boxer whose name is forever inscribed in the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Birth

"Sugar" (the nickname of the athlete) was born on May 17, 1956. His birthplace is the city of Rocky Mount, located in the US state. In his family, he was the fifth child in a row. In total, besides him, there were six more children. The future champion spent his childhood in Wilmington.

Amateur career

Leonard Ray began boxing on the advice of his older brother in 1969. He had his first amateur fight in 1972. During his performances as an amateur, the boxer was able to win twice the most prestigious world tournament called the Golden Gloves. This happened in 1973 and 1974. Moreover, in one of the finals, Leonard Ray was able to defeat the future world champion among professionals - Hilmer Kenty.

In 1976, our hero took part in the selection for the Olympics in Montreal. As a result of these fights, the following were defeated: Ronnie Shields (later he became the world welterweight champion), Bruce Curry. At the Olympic Games themselves, Leonard Ray wins "gold", defeating Ulf Karlsson, Valery Limasov, Clinton Mackenzie, Ulrich Bayer, Kazimierz, Shcherba, Andres Aldama on his way.

Turning pro

For the first time in the ring as a professional Sugar Ray Leonard stepped in February 1977. His first mentor at such high level became Angeldo Dundee, who trained Mohamed Ali himself. This turn of events immediately attracted the attention of the public to a young and promising boxer.

First title

At the end of 1979, a duel was organized and held between two undefeated boxers- an ambitious and aggressive challenger, who, you guessed it, is called Sugar Ray Leonard, and the youngest champion in the history of boxing - Wilfred Benitez. The fight was for the WBC welterweight title. As a result, Ray knocked out the champion in the final three minutes.

Confrontation with the Panamanian

After winning the belt, Leonard made only one defense, knocking out Dave Green. And then, six months later, he went into a duel with the best boxer on the planet at that time, regardless of the category. Experts considered the Panamanian to be the favorite. However, bookmakers were of a different opinion. By the way, as for the financial issue, Duran was owed "only" $ 1 million, while Ray received over 7.5 - an amount that no one had ever earned in boxing before him.

Many believed that Ray would try to outbox the experienced and assertive Panamanian. But, as the battle showed, everything turned out to be wrong. Boxer Ray Leonard accepted an invitation to fight "to the bone", which put himself at a very disadvantageous position. Yet Ray put up a real resistance to Duran. And in the end, he lost on points, and with a minimal lag. Ahead of both boxers was waiting for a second fight.

Revenge

The next battle of two magnificent fighters foreshadowed something unusual. Their second meeting was a real event in the boxing world, which turned out to be historical.

During the fight, Sugar was calm and relaxed, which allowed him to completely control the course of the fight. At times, Leonard simply openly mocked the champion. Ray didn't fight Duran this time. He, as they say, boxed - pulled from side to side, dodged, threw out multi-hit combinations, sharply broke the distance, which forced the Panamanian to beat through the air. In addition, Duran was also too exhausted, because before the fight he had a simply monstrous weight loss, losing 17 kilograms. Round after round, Ray increased his advantage. This led to the fact that in the 8th round the Panamanian refused to continue the fight, saying the phrase "No mas" to the sign.

On the top

After that, there were more interesting fights. Ray Leonard in 1983 moved to the first average weight, where he was able to knock out the WBC champion Ayub Kalul. However, Ray still returned to the welterweight category. In the fall of 1983, he met with another champion - Thomas Hearns. This fight allowed Sugar to unify the welterweight belts. During the fight, Ray lost on points, but still managed to knock out Hearns in the 14th round. After this fight, Leonard was diagnosed with vision problems, as a result of which he was forced to leave the sport for 4 years, and then return contrary to the doctors' instructions.

Sugar Ray Leonard, whose fights were always spectacular, continued his winning streak in April 1987, when he won a split decision against him. A year later, he fought light heavyweight Donny Laylound, whom he was able to knock out in the 9th round. Ray finally ended his career as an athlete in 1997, losing to Hector Camacho, moreover, by knockout. This defeat was the first and last early in his career.

Life outside of sports

These days, Leonard pays attention to young athletes, training them. He is also often invited to television. He is writing his autobiography. By the way, in his book "The Big Fight: My Life In and Out of the Ring" Ray wrote some very sensational statements that described him as far from being "sugar". So, by his own admission, he used cocaine, was in a severe car accident in childhood subjected to domestic violence. Without a doubt, the book will be of interest to all boxing fans.

Sugar Ray Leonard is considered by many boxing experts to be the greatest boxer of all time. In this article, you will find out why…

"As soon as I put on the gloves, boxing became my life"

Ray Charles Leonard was born May 17, 1956 in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. His parents, Geta and Cicero Leonard had seven children. The father of the family worked as a supermarket manager, and the mother was a nurse. Geta Leonard named her son after the famous artist Ray Charles, whose work she was madly in love with. Her son also had vocal abilities: Ray sang in church with two sisters, and the parishioners told Goethe that his voice sounded like the rhythm and blues of the famous singer Sam Cooke.

Leonard grew up as a shy child. He often sat at home reading comics and playing with his dog.

"Ray has always been taciturn" his mother says. “We could never guess what he was thinking. But I never had any problems with him. I have never been called to school."

At the age of 14, the teenager became interested in boxing. By the way, his father and older brother also excelled in this sport, but each in his own way. Ray Leonard lived in Palmer, a racially mixed, impoverished suburb of Baltimore. Two local volunteer trainers recognized the guy's natural talent and began to train him. As a fighter, Leonard is already in early years demonstrated skill and grace in the ring. Later, his beautiful style would contrast with the aggressors and sluggers, he fought and outclassed boxers of other styles. In the end, he received the prestigious nickname "Sugar", the same as that of the legendary boxer Ray Robinson, who is considered one of the best boxers of all times.

In Leonard's small body lurked a solid explosive force. The boy could hit hard, but already from his youth he faced pain in his fists.

Sugar's amateur assets include two National Golden Gloves tournaments in the light welterweight division (in 1973 and 1974), three US national tournaments and Golden medal at the Pan American Games in 1975.

FACT: On May 16, 1974, Leonard fought with Anatoly Kamnev in the Soviet Union. Kamnev won by controversial decision. The crowd booed this decision, and Anatoly gave Leonard the championship trophy he had just won. On January 18, 1975, in Las Vegas, Leonard defeated Kamnev on points.

(As a teenager, Leonard was sexually abused by his trainer. Many years later, he described this in his autobiographical book. You can read this story )

The amateur career of our hero was more than successful, Leo made his way to the 1976 Olympic team.

At the Montreal Olympics, Leonard brilliantly defeated each of his rivals, but the main attention of the public was riveted not to him, but to the star from his own team, Howard Davis. Before the final fight, Ray was considered an outsider. He had to share the ring with a Cuban puncher named Andres Aldama.

Leonard interrupted the larger Aldama, acting on the retreat and systematically "discharged" with spectacular bunches of blows. Andres was knocked down in the second round. An amateur duel between an American and a Cuban turned out to be more spectacular than other professional fights. Sugar overcame severe pain in both hands and was awarded a landslide victory by unanimous decision. All fights within Olympic Games Ray Leonard won 5-0. A spectacular path to the finals and Olympic gold brought him recognition from the boxing community.

(Orig. Cov. Date 8/2/76, 2/17/77)
Credit: Neil Leifer
SetNumber: X20678

Record Sugar by the end amateur career: 145-5 (75 KOs).

