A Tribute To Sugar Ray Leonard On His Birthday

Many of the greats have one thing in common: toughness and Leonard had that in abundance. Leonard took big shots from the likes of Thomas Hearns, Roberto Duran, and Hagler, all devastating punchers, and never succumbed. Leonard was also perhaps the greatest finisher of all time. Once he smelt blood in the water, even if it was in the late championship rounds against all-time elites, he had a special reserve of energy to savagely finish off his beaten opponent. Alongside his immense toughness and vicious killer’s instinct, he had two-fisted power, the ability to fight equally as effectively on the inside and outside, IQ, reflexes, balance, blinding hand speed, great foot movement, and an innate ability to take advantage of an opponent’s weaknesses like no other. Leonard was one of the greatest all-rounders in boxing history.

Leonard was a man who performed his craft with grace but also had the brutishness to seriously hurt opponents and end fights instantly—the perfect blend of grace and savagery. One does not need to look any further than the brutal stoppages of Andy ‘Hawk’ Price and Davey ‘Boy’ Green to see how savage Leonard really was. History dictates that a fighter will not be judged solely based on their ability but on the ability of the competition they face. Leonard would have fit into any era and been a stand-out prizefighter, but the stars truly aligned for him to be allowed to go toe-to-toe with dance partners such as Duran, Hearns, and Hagler.

These men, the legendary ‘Four KIngs,’ produced breathtaking, historic nights between them. All four were amongst the greatest fighters of all time and would have held their own in any era in history, but together, they immortalized one another. Also, not to mention the criminally underrated and fellow great, essentially the fifth king, Wilfredo “El Radar” Benitez. The only man to hold a victory over all of the others… Leonard.

Leonard’s greatness did not just shine through beating these fellow greats but in the electrifying fashion in which he did so. His first title shot against Benitez in November 1979 marked Leonard’s arrival as more than just a media creation and marketable Olympic champion. Benitez was special, known as the “Bible of Boxing,” the youngest world champion ever at 17 after defeating long-reigning champion Antonio Cervantes. At the time of this fight, Benitez was 21, undefeated, and at the peak of his powers. He was 38–0 with one draw and a two-weight division champion. Benitez was one of the most naturally gifted boxers ever, one of the greatest defensive fighters of all time, and a magnificent counter-puncher. Leonard out-boxed and out-fought Benitez and got the stoppage in the 15th and final round, six seconds from the final bell.

Ray’s first professional defeat came against Duran at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal in June 1980, in the same arena where Leonard had won Olympic gold. Leonard lost to a legend who had the best night of his life with one of the greatest triumphs in boxing history. Duran was a vicious fighting machine and had cemented himself as arguably the greatest lightweight in history, with a record of 71–1. Leonard fought Duran’s fight, going toe-to-toe on the inside against one of the greatest in-fighters of all time, and lost a razor-close decision. Even in defeat, the ‘Golden Boy’ showed he was more than just a slick boxer with marketable looks. He was a real fighter who possessed immense toughness.

The infamous ‘No Mas’ fight came just five short months later. When Leonard usually fought, he wore red, white, and blue trunks and had tassels on his shoes, but for the rematch, Leonard wore black trunks, black socks, and no tassels. In his Autobiography, “The Big Fight,” Leonard stated, “I would have put on black gloves if they had let me. It was not the time for any more showbiz. There was a title to win back.” Before leaving his dressing room, Leonard asked his adviser, Mike Trainer: “How do I look?” Trainer responded: “You look like a mix of the Grim Reaper and an assassin,” to which Leonard responded to in his Autobiography, “Exactly.”

Since becoming champion, Duran had partied vigorously for months, and it was clear who the more focused and in-shape fighter was on fight night. Leonard masterfully out-boxed Duran, then started clowning and humiliating Duran, much to the Panamanian’s irritation. In the eighth round, Duran’s pride could take no more, and he turned his back on Leonard and waved the fight off to the referee. The man famed for his machismo and incredible will to win turned human and wanted no more, and Leonard was crowned champion once again.

When Ray faced Hearns in September 1981, the tall, lean, and explosively powerful “Hitman” was 22 and undefeated, boasting a record of 32 wins with 30 knockouts. Against a monster in Hearns while fighting for the undisputed welterweight championship, Leonard out-fought Hearns and came from behind on the scorecards to mount a furious assault in the 14th round and stop the fearsome knockout artist. This fight was a perfect demonstration of a peak Leonard, young and hungry, showing heart and a doggedness that completely defied his pleasant nature away from the ring to turn the tide of a grueling, losing fight to stop Hearns. Ray showed a quality that is rare on such grand occasions and points to greatness. This was a real historic, legacy-defining fight. Sugar Ray’s sweetest victory and Hearns’’ first loss. Leonard got these career-defining victories before the age of 26 and in the space of 22 months—the epitome of greatness.

Leonard was subsequently forced into retirement in 1982 due to a partially detached retina, so his physical prime was cut short. He briefly returned in 1984 against Kevin Howard, suffering the first knockdown of his professional career before prevailing with a vicious barrage of head blows later in the fight. Leonard subsequently ‘officially retired’… until 1987.

In April 1987, Leonard faced one of the greatest middleweights of all time in Hagler and, against all odds, prevailed as the victor via a split decision. However, the result was debatable. Leonard fought the undisputed middleweight champion of over six years, with 12 title defenses, in his first fight in three years, having never competed at middleweight before. With no tune-ups, Ray was fighting the pound-for-pound best fighter on the planet. The fight was awarded “Upset of the Year” by The Ring. For Leonard to be so competitive against one of the most dangerous and dominant middleweight champions of all time after such prolonged inactivity was a sensational achievement.

Subsequently, past his prime competing against WBC light-heavyweight champion Donny Lalonde, Leonard showed heart, chin, power, and ferocious killer instinct when stopping a substantially naturally bigger man. Leonard was arguably the most complete fighter since the days of Ray Robinson, and there has arguably not been as complete a prizefighter since Leonard.

Leonard filled the void left by Muhammad Ali’s retirement as boxing’s main attraction, and not only followed Ali in keeping boxing in the public’s interest but followed Ali in being a real once-in-a-generation fighter, somebody who must be mentioned when discussing the finest fighters ever to lace a pair of gloves.