Robinson, who had a son from a previous marriage, helped raise Millie's two children. Sugar Ray Leonard's raw and uplifting memoir reveals in intimate detail for the first time the complex human who waged his own personal battle with depression, rage . The action see-sawed back and forth for the rest of the round, with each man having his moments. Photograph: Bettmann/Corbis Leonard would continue to pursue his Olympic dream while she and the baby, Ray Charles Leonard Jr., lived with her parents. Boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard breaks down some of his most iconic fights of all time, including his fights with Andrs Aldama in 1976, Dick Eklund in 1978,. Everyone was surprised by Durn's actions, none more so than his veteran trainers, Freddie Brown and Ray Arcel. Benitez was very slick. Leonard called it "the hardest single punch I ever threw."[30]. Dec. 16, 1989 12 AM PT. Roger helped start the boxing program, urging the center's director, Ollie Dunlap, to form a team. . Leonard entered the bout as a 3-1 favorite but Norris dominated the fight, giving Leonard a heavy beating. "[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. Leonard won the National Golden Gloves and National AAU Light Welterweight Championships in 1974. The nickname "Sugar" came from Gainford, who had described the young boxer as "sweet as sugar"; reporters soon began using the moniker. [50], Leonard and Howard fought on May 11, 1984, in Worcester, Massachusetts. With neither parent able to work, with his child and the mother of his child to support, and without any endorsement opportunities, Leonard decided to become a professional boxer. "There was no indication that he was in pain or getting weak. [74], Leonard said he planned to have a series of tuneup fights before fighting a champion. [24][25], On August 12, 1979, Leonard knocked out Pete Ranzany in four rounds to win the NABF Welterweight Championship. Leonard and . In rounds, he had it three for Durn, two for Leonard, and ten even. There was a capacity crowd of about 4,600. The team also included Leon and Michael Spinks, Howard Davis Jr., Leo Randolph, Charles Mooney, and John Tate. You're blowing it!". Floyd bounced back and won two in a row over Sanchez to secure his spot in Atlanta. Sugar Ray Leonard reflected on his famous fight with Marvin Hagler following the news on Saturday about his late opponent's death at the age of 66. As an amateur, he took an Olympic gold medal in the light-welterweight class at the 1976 Games in Montreal. He testified about the burden of diabetes and the need for continued research funding to find a cure.[93]. He is the celebrity spokesperson for the Atlanta law firm John Foy and Associates, PC. Camacho applied pressure from the opening bell and started to score well in the third. By 1958, he had become the first boxer to win a divisional world championship five times. "For the first time in a long time, I allowed someone to push me", Leonard said. His opponent was Dave "Boy" Green. He had beaten the best of his . . At the age of 20 (1977), Leonard won his first professional fight, only setting the stage for a collection of the most memorable fights in all of boxing history. I already had it in the back of my mind to dissolve the company. His incredible achievements include winning world titles in five weight divisions, including the WBC welterweight, WBA light middleweight, and WBC middleweight titles. It was the first knockdown of Leonard's professional career. [75] He was scheduled to fight Tony Menefee on February 15, 1998, in Australia, but he pulled out of the fight, saying that he didn't have the motivation. "I did the best I could", Leonard said. I know this. "[91] In 2011, Leonard revealed in an NPR interview that he had been free of alcohol since July 2006. [14]:93 A month later, Leonard defeated his old amateur nemesis Randy Shields by a ten-round unanimous decision. It ended in 1990, after HBO was not offered an opportunity to bid on the telecast rights to Leonard's fight with Terry Norris. Later, when he made . Paternity Suit". The fight was postponed when Leonard had minor surgery on his right eye to fix a loose retina. Leonard kept it up, continuing to move, stop, and mug. [45] Leonard's next fight was scheduled to be against Roger Stafford on May 14, 1982, in Buffalo, New York. [81], In 2001, Leonard launched Sugar Ray Leonard Boxing Inc., a boxing promotional company, and announced the company's strategic partnership with ESPN. April - Marvin Hagler, Las Vegas, W 12 1988 Leonard won the WBC light heavyweight and super middleweight titles by knocking out Don Lalonde in November. Sugar Ray Leonard, byname of Ray Charles Leonard, (born May 17, 1956, Rocky Mount, North Carolina, U.S.), American boxer, known for his agility and finesse, who won 36 of 40 professional matches and various titles. Leonard received $7 million and Durn received $8 million. Trainer talked 24 of his friends and clients into underwriting Leonard's career with an