After winning the Olympics and winning the gold medal, Leonard announced his intention to retire from boxing, claiming that he had fulfilled his dream. Initially, Ray wanted to go to university and become a lawyer, but his plan was crippled by the illness of his father and mother.

By that time, "Leo" himself became a father, his family also needed support. Juanita Wilkinson, the mother of his illegitimate son, filed a paternity suit in an attempt to get Ray to receive food stamps.

All of these circumstances pushed our hero to the decision to earn a living by professional boxing. Ray Leonard worked right away with the right people. He hired former coach Muhammad Ali, and lawyer Mike Trainer, who became his business manager.

“Boxing was the only career option where I didn’t have to start from scratch. I had a good resume"

Early career: Mayweather, Muniz, Ranzani

On February 5, 1977, in his debut fight, Sugar Ray Leonard defeated Luis Vega, a strong boxer from Puerto Rico, by a six-round decision, winning each of them. The first fee of our hero was impressive for a debutant $ 40.044 .

At the very beginning of his career, Leonard performed as part of the first welterweight (up to 63.5 kg), and after a few fights he rose to welterweight. He passed middle-caliber opponents without any problems, gaining experience. At that time, many competitors mentioned that they were impressed primarily by Ray's speed, which they could not cope with. In 1978, Leo knocked out Javier Muniz in the first round. And everything would be fine, but the fight before that, Muniz spent 10 rounds with a lightweight monster - Roberto Duran.

After defeating Muniz, Leonard defeated the brother of now-famous manager Al Haymon named Bobby Haymon. This fight set a record for the attendance of a closed arena in the state of Maryland - 15,272 people came to watch boxing. On July 18, 1978, Ray defeated Dicky Eklund. In the ninth round of this meeting, Sugar slipped, and Eklund boasted for many years after the fight that he knocked him down. Later, he nevertheless admitted that there was no smell of any knockdown there.

Two months later, Leonard goes into battle against Floyd Mayweather ( father of Floyd Mayweather Jr. website). At that time, Sugar Ray was already in the top five of the WBA rating. Mayweather was not even in the top ten, but he was located on the 6th line of the welterweight rating from The Ring.

The larger Floyd started the fight as the first number and was more than active. In addition, he turned out to be a strong guy and skillfully combined attacking actions with defensive ones. Therefore, it was not easy to break through it. Working in response, Mayweather relied on a power punch from the right. The fight turned out to be intense, in the 3rd round Leonard still shocked the opponent. In the last minute of the eighth three-minute period, he knocked down Floyd twice.

Signature shoulder protection ( the Philadelphia shell is a feature of Floyd, and then of his son, which, we note, Leonard himself used well in this fight with Mayweather, and then with Ranzani - approx. website) did not save Mayweather from the exact left side. In the middle of the 10th round, Floyd was again shocked, the referee considered it necessary to stop the fight.

Just a month later, Sugar Ray Leonard defeated top contender Randy Shields, whom he had lost as an amateur at the 1973 AAU tournament. There were no knockdowns in this fight, but in the ninth round our hero accidentally hit the referee Tom Kelly with the left side. He developed a cut above his eye and was replaced by referee Harry Cecchini.

The next appearance of Leo in the ring was less than a month later (in 1978 he had 11 fights in total) and was also marked by a kind of record. The duel came to see 6,500 spectators, which at that time was an unprecedented result for the sparsely populated state of Maine.

On December 9, 1978, Leonard was waiting for a fight with a strong contender Armando Muniz, who had a good amateur background and tried to become a champion four times. By that time, Ray was already a contender for the championship title, but the owner of this very title, Carlos Palomino, was in no hurry to give him a chance.

Muniz went ahead, Sugar Ray Leonard worked on the retreat and knitted a dangerous opponent close. Sugar was faster and more accurate, starting to aggravate already in the first round. In the second segment of the fight, Muniz upped the pace, but still failed to catch on to the fast and agile Leo. From the third round, Armando was able to draw his opponent into the close fuss, and also began to work on the floors. This has brought some success. The second half of the third round was held in a very spectacular exchange of blows.

From the fourth segment of the fight, Sugar Ray Leonard again began to act mainly from a long distance, where he felt more confident. Armando Muniz continued to pursue him and had local successes, but Leo was better. At the end of the sixth round, he shocked Muniz, between the 6th and 7th corner, Armando decided to refuse to continue the fight, citing an injured left hand.

"This is my toughest fight ever. this moment- Ray Leonard.

“Sugar Ray hits very well. If Palomino has any courage, next year he will give him a chance" - Armando Muniz.

On the same day, Leonard's brother and cousin also won victories in their professional path.

In the ring, Sugar Ray Leonard was a boxer with no obvious flaws. He was not a hard puncher, but he had a fairly strong punch. He worked excellently with his front hand, he acted extremely accurately. He analyzed the style of the opponent well and could make adjustments to change the course of the fight in his favor.

The expression "speed kills" is about Leo. It makes no sense to describe his footwork and speed of hands, it must be seen. Sugar struck a series of 6 or more blows in an instant and was famous for his spurts (sharp explosive and high-speed attacks).

His skills, combined with his bright personality and charisma, made Ray a star at a time when the sport needed a new hero. The era of Muhammad Ali was coming to an end, comparisons with the icon of sports were inevitable. Famous sports commentator Howard Kossel even called Leonard "the new Mohammed".

As a charming personality, a bright fighter in the ring and a contender for the title of national hero, Sugar Ray Leonard managed to fill this void. As with Ali, Leonard's fans were divided into two camps: those who loved him, and those who scolded the boxer for his vanity (For some, the nickname "Sugar Ray" seemed the height of arrogance).

Ray himself could do only one thing - to ignore non-ill-wishers and confirm the advances given to him in the ring.

Young Leo and his coach Dundee

Leo won several more victories, including one of them as part of the first middleweight, and in April 1979 he met with another strong contender, Adolfo Viuet. It was his first left-handed opponent.

Ray basically acted as the first number, and Adolfo worked in a reciprocal manner. The duel took place at a low pace, only the endings of the rounds were bright. In the fourth segment of the fight, Virut missed the right straight and was knocked down for the first time in his entire career. At the end of 10 rounds, Sugar Ray Leonard celebrated the victory by unanimous decision.

In May of the same year, he again fought in the first middleweight division. His opponent was former champion Mexico and California State Middleweight Champion Marcos Geraldo. Sugar Ray defeated the much larger Geraldo by decision in a spectacular bout.

“Geraldo hit me and saw three opponents instead of one. I thought "Oh shit" and couldn't tell which one was real. Then he hit me again, and I realized - this is the one in the middle. In this fight, I learned what it takes to endure when you're overwhelmed. In addition, I had to apply all the skills and abilities that I knew, and even those that I did not know. ”

(In 1982, Leonard would be diagnosed with a retinal detachment. In his 2011 biography, The Big Fight, My Life In and Out of the Ring, Ray speculated that this injury may have been related to the fight against Marcos Geraldo - approx. website).

At that point in his career, Leonard was already aiming for fights with WBC champion Wilfred Benitez, as well as Roberto Duran, who had risen from lightweight to welterweight and won victory after victory. However, despite the bright performances of Sugar himself, there was a lot of criticism of him. Basically, he was reproached for the lack of striking power.

27-year-old Ranzani went ahead rapidly from the first seconds, but 23-year-old Leonard “calculated” him already in the middle of the starting three minutes, and began to work hard and accurately in response. The fight was tight, but short-lived. In the middle fourth round Sugar Ray shook the opponent with a straight right. After a brutal finishing off, Ranzani falls and gets up with difficulty. One more finishing, and the referee stops the meeting. For this win, Leo received $150.ooo and his first (albeit minor) title.

A month and a half later, Ray entered the ring with the tough Californian Andy Price, who promised to surprise everyone and defeat Leonard. That evening of boxing was full of star names. Larry Holmes defended the title against Ernie Shavers, and also fought Roberto Duran, Wilfredo Gomez, Jimmy Young. Among all this variety of stars, Leonard managed to stand out by rolling a bright and shortest performance. Already at the end of the first round, he brutally scored Andy Price at the ropes, after which he could not get to his feet for a long time.

On initial stage Sugar Ray Leonard won 25 career victories, 15 of which were knockouts. Now he was facing a fight for a full championship title.

Peak Career Part 1: Benitez and Duran

This very fight took place on November 30, 1979, in Las Vegas. The world champion from Puerto Rico opposed Sugar Ray. For Benitez himself, the meeting with Leo was the second defense of the WBC welterweight title. The Puerto Rican went undefeated and surpassed Sugar in experience, despite being two years younger (at the time of the fight, Benitez was 21 years old).

However, Ray was considered the favorite 3 to 1. On the eve of the fight, Benitez's father and coach wrote an article "Why Wilfred won't beat Leonard", which was published in The Ring in November 1979. There he in every possible way referred to the complete lack of discipline of his brilliant offspring.

Here comes the moment of truth. Two similar fighters met in the ring - fast, talented and trained. As Ray later recalled: “In this fight, it was like looking into a mirror”. Sugar wisely used his advantage in the length of his arms (his reach is 10 cm more than the span of Benitez's arms).

And with an annoying jab, and just a power, but constant blows with his front hand, Leonard managed to tie right hand Puerto Rican defense genius. He was forced to keep his far glove at his chin all the time. In addition, Sugar was not inferior to Benitez in speed, and his tactics for the fight were much more successful (at least they were). At the end of the third segment, Ray sent the opponent to a light knockdown quick blow left. From the fourth round, Benitez began to literally box like a blueprint just like his opponent.

Most of the fight took place in the center of the ring. Leonard continued to rip the champion apart with false movements, but both boxers missed a lot in their attacks. In the sixth round, during a mutual clash of heads, a cut opened on Wilfred's forehead. In an exchange-packed (compared to all other rounds) 11th, Leo shocked Benitez. The 15th segment of the battle took place on a collision course and turned out to be very brutal.

30 seconds before its completion, Wilfred Benitez was knocked down. After a short finish, just 6 seconds before the end of the fight, the referee stopped the meeting. The stop looked premature * , but there was absolutely no doubt about Sugar's victory. He confidently dealt with one of the best boxers in the world at the time and, as time will tell, one of the greatest fighters of all time.

(* Possible but, the early stoppage of the fight was due to the death of Willy Klassen, who died two days earlier from injuries sustained in the fight with Wilford Scipio).

"Leonard - Benitez"

“From a technical point of view, this fight showed so much that I have not seen for a very long time” Ray's coach said Angelo Dundee.

"No one has ever made me miss that much" —

"At the moment, Sugar Ray is best boxer peace. I was happy with this fight, he is a good opponent and will be a worthy champion.” — Benitez .

Wilfred received a fee of $1.2 million, and Ray received $1 million. At that time, it was highest paid fight two boxers who compete in a non-heavyweight division.

In his first title defense, Sugar knocked down Dave Boy Green with a great left side in the fourth round. Next, Ray faced a dangerous challenge in the face of the previously mentioned Roberto Duran. The Panamanian, who came from lightweight, at that time managed to win many victories in the welterweight division, including over ex-champion Carlos Palomino.

Duran wasn't just a good fighter, he was a hell of a fighter. At the time of the meeting with Leonard, this Panamanian had more than 70 professional fights and was defeated in only one, having rematched twice. Roberto was the epitome of Latin American machismo. Difficult childhood, street fighting, ruthless, fearless, courageous and trained fighter with a heavy punch. This image, associated with primal aggression, was the opposite of the smart, handsome, and graceful Leonard.

Two famous promoters - Bob Arum and Don King organized this event together. The fight took place on June 20, 1980 in Montreal, Canada, the same one where Ray Leonard took four years earlier. Olympic gold. He was considered the favorite 9 to 5. Duran's fee was tentatively estimated at $ 1.5 million - before that he had never received a larger sum. Leonard is estimated to have earned between $7.5 million and $10 million per fight.

Before the fight, Duran said that he studied the opponent as thoroughly as he studied his shadow, and stated that he was ready for anything. Leonard reservedly spoke of Roberto as a man to be feared.

In the opening round, Duran indicated his intention to work close. Leo acted in response. In the middle of the second segment of the fight, Roberto shook the American with his left side. The Panamanian sought to put the opponent to the ropes in order to take a frontal position and work power strikes from both hands. And, I must say, he successfully succeeded.

Yes, and Leonard himself was not against the fight on a collision course. Even in the third round, it became clear that he did not intend to box from a distance, holding the opponent at arm's length. Sugar took a power fight, and therefore the meeting was full of exchanges, permanent aggression and anger, for which she was nicknamed the "Massacre in Montreal". Most of the time, Ray spent close to the ropes with his back.

Roberto Duran won by unanimous decision at the end of the close fight. On average, he dealt 61 blow per round, but the target had to - 21 . Sugar dealt an average of 50 strokes per round, of which the target had 18 . More than 46,000 people watched the fight live.

“He is the best I have fought. He surprised me a couple of times, but I wasn't in a bad position. Leonard just had to be well prepared because he fought me." — Roberto Duran.

“I told you I wouldn’t run from Duran. I didn't have any options. People wondered if I could withstand a strong blow. I showed that I can. You have to give credit to Roberto, he's the toughest guy I've ever fought."

“The battle in Montreal was not a boxing match. It was Street fight. I didn't use my skills. He was just determined to stand his ground and trade blows with Duran. I don't like his manner. He acts like he owns the world."

“After round 14, I knew he took this fight. I felt that I gave everything one hundred percent, but I led the fight incorrectly. Emotional devastation - that's what I felt. My family and friends were crying. Everyone was crying, but not me."— .

"Leonard - Duran 1"

The pride of our hero cost him zero in the defeat column. Five months later, the fighters held a rematch, which Sugar insisted on. Despite the result of the first fight, Leonard was a slight favorite. According to the statements of the Panamanian's manager and translator, Roberto Duran had serious weight problems before the second fight.

For this fight, Leonard, who normally wears red, white and blue, opted for black shorts and boxers. The fight was very different from the first. Sugar was constantly on the move, tugging at his opponent and quickly attacking from the move and back. Roberto was successful in episodes, but for the most part he couldn't get a hold of Ray. In the seventh round, Leonard began to tease his counterpart.

With 30 seconds remaining in the eighth three-minute period, Duran refused to continue the fight. According to referee Octavio Meyran, he said to the Panamanian in Spanish "fight!" but he answered "No mas", which means "enough". This phrase will forever be associated with his wonderful sports career. The scandalous situation immediately overgrown with many versions.

“I was just as puzzled as everyone else, just shocked. I thought it was a ploy, I thought he wanted to pretend that he was refusing to continue, and then hit me, taking me by surprise.

Duran himself documentary ESPN said he didn't say the words "No mas", which the commentator supposedly came up with. Roberto himself referred to stomach problems, saying that on the eve of the fight he ate hot food and washed down with cold juice. According to him, he wanted to refuse to continue in the fifth round.