investment of $21,000 to be repaid within four years at 8% interest. Leonard served as host and mentor to the aspiring fighters on The Contender. Leonard was awarded a 50 decision and the Olympic gold medal. The live gate was $5.9 million, and the revenue from pay-per-view was $7.5 million. Julio Cesar Chavez and Sugar Ray Leonard. The fight with Camacho took place on March 1, 1997, in Atlantic City, New Jersey. "Tonight was my last fight. The following year, he again won the National AAU Light Welterweight Championship, as well as the Light Welterweight Championship at the Pan American Games. When he did, he hit harder. I took great pride in it. [55], Leonard was awarded a controversial split-decision. At the final bell, even uniformed ringside security rushed into the ring applauding and lauding Leonard's effort. Always moving forward, he mauled and wrestled Leonard, scoring inside with hooks and rights. He blamed his loss on a torn right calf muscle. They fought before a live crowd of 23,618. He took control, attacking and driving Leonard against the ropes, bulling him back, hitting him with lefts and rights to the body as he maneuvered the champion against the ropes from corner to corner. The rematch, billed as "Stone vs. Sugar.. Once Again", took place November 25, 1980 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans in front of 25,038 fans. [14]:75, In his fourteenth professional fight, Leonard fought his first world-ranked opponent, Floyd Mayweather, who was ranked seventeenth. Named after Ray Charles, Leonard's parents reportedly wanted him to become a singer, although as . Leonard battered Hearns in rounds six and seven, but Hearns regrouped. He rose but was soon down again, and the fight was stopped. 2 . The fight began as expected, Leonard boxing from a distance and Hearns stalking. According to Bob Arum, the fight grossed $78 million (which equates to around $179 million in 2020). It was the only time in Leonard's career that he was knocked out. Later that year, he boxed in the Eastern Olympic Trials. Bonds was a southpaw, which made him a good opponent for Leonard, given that his next opponent was scheduled to be the WBA Light Middleweight Champion Ayub Kalule, a southpaw. Best Known For: Considered one of the greatest boxers of all time, 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. In his last years Robinson battled Alzheimer's disease and diabetes. Leonard learned of the suit several days after returning home from the Olympics. Leonard competed on season 12 of Dancing with the Stars, which premiered on Monday, March 21, 2011, on ABC. Although he would prescribe the training procedures, he would leave the day-to-day work to Dave Jacobs and Janks Morton. Leonard and Duran fought the fiercest battle in welterweight history, fuelled by Duran's utter hatred for the pretty boy with lots of money and Ray's refusal to back down. The rules stated that a boxer had to be seventeen to box in international competition, so Leonard, only sixteen, lied about his age. Morton was replaced as co-trainer by Pepe Correa, who had worked with Leonard for most of the previous fifteen years.[63]. Sugar Ray Leonard (def. He has appeared in numerous television shows, including Half & Half, L.A. Heat, Married with Children, Renegade and Tales From The Crypt. He continued to taunt Durn mercilessly. Roberto Duran takes on Sugar Ray Leonard at the Superdome in New Orleans in November 1980. . His mother said: "He never did talk too much. .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." As a boy growing up in Detroit, Sugar Ray Robinson was neighbors with heavyweight champion Joe Louis. Durn retired from boxing . Hearns was the WBA champion while Leonard held the WBC title. It's less revisionist and says right up front, in the first sentence of the prologue, what Sugar Ray won't confess to: "On the night of April 6, 1987, Sugar Ray Leonard stole a fight. Leonard landed several good left hooks in the first round. Leonard was the aggressor throughout, with Bonds circling the ring. "That's it", he said. Augie Sanchez had defeated Mayweather earlier that summer in qualifiers after a tight 11-12 decision. His doctor suggested that he cancel the fight, but Leonard wanted to go through with it. "But then he adjusted to my style. Hagler's punches lacked snap and, although he was scoring solidly to the body, he looked nothing like the powerful fighter who had dominated the middleweight division for the previous five years. Leonard is also the godfather of Khlo Kardashian and has appeared on many episodes of Keeping Up With The Kardashians. Wherever he went, he brought a large entourage of trainers, women and family members. Winding up his right hand, as if to throw a bolo punch, Leonard snapped out a left jab and caught Durn flush in the face. During the night Durn was admitted to a hospital with stomach pains, and discharged the following day. Leonard got up, but was unable to ward off Camacho. 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