Roberto's manager Carlos Eleta believed that it was Leonard's manner in the ring that confused Duran and forced him to refuse to continue the fight. This version has found the most adherents. Eleta also claimed that after the fight on the way to the hospital, Duran repented, saying that he was ashamed of his act, and that he should not have "give up."

The day after the incident, Roberto was fined $7,500 by the athletic commission. Duran's comprehensive physical examination revealed no major abnormalities. He stated that he was retiring from boxing and no longer wanted to fight.

“I did everything as I said and forced him to surrender. Doing this with Roberto Duran is even better than knocking him out."

“The same thing happened to me, it’s terrible. I had thousands of fighters and no one ever gave up. I think what this guy needs most is psychiatric help. What about him? He was a fighter. If someone had told me that Roberto Duran might give up, I would never have believed it." Duran's trainer Ray Arcel.

"Leonard - Duran 2"

In the same 1980, Leonard married Juanita Wilkinson, the mother of his son, and began to defend the title. In 1981, he aggressively defeated the third southpaw of his career, Larry Bonds.

Peak Career Part 2: Kalule and Hearns

On June 25, 1981, Sugar Ray Leonard fought in the first middleweight division against WBA champion Ayub Kalule. Champion was originally from Uganda but lived in Denmark. At that time, he spent four belt defenses and had no defeats.

Promoter Bob Arum, who agreed to promote the event at the urging of Leonard's manager, Mike Trainer, called it "stupid". Even then, Sugar was scheduled to fight WBA welterweight champion Thomas Hearns, who boxed on the same evening as Leo and Kalule. But Arum was sure that Kalule would defeat Ray and undermine his reputation.

Leonard, 25, entered the ring in black shorts with a yellow snake on his right side. Before the fight, he studied Ugandan culture and learned that Ugandan witch healers are afraid of black and afraid of snakes.

Ray did not give to the African left-hander ( by nature, Kalule is right-handed, but he boxed in a left-handed stance - approx. website) ring space. He acted towards, trying once again not to get close to the tough African, and more often was in a more advantageous position for striking, standing behind the opponent's front leg. Kalule pressed Sugar and alternated blows on the floors.

In the fourth segment of the competitive fight, Leo went ahead, it seemed that he was investing in every blow. He managed to slightly shock the opponent and give the fans an extremely bright ending to the round. In the closing seconds of an exciting ninth round, Ray Leonard sent Kalula to the floor. He got up, but the referee decided to stop the meeting. After, the African admitted that he himself asked the arbitrator to intervene. Well, Sugar, celebrating the victory, performed a back flip right within the ring.

It's time to take on WBA champion Thomas Hearns for the undisputed welterweight title. Tall, long-armed and dry, Tommy knocked out everyone right and left. Two weeks before the fight, Hearns completely broke the jaw of sparring partner Marlon Starling with his right hand, who as a result had to postpone his own fight.

At bookmakers, Leonard first opened as a small favorite, but closer to the date of the fight, he was already in the status of an underdog. The fight took place on September 16, 1981 and was widely broadcast around the world.

“This fight cannot be won by skill alone. Here, the one who has a stronger desire to win will achieve victory.

Hearns quickly worked with his front hand and instantly found the right distance. Leonard moved a lot at the beginning of the fight, avoiding the vast majority of his opponent's attacks. He could only work in response in the middle of the second round. In the third segment, Sugar began to act more successfully, occasionally intercepting the opponent's attacks. Hearns connected blows to the torso, the beginning of the meeting was definitely behind him.

The second half of the sixth round went in a spectacular exchange of blows, during which Ray Leonard managed to shock Thomas. From that moment on, Leo increasingly began to aggravate. In the seventh round, he again shook the opponent. Now Sugar had the initiative and was better in the middle rounds. However, during the same period, a hematoma began to close his left eye. In rounds 10-11, Thomas Hearns seized the initiative again. To win this fight, Ray had to either knock out an opponent or knock him down several times.

In the middle of the 13th round, Sugar managed to stagger Hearns with a right hand. He went for finishing moves and sent the opponent under the ropes. The referee did not consider it a knockdown. Another finisher from Ray, Hearns hung on the ropes, but he was saved by a gong. In the 14th segment of the fight, Leonard, like a predator, continued to look for opportunities for a knockout. In the middle of the round, he found it, again shocking Thomas with a right hand. Shortly after a few punctuated shots from Ray, the referee stops the fight. The situation seemed to be a stalemate, but the concept of "surrender" was simply not in Sugar's vocabulary.

At that point, Hearns had a serious lead on all three judges' scorecards. Sugar Ray Leonard did what only a great fighter could do - find a solution in the worst situation and get the victory over a real welterweight monster. Ray Leonard became absolute champion world, and his duel with Thomas Hearns was named "Fight of the Year 1981" according to The Ring. Later, in 1996, he will take 9th place in the list of "The Greatest Fights of All Time".

In total, including royalties and percentages from sales, Sugar Ray received more than $11 million for the fight, and Hearns about $8 million. The total income from pay-per-view purchases (PPV) alone amounted to $7.5 million.

Later, in the 2011 biography I already mentioned, Leonard admitted that two weeks before the fight, sparring partner Odell Hadley accidentally hit his left eye with an elbow. The next morning, the eye began to swell and there was talk of postponing the fight, but nothing happened.

Sugar Ray Leonard knocks out Hearns. (Photo by John Iacono/Sports Illustrated/Getty Images) (SetNumber: X26024 TK1 R13 F3)

“I have proven that I am the best welterweight in the world. This fight covers all my professional achievements.”

Hearns trainer Emanuel Steward agreed that the stoppage was more than fair.

With Benitez, Duran, Kalule and Hearns, Sugar Ray met in a very short period from November 1979 to September 1981. The total record of these fighters at the time of the meeting with him is 177-1-1 .

Health problems and retirement:

In February 1982, Leonard made a title defense against North American champion Bruce Finch in Reno, Nevada. It was the first championship fight held in this town since the confrontation between Jack Johnson and James Jeffries in 1910. Sugar won an early victory, sending his opponent to the canvas several times.

A bout against Roger Stafford was then scheduled, but during training, Leonard increasingly had vision problems and spots. As a result, Ray found left eye retinal detachment. After a successful operation, Sugar Ray Leonard decides to end his career, which he announces on November 9, 1982.

One hundred percent recognition, the largest bank accounts and a guaranteed job in the field of boxing television broadcasting - Sugar had everything, and he had no reason to return to the ring. Except for one thing - the champion, hungry for victories, saw no charm in a well-fed life without risk.

“I retired from boxing at 26, but I knew that I was not finished as a fighter yet. This feeling burned me from the inside, devoured me every single day.

Eventually, Ray's ego got over his fear of losing his sight. On December 10, 1983, Leonard announced his return to the ring. Ten days later, there were rumors about his duel with a middle-caliber fighter from Pennsylvania - Kevin Howard. A month later, this was officially announced. Sugar Ray said that he intends to regain his welterweight title, and in 2-3 years to meet with the undisputed middleweight champion - Marvin Hagler.

(*At that time, the middleweight champion was a very talented fighter - "Amazing" Marvin Hagler, who had excellent technical skills, a powerful punch, and a rather sullen disposition. The meeting between Leonard and Hagler seemed inevitable and was widely discussed in boxing circles even then.).

Leonard was closely examined and, despite some problems with his other, right eye, he was still given a boxing license. Sugar himself insisted that in the fight with Howard, both had special gloves with a hidden thumb in order to reduce the risk to the eyes.

The meeting took place on May 11, 1984. The fight was attended by Marvin Hagler, whom Ray asked to come and paid for the ticket himself.

Howard fought aggressively, pulled Leo and tried to get on close range. Leonard mostly tried to act from afar in response. With 30 seconds remaining in the 4th round, Howard managed to catch the opponent with an accurate right hand to the jaw right after Sugar landed the jab. Ray fell, it was first knockdown of his career.

Kevin Howard consistently hit right in response, the fight turned out to be competitive. In the ninth round, Ray staggered the opponent with his left side. After a long series of blows, the referee stops the fight. Sugar won, but was so disappointed with his performance that he again announced his retirement at the post-match press conference:

“At the moment I am retired. There is no point in deceiving yourself or anyone else. I was afraid for my health, there is no point in continuing to dishonor myself.”

During his periods of inactivity, Leonard took a job as a boxing commentator for the cable television network HBO. In addition, he also launched a television network in his name from Maryland, which showed news, interviews and fights around the clock.

Sugar Ray Leonard, right, fight Kevin Howard, left, (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)

"I wanted to fight monsters"

In 1986, the boxing world learned that Leonard was starting to train again and was seriously considering a meeting with. By the way, at that time, the middleweight king defeated Duran, brutally knocked out Hearns and beat every top middleweight who decided to encroach on his titles. It was in connection with this that many observers believed that the ruthless Hagler could easily cope with Leonard, who had not entered the ring for three years, and had only fought once in the previous 5 years.

“Michael J Foxx and I attended the fight between Hagler and John Mugabi. We sat and drank beer, and while watching the fight, I told Michael that I could beat Hagler. Michael replied, "Ray, would you like another beer?" I said "Yes, but I can still beat Marvin"

Their mentalities were as different as the path to titles. For the first fight as a pro, Hagler received $50, Leo - 40,000. It took Marvin more than 50 fights to become a champion, Sugar - 26. They were like fire and water in everything. Bright, open, charming Ray Leonard against restrained, reserved and brutal Hagler.

The long-awaited fight was scheduled for April 6, 1987. In terms of its scale at that time, the event was simply grandiose. Leonard agreed on the condition that Hagler receive a larger fee (total Marvin earned about $20 million, Ray about $12 million), and Marvelous allowed Sugar to choose gloves, the number of rounds and the size of the ring.

Of Hagler's three titles, only the WBC middleweight title was on the line. The WBA stripped him of his title for failing to face mandatory contender Erol Graham, while the IBF simply refused to sanction the fight, announcing that if Leonard won, the title would be vacant.

"This fight puts Leonard's vision and life in jeopardy, as well as the reputation of any commission that approves it."- said the famous sports doctor and boxing commentator Ferdy Pacheco.

The anxiety was not accidental. Marvin Hagler was the best boxer in the world regardless of weight category according to KO Magazine. In a UPI poll, 18 out of 21 boxing journalists bet on Hagler to win, and only three chose Sugar. On the eve of the fight, Marvin was considered a 3-to-1 favorite.

Only the lazy did not dissuade Ray from this adventurous undertaking. Against Sugar dating Marvin were his friends and wife, all close people were afraid that Leonard might go blind or suffer severe beatings. Few believed in the boxer, except for himself.

The moment of truth has come. Hagler went ahead. Leo tried not to stagnate in front of him: he struck a blow - he moved. Marvin pays attention to work on the opponent's torso and already in the first round he changes his stances from right-handed to left-handed. In the 3rd round, Sugar begins to act differently, hit - stuck to the opponent. In the fourth, Hagler upped the tempo and again got left-handed (at the beginning of the fight, the left-handed stance brought him more success). Despite this, the start of the battle for Leonard.

In the middle rounds, Marvin Hagler found the right pace and more and more overtook the opponent, forcing him to go to the exchange. After the first six rounds of the fight, Sugar's punching accuracy was 50%. The middle of the fight was almost outright for the champion. From the eighth round, Leonard again began to move a lot, stopping only to land a short series of blows. The ninth three-minute period turned out to be dramatic and bright, Ray barely made it to the end. The end of the fight was his with a slight advantage.

Sugar Ray Leonard won a split decision after twelve rounds of a high-class and exciting fight. He got to the point 306 out of 629 hits(49%), and Hagler - 291 of 792(37%). Their fight was named "Fight of the Year 1987" and "Apset of the Year", and later "Apset of the Decade".

The referee's decision gave rise to heated discussions among the near-boxing media. Hagler himself did not agree with the official verdict, and various publications kept putting up their own score, giving the victory to one or the other, but everyone agreed on one thing - the fight was close.

"Leonard - Hagler"

Later, it became known that during his downtime in the 80s, Ray began to use cocaine and alcohol as substitutes for adrenaline, in search of new sensations. Leonard admitted that he used cocaine from 1984 to 1989. This caused irreparable damage to his marriage, with his first wife Juanita leaving him in 1990.

Donnie Lalonde and rematch with Tommy Hearns

Despite another promise to end his career, Sugar returned to the ring a year and a half after the fight with Hagler. His opponent was Canadian Donny Lalonde, who was on a good winning streak and also held the WBC light heavyweight title. It is worth saying that another belt was at stake in this fight - the vacant WBC in the new weight category - super middleweight. ( The fighters fought in the limit of the super middle division - approx. website). Sugar was considered the favorite.

The fight took place on November 7, 1988. It was widely publicized, and Leonard's fee was at least $15 million. It was also Sugar's first fight. without reputable mentor Angelo Dundee in his corner. Dundee was outraged by the low fee received for the fight with Hagler, as a result of which the famous and mega-successful duo "trainer-fighter" broke up. Ray's corner was now commanded by Jenks Morton.

Despite the solid fee and titles in two divisions, there was a corresponding risk for Sugar. The powerful Donny Lalonde was 10 cm taller. He took the center of the ring and actively used his front hand. Sugar circled around the opponent, looking for an opportunity for a quick spurt in attack, and from the first round he began to hit with emphasis.

In the middle of the fourth round, Ray missed a counter right hand in upper part heads and ended up on the floor of the ring. In the same round, a cut opened on the bridge of his nose. In the course of development, the duel became more and more intense and exciting. At the end of the fifth segment of the fight, Sugar shook the enemy with his right side.

As in the fight with Hagler, Leonard was clearly tired by the eighth round. In the middle of the ninth, Lalonde shocked him and went for finishing moves, but Ray survived and managed to seize the initiative. After 20 seconds, he sent the opponent to the floor. Lalonde gets up. A short finishing move from Sugar - Donnie falls on his back and cannot recover for a long time, his face covered in blood.

At the end of 9 rounds, Ray reported to the goal 205 out of 382 strokes (54%), and Lalonde - 122 out of 508(24%). Leonard became the second boxer in history (after Thomas Hearns) to win titles in five weight divisions.

“When I step into the ring, something happens to me. All the motivation I need is competition, a competitive moment. People think I'm motivated by attention, money, my ego. But I just love competition, I love to compete and win.”(c) Sugar Ray Leonard.

After defeating Lalonde, Ray vacated the light heavyweight title and met in a unification fight with Thomas Hearns, who also won the WBO belt in the super middleweight division in his last fight.

However, Leonard refused to let Tommy's title be on the line because of the WBO's involvement in apartheid in South Africa. And if Leonard has not lost since their first meeting, then Hearns managed, in addition to many significant victories, to suffer two early defeats from middleweights Marvin Hagler and Airen Barkley.

Sugar was considered the favorite 3 to 1. Leo's guaranteed fee was $ 13 million, Thomas - $ 11 million. One of Ray's conditions was a fine for a fighter who would weigh more than 74.4 kg at the official weigh-in.

At a pre-fight press conference, Hearns' coach and manager Emanuel Steward accused Leonard of taking steroids, to which Leonard laughed and offered to take a doping test. ( At that time, the Nevada State Athletic Commission only took urine tests immediately before the fight - approx. website).

The rematch of 33-year-old Sugar and 30-year-old Hitman took place on June 12, 1989. Ray went to the fight in red and white shorts with the inscription AMANDLA. This Zulu word means "Power" and was often used in anti-apartheid demonstrations. Such an act of Leonard was connected with the fact that on the same day was the 25th anniversary of the imprisonment of Nelson Mandela for an anti-government conspiracy.

As in their first meeting, Hearns started the fight as number one, throwing straight punches. Leonard worked back, focusing on his opponent's body and single right hand strikes that brought him results in the first fight. In the middle of the third round, he was counted down by a knockdown, but on the replay it became clear that the blow fell on the back of the head when Sugar Ray went down, performing a protective element.

In the fifth round, Leo managed to shock the opponent, but Hitman held out under a protracted flurry of blows. From the middle of the fight, Ray clearly looks charged for a knockout punch (mostly left side). In the second half of the fight, Hearns acted more effectively. At the beginning of the eleventh segment of the fight, Thomas knocked down his opponent again, this time quite legitimately. In the last three minutes, Leonard went for broke, realizing the need to knock out his opponent, and even shocked Thomas.

According to the results of twelve rounds of a competitive fight, the judges declared a draw. The decision was booed by the crowd, with most feeling that Hearns had done enough to win. Many years later, Ray Leonard admits that he lost the second fight to Thomas. However, none of the fighters complained. Directly at the post-match press conference, both warriors referred to the fact that "this is the decision of the judges and they know better."

After, more than once they tried to organize a third fight between Leonard and Hearns, but in the end they could not agree on the issue of the weight limit.

"Leonard - Hearns 2"

The final stage of a career

Six months after the rematch with Hitman, Leo meets in the third fight with Roberto Duran. The Panamanian eight months earlier scored a surprise victory over Airen Barkley in the middleweight division. However, the fight with Leo took place at a catchweight of 162 pounds (up to 73.5 kg). Sugar was the favorite.

The event took place in an open arena on a cold night. For the most part, the whole action took place in the center of the ring and resembled a competition in speed and accuracy, where Leonard was better. He allowed himself to flaunt a lot over his opponent and systematically hit with a right straight from a long distance.

All in all, Ray was more than successful in taking down a fight in which Duran has a hard time giving up more than two rounds. The sixth segment of the battle turned out to be bright. During the fight, Sugar received three cuts and $15 million, becoming the first boxer in history to earn more than $100 million in a career.

After the fight, Leonard retired from boxing again. But a little over a year later, at the age of 34, he returned. Of course, for the chance to become a champion again, but in the first middleweight. This very chance was provided by the young WBC champion Terry Norris. Sugar, who was almost 11 years older than his opponent, was considered a 12 to 5 favorite.

In combat, Norris was more accurate, especially with his front hand. He neutralized the opponent's jab by knocking, blocking or moving away from him. At the end of the second round, Leo missed the left hook and ended up on the floor. Norris, in his usual manner, added a right hand to an opponent already flying to the canvas. At the beginning of the third round, Sugar Ray was shocked.

Leonard had local successes, but Terry was better than him in everything. At the end of the sixth round, Ray accidentally hit the referee, and at the end of the seventh he again fell into a knockdown. Sugar continued to take a lot of damage, but still went ahead and looked for his chance. The chance did not present itself, Norris won a resounding victory. After the fight, Leo announced right in the ring that this was his last appearance in the ring. As for Norris, he will make many more title defenses and become one of the greatest fighters in the history of the first middle division.

“It was a sad victory. Ray is my idol and I beat him up" — Terry Norris.

“He was fast and smart. Norris is a young Sugar Ray Leonard. If he continues like this, he will dominate for a very long time.” — .

Despite the promise, the next return to the ring still took place after more than six years. His opponent was the famous ex-champion Hector Camacho. Camacho was also far from being at the peak of his career, but still in best form than 40-year-old Sugar.

"I'm not like the others, I can return" -

"This is your last return, I guarantee you" — Hector Camacho.

Throughout the fight, Camacho looked better than Leonard, and at the beginning of the fifth round he sent him to the canvas. After finishing, the referee stopped the fight. Until 1998, Leonard had several fights scheduled in turn, all of which fell through. He never returned to the ring.

Life outside the ring, legacy

In his 60s, Ray Leonard is in excellent shape. He has appeared in many films and television shows. He starred in commercials, sponsored a research foundation that was looking for a cure for diabetes. Leonard has given a number of motivational speeches for children and teenagers. He now has four children and lives in California with his second wife, Bernadette.

Sugar Ray Leonard was named Fighter of the Decade at the most competitive time in history professional boxing— 1980s. He was repeatedly recognized as the boxer of the year according to various publications, became the world champion in five weight categories and is rightfully one of the greatest fighters in the world. long years existence of professional boxing.

He dominated the most competitive middleweight era. He never felt it necessary to sign an agreement with the two promoters who ruled boxing, Don King and Bob Arum. Ray remained an independent agent who made his own career, keeping himself clean from the sport's ever-present corruption. However, he couldn't avoid one mistake that casts a shadow over the careers of many great fighters: He couldn't resist the lure of "one more fight."

Sugar Ray can be safely called a symbol of an entire era, a symbol of the struggle with oneself. The person who could not live without challenges

November 30, 1979 in Las Vegas and New Orleans began simultaneously new era in the history of professional boxing, which lasted ten years and became an integral part of boxing folklore. For the first time in modern history (yes, by and large, and for the first time in general - except for brief 2-3-year periods), boxing has “left” for a long time from heavy weight, moving to lighter, but much brighter weight categories. He would not return to the heavyweights until the second half of the 80s, to the full extent - until the first half of the 90s. He won't be back until - after his magical middleweight voyage - his loyal fans return.

About the five outstanding masters who created the basis for the new world order and built it on their fists, . Now the real pulp begins - their mutual confrontation. Although the champions fought like epic heroes all these ten years, the era itself can be divided into several shorter “eras”, clearly distinguished and separated from each other.

1. Sugar Ray Leonard (USA, 25-0, 16 KOs) – Wilfrid Benitez (Puerto Rico, 38-0-1, 25 KOs) – November 30, 1979 Las Vegas for WBC Welterweight

Leonard approached this fight as a clear favorite (3/1), which was quite unexpected for many experts. Benitez was a two-time reigning champion world and, almost universally recognized, one of the best defensive boxers on the planet.

Sugar Ray, of course, was also “not Papa Carla shaved”, as my good friend says - nevertheless Olympic champion and, unequivocally, the best boxer of that team. But for all his talent, for all the ease with which he crushed his opponents, it still seemed that Leonard might not have enough experience. It was impossible to buy it on contenders and blown away ex-champions, because "Sugar" compensated for quality with quantity: for example, in 1979, he fought eight more before the title fight, winning six ahead of schedule.

Benitez, on the other hand, did not differ diligently in preparation. So much so that his father and part-time coach Gregorio Sr. went to the press under the heading “Why Benitez will lose”, saying literally the following: “He doesn’t listen to me at all, he doesn’t hear a single word of mine. It can be found anywhere - just not in the hall. Even if I get paid $200,000, I won’t second him.” But before the fight it was his father who was in Wilfrid’s corner.

And it's not to say that Benitez boxed badly - no, it's good. But still, from the very first round it became clear that the bookmakers were right. Leonard acted in an attacking manner, but not forgetting about precautions - in other words, he played with White in this truly chess game. He could afford it, because he was not inferior to Benitez either in speed or in reflexes, but he greatly surpassed him in striking power and, more importantly, in schooling: Wilfrid, despite all his excellent defense, was still by nature an intuitive - and Leonard complemented intuition with skill. As a result, a pure techie lost to a techie with bricks in his fists.

Ray's advantage grew gradually, but already in the third round he managed to send Benitez to the floor for the first time: the "flash" happened after the left jab. Benitez responded with an onslaught in the 5th round and hit Ray well with his right a couple of times, but already in the 6th he had a strong cut above his right eyebrow, actually on his forehead, which did not add to his confidence in his abilities.

Leonard was simply better while Benitez was trying but losing the fight. Both of them hit, but Leonard was a little more often and noticeably stronger. Ray smeared a lot - almost more often than in any other fight - what to do if you are fighting with a radar - but he also hit a lot. By the end of the fight, Leonard's advantage began to grow, although the judges' cards turned out (it turned out incorrectly) that the gap was small (137-130, 137-133, 136-134 after 14 rounds). In the very ending, he sent the Puerto Rican to the floor with a left hook. He got up, but the Filipino referee Carlos Padilla stopped the fight almost immediately. Then they blew on the water - a week before, after the fight with Wilford Scipio, Willy Klaassen died. So Leonard became the champion and the best boxer in 1979.

2. Roberto Duran (Panama, 71-1, 56 KOs) - Sugar Ray Leonard (USA, 27-0, 18 KOs) - June 20, 1980 Montreal for WBC Welterweight

After winning the title, Sugar Ray made one belt defense (knocking out Dave Green) and just six months after winning his title, he went into battle with Roberto Duran, the best boxer on the planet, regardless of weight at that time and regardless of the moment. Despite the fact that it was Duran who was the favorite among the experts (but not among the bookmakers), he was owed "only" $ 1.5 million - by the way, obviously the largest fee in his career. Leonard, after all the calculations, received more than 7.5 million for this fight - no one ever earned so much in boxing before him.

It was assumed that Ray would be able to outbox the skilled, but aggressor, due to pure talent and "physics". Moreover, for Duran, this fight was the first title fight in the new weight after jumping through the weight. However, Leonard did not look for easy ways: just as in the duel with Benitez he tried (and was able) to outbox and crush the finishing player, so here the American decided to outplay the opponent in his own game. Against Duran, this meant cutting, and only a madman could cut with a Panamanian.

Before the fight, New York Times columnist Dave Anderson asked Joe Frazier, who was sitting next to him, whom Duran reminded him of. The question was asked with the expectation that Joe would be led and began to compare the Panamanian with himself. " On Charles Manson Fraser replied.

Duran fought like a psycho, he gave his all to the fight. His drive and passion contrasted nicely with the sophistication and calmness of Leonard. By agreeing to fight "to the bone", the latter put himself in a deliberately losing position. However, Leonard gave Duran a real fight. Just a little was not enough: on the cards of the judges, Leonard (thrown a little less and got a little less) lost a point, a point and two more, and some even considered him the winner. He has proven a lot. But not everyone appreciated it. Here is what the legendary Angelo Dundee had to say:

“You should never fight to suit your opponent's strong side. You have to soften, take away his strengths, and Ray didn't. He tried to overpower (literally) this guy. Duran was Duran and Ray danced to his tune."

3. Sugar Ray Leonard (USA, 27-1, 18 KOs) – Roberto Duran (Panama, 72-1, 56 KOs) – Nov. 25, 1980 New Orleans for WBC Welterweight

A correction was needed, because something caused the failure. Leonard, who managed his own affairs, felt that the extra ("weakest") link was Dave Jacobs, who had coached him from his teenage days through the Montreal gold to the championship title. First, he was against an immediate rematch, arguing that Ray needed a couple of recovery fights. Secondly, Leonard rightly considered that Jacobs blew the first fight with one wicket for the legendary 82-year-old coach-patriarch of Duran Ray Arcel, who entered the elite even before the war and worked with guys like Max Baer, James Braddock and Georges Carpentier. The sole responsibility for the preparation of Leonard was another legendary coach - Angelo Dundee.

The fight, like the first one, turned out to be an Event in the world of boxing. Duran got eight million for him, Leonard seven. The hall was pushed to the limit, thanks to "Amerika the Beautiful!" performed by Ray Charles himself. The fight itself showed that no correction was needed at all - only the one that was in the head of the ex-champion.

Proving to myself own strength, Ray began to box in a relaxed way to win and have fun. As they like to say, "revenge is a dish served cold." Leonard's calmness and playfulness gradually turned into outright mockery of a helpless opponent. Now Ray did not fight with Roberto, he boxed with him - pulled, went in all directions, fired machine-gun bursts and went to the distance, forcing the Panamanian to catch air. The monstrous weight loss did not add to Duran's joy either - it was rumored that he showed up in the hall with an overweight of 17 kilograms relative to his combat weight.

After a short "success" in the 5th round, Duran again began to get nuts in the 6th. In the 7th, Leonard imitated a bolo, while he, meanwhile, poked the opponent with a jab - in the best traditions of Emmanuel Augustus' "Drunken Master". In the 8th, things got worse, and Roberto's pride could not stand it - he said THIS.

In fact, Duran split his career into "Before" and "After". And the way he spent the notorious "after", how the main macho of world boxing was able to return to the top after this universal shame - only added color to his legend, making it more human. What is there! The episode itself became a legend . But then it all sounded different.

Roberto Duran: “I'm leaving boxing right now! I don't want to fight anymore!"

Ray Arcel: “Here it is… Survived… It's terrible. I have worked with thousands of boxers and no one has given up like that. I think this guy needs a psychiatrist more than anyone else."

So Leonard became the world's No. 1 boxer.

4. Sugar Ray Leonard (USA, 30-1, 21 KOs) – Thomas Hearns (USA, 32-0, 30 KOs) – September 16, 1981 Las Vegas for WBC/WBA Welterweight

But there was also Thomas Hearns, moving along a course parallel to Leonard's. On the same day that Ray defeated Benitez, in New Orleans, Hearns defeated Mike Colbert on points, knocking him down 4 times. In the next 8 fights, his opponents did not hear the final gong: 4 times before the title fight (including ex-world champions Angel Espada and Eddie Gazo), 4 after the knockout victory over the longtime WBA champion Pipino Cuevas, including herself.

Ray also did not waste time, first warming up on Larry Bonds, and then going for the title in the first middleweight and defeating the strong WBA champion Ayub Kalule there. But the main fight was waiting for Leonard in his weight.

The fight with Hearns is undoubtedly the peak of Leonard's early career and, at the same time, one of the three peak fights of this era. This was the first time Leonard had fought a fighter who was bigger than him, slightly inferior in technique, and hit even harder, all at once. For the first time in his career, Leonard was an underdog at the bookies. Having started as a favorite (8 to 5), he became an underdog closer to the fight (7 to 5).

And, I must say, the fight justified the forecasts of those who bet on Hearns. Tall, active, he drove Leonard around the ring for the first five rounds. Hearns did not hit cleanly, but he was more active and pressed the opponent, and Leonard acted too defensively. “Kick him in the belly!” urged Ray Dundee, and as soon as he obeyed, things went uphill. But by the 8th round, Hearns had a second wind, and now he was already hitting Leonard in a serious way. And beat him for several rounds. Leonard began to give up, hematomas began to close his eyes.

"You're blowing this fight, son," Dundee stated after the 12th round. Hearns was so far ahead on points that only a knockout could have saved Leonard. And being great, if not one of the greatest (those that must be counted on the fingers of one hand), Ray was able to do it! In the 13th, he finally got to Tommy and he got stormy. A couple of falls didn't even count as knockdowns, but in the end, the referee had to give a count. Hearns barely finished the 13th round, but in the 14th Leonard finally and irrevocably broke him.

On that, in fact, the era of Leonard came to an end, but then no one knew about it. He would fight again, knocking out Bruce Finch, but in May 1982, during a medical examination shortly before the fight with Drew Stafford, doctors discovered that Leonard had a retinal detachment. We know from the story of Orzubek Nazarov what it can lead to. Ray was within his rights to play it safe, and he did just that by announcing his retirement. As it seemed then - forever ...

His era continued without him and lasted another year while Wilfrid Benitez fought.

5. Wilfrid Benitez (Puerto Rico, 43-1-1, 28 KOs) - Roberto Duran (Panama, 74-2, 56 KOs) - January 30, 1982 Las Vegas for WBC Light Middleweight

After his defeat by Leonard, Duran, contrary to his words, did not retire from boxing, but took a long (10 months) break from performances. Having won two walk-through fights on points, he went to the new WBC champion in his third weight.

The third weight was for the Puerto Rican. His resource, for nothing that "Radar" was only 23 years old, was coming to an end. However, he was able to recover, warming up in the middle peasants in 1980. In 1981, Benitez first made a dark Morris Hope, and then defeated the dangerous Carlos Santos on points.

But the true comeback for him was the fight with Duran. Unlike Leonard, Benitez could not boast of not solid dimensions, nor with a strong blow. Panamanian had to beat in the style of a matador, trying not to get in the open. And Benitez did it, showing one of the best performances of his career.

6. Thomas Hearns (USA, 35-1, 32 KOs) - Wilfrid Benitez (Puerto Rico, 44-1-1, 28 KOs) - December 3, 1982, Las Vegas for the WBC Light Middleweight belt

But the duel with Duran was at the same time the last victorious title fight for Benitez. Thomas Hearns was next in line. The Puerto Rican performed at the level, but Cobra performed at an even higher level.

The fight was not easy for Thomas. I had to adapt to an uncomfortable opponent who avoided almost all of his blows. Something else was needed besides an explosive blow and wild strength, especially since Tommy injured his right hand in the middle of the fight. And it was his boxing in the second half of the fight, boxing literally with one left, that Hearns was here not only for the power of the blow.

For Benítez, defeat, even though it was a majority vote, was the beginning of the end. He will still try to enter the title fight with Marvin Hagler in the middleweight division, but the barrier in front of him will be lowered by the Syrian Mustafa Hamsho. Gradually, Wilfrid's affairs began to go worse, and everything ended very sadly - now Benitez cannot provide for his own existence. Sometimes his mind clears up and it seems that he will begin to understand who he once was, but ... And, nevertheless, those who do not include Wilfrid on a par with other great "middleweights" of that time are very much mistaken. We will not repeat their mistakes.

SUBTOTAL

The fight between Benitez and Hearns closed the first chapter of our era - the chapter of welterweights. Leonard went to what seemed to be eternal rest, Benitez began to give up, and Hearns and Duran moved higher in weight. There, in front of him, loomed a new backbone figure, which we will talk about next time.

In the meantime, let's sum up the intermediate results. Roberto Duran, Ray Leonard, Wilfrid Benitez and Thomas Hearns played the actual tournament between themselves. If we talk directly about the "Era of Leonard" itself, then the alignment is as follows:

The following scoring algorithm was applied: 3 - for a victory by knockout, 2 - for a victory in another way, 1 - for a draw, 0 - for a defeat. Leonard's advantage is clear.

The plate can be "normalized" if we take into account the following two points:

In 1984, Hearns knocked out Duran in 2 rounds - we will talk about this fight in another part of the material;

The most likely outcome (and averaged too) of the two-match Duran-Leonard series, if it went through in one duel, would be Leonard's victory on points.

And, finally, in terms of fees (summing up the fights between Duran and Leonard, in millions of dollars):

On 17-5-1956 Sugar Ray Leonard (nickname: Sugar) was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, United States. He made his 120 million dollar fortune with National Golden Gloves Lightweight Champion, Olympic Light Welterweight Gold Medalist. The boxer is married to Bernadette Robi, his starsign is Taurus and he is now 63 years of age.

Sugar Ray Leonard Facts & Wiki

Birth date	17-5-1956
heritage/origin	American
ethnicity	Afro-American
Religion - believes in God?	Greek-Orthodox
Residence	He lives together in a house in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, United States.

Sugar Ray Leonard Net Worth, Salary, Cars & Houses

Estimated Net Worth	120 million dollars Celebrity Net Worth Revealed: The 55 Richest Actors Alive in 2019!
Yearly Salary	N/A SURPRISING: The 10 Best Salaries in Television!
Product Endorsements	Tristar Productions
Colleagues	Thomas Hearns & Muhammad Ali

Houses

Photo: house/residence of cool friendly fun 120 million earning Rocky Mount, North Carolina, United States-resident

Mryland house ($4 million) (Swimming Pool Tennis Court Jacuzzi Sauna Parking Lot )

Cars

Cadillac

MUST READ: 10 Whopping Homes & Cars Of Celebrities That Will Amaze You!

Sugar Ray Leonard: Wife, Dating, Family & Friends

relationship status	Married (Since 1993)
Sexuality	Straight
Current Wife of Sugar Ray Leonard	Bernadette Robi
Ex-girlfriends or ex-wives	Juanita Wilkinson
More info	Was previously married and divorced
Has any kids?	Yes, father of: Jarrel, Ray Charles Leonard, Jr., Camille, Daniel Ray

Will the marriage of American boxer Sugar Ray Leonard and current Wife, Bernadette Robi survive 2019?

Names of father, mother, kids, brothers & sisters.

Cicero Leonard (Father)Getha Leonard (Mother)Camille Leonard (Daughter)Ray Charles Leonard, Jr. (Son)Daniel Ray Leonard (Son)Jarrel Leonard (Son)

friends

Skin, Hair & Eye color

This cool friendly fun boxer originating from Rocky Mount, North Carolina, United States has a athletic body & long face type.

hair color	Black
hair type	Straight
hair length	near-shaved hair
hair style	alternative
Distinct feature	hair color
Skin Tone/Complexion	Type VI: Black brown skin
Skin Type	Normal
Beard or Mustache	bearless
eye color	dark brown
Does Sugar Ray Leonard smoke?	Yes, on occasion CAUGHT SMOKING: The 60 Most Shocking Celebrity Smokers!

Sugar Ray Leonard - 2019 Black hair & alternative hair style.
Sugar Ray Leonard smoking a cigarette (or weed)

Height, Weight, Body Measurements, Tattoos & Style

Height	178cm
Weight	76 pounds	clothing style	alternative
Favorite colors	blue
Feet size	N/A
Does Sugar Ray Leonard have a tattoo?	Yes Official websites/fansites: www.sugarrayleonard.com Does Sugar Ray Leonard have official Social Media profiles?