| Ray Charles Leonard | |
 Ray Charles Leonard |
|
| Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Real name | Ray Charles Leonard |
| Nickname(s) | Sugar |
| Rated at | Welterweight / Middleweight |
| Nationality |  American |
| Birth date | May 17, 1956 |
| Birth place | Wilmington, North Carolina, USA |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 40 |
| Wins | 36 |
| Wins by KO | 25 |
| Losses | 3 |
| Draws | 1 |
| No contests | 0 |
| Olympic medal record | |||
| Men’s Boxing | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | 1976 Montreal | Light Welterweight | |
Ray Charles Leonard (born May 17, 1956) is a retired American professional boxer. Welterweight is a Weight class division in combat sports Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in Boxing, but other combat sports like Kickboxing Middleweight is a division or weight class, in Boxing. Early boxing history is less than exact but the middleweight designation seems to have begun in the 1840s Events 1521 - Edward Stafford 3rd Duke of Buckingham, is executed for Treason. Year 1956 ( MCMLVI) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Wilmington is a city in and the County seat of New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the An Orthodox stance in combat sports such as boxing and karate refers to someone who boxes right-handed as opposed to a left-handed fighter who is referred to as a Southpaw. Boxing has been contested at every Summer Olympic Games since its introduction to the program at the 1904 Summer The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, were an International Multi-sport event held in Montreal, Quebec There were eleven Boxing events at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Events 1521 - Edward Stafford 3rd Duke of Buckingham, is executed for Treason. Year 1956 ( MCMLVI) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Boxing (sometimes also known as English boxing or pugilism) is a Combat sport in which two participants generally of similar weight, Named Fighter of the Decade for the 1980s, he is widely considered to be one of the best boxers of all time, winning world titles at multiple weights and engaging in contests with such celebrated opponents as Wilfred Benitez, Thomas Hearns, Roberto Duran and Marvin Hagler. Wilfred Benitez (born September 12, 1958 in New York New York) is a Puerto Rican boxer. Thomas Hearns (born October 18, 1958, in Memphis, raised in Detroit) is an American 8-time world champion professional Roberto Durán (born June 16 1951 is a retired professional boxer from Panama, widely regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all-time Marvelous Marvin Hagler (born Marvin Nathaniel Hagler, in Newark, New Jersey, May 23, 1954) is a former American He was named after the singing legend Ray Charles. Ray Charles Robinson ( September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) known by his Stage name Ray Charles, was an American Leonard was given the nickname "Sugar" by one of his amateur coaches in his hometown of Palmer Park, Maryland. Palmer Park is an unincorporated community within the Greater Landover, Maryland, USA Census area
Amateur career
In 1973 a boxing promoter noticed Leonard's natural talent and offered him $5,000 to fight in a commercial bout. Leonard dismissed the offer because he wanted to qualify for the 1976 Olympics team. Before he was 20, he won three National Golden Gloves titles, two AAU championships and the 1975 Pan-American Games crown. Leonard earned a spot on the 1976 Olympic U. S. team, which included future heavyweight champions Michael Spinks and his brother Leon. Leonard up to that point in his amateur career had lost only five fights, among them a contested bout in 1974 against Kazimierz Szczerba of Poland.
1976 Olympic Games
In the Montreal Olympics Leonard fought with photos of his high school sweetheart Juanita Wilkinson and their three-year-old son taped to his shoe. It made good copy, but he was not favored to win the gold. Leonard faced a rematch against Kazimierz Szczerba in the Olympic semifinals and defeated the Pole with a resounding knockout.
A lot of amateur boxing observers thought that the great Cuban left hook artist Andres Aldama would defeat the 20 year old Leonard in the Olympic final. Andrés Aldama Cabrera (born April 9, 1956) was a Cuban boxer, who won the light welterweight silver medal at the Aldama was virtually a pro and had scored 5 straight knockouts to reach the finals. Ray Leonard proved that he was a great boxer by winning with an impressive 5-0 decision. Leonard brought Aldama to his knees with a left hook to the chin. Twice during the final bout, the referee had required Aldama to take a standing eight-count to prove that he was able to continue the fight. Although Aldama persisted in the match, Leonard emerged the victor and won the gold medal for the United States. It was Leonard's 145th victory as an amateur boxer.
After winning the Olympic gold Leonard announced to the press, “The journey is over, the dream fulfilled” and he retired from boxing, telling the public it was because he had a disease. Leonard had hoped to cash in on endorsements but they never came. With the bills piling up and sickness in his family he decided to turn professional.
Turning professional
After this success, Leonard wanted to attend the University of Maryland. However, his father became ill and his family needed money. With no endorsement contracts coming his way, Leonard announced his intention to become a pro boxer.
Angelo Dundee, Muhammad Ali's trainer, was brought in to be Leonard's co-trainer. Angelo Mirena (born August 30, 1921 in Philadelphia PA) better known in the Boxing world as Angelo Dundee, is a boxing cornerman Biography Early life Cassius Clay Jr was born on January 17 1942 Long-time coaches Janks Morton, Dave Jacobs and lawyer Mike Trainer made up the rest of Leonard's team. Promoted by ABC TV as their replacement for the aging Ali, Leonard made $40,000 for his first professional fight (then a record) against Puerto Rican Luis Vega. Puerto Rico (ˌpwertoˈriko officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ("Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico" {{lang-en|"Associated Free State of Puerto Rico"}} The fight was televised nationally on CBS-TV, and the novice Leonard won by a 6 round unanimous decision.
Leonard won his first 25 pro fights. In Sugar Ray's most impressive performance to date, he knocked out Pete Ranzany in four rounds to win the North American Boxing Federation (NABF) welterweight championship. Pete Ranzany (born April 6, 1952 in Sacramento, California) was an amateur boxer who represented the U This bout took place in August 1979. A month later, a 1st round KO of respected contender Andy Price followed. Price had won his last four bouts, three of them in 1979, but was decisively beaten by Leonard. Leonard then signed to meet Wilfred Benitez for the WBC welterweight title in November. Wilfred Benitez (born September 12, 1958 in New York New York) is a Puerto Rican boxer.
WBC World Champion
In a highly competitive battle, Leonard became world champion with a technical knockout in round 15, with the referee stopping the fight in Leonard's favor with six seconds left. Leonard led by 2, 4, and 7 points on the three judges' scorecard at the time of the stoppage.
In March 1980, Leonard won his first defense by easily beating British challenger Dave "Boy" Green in four rounds in Otho, Iowa. Dave "Boy" Green (born David Robert Green on 2 June 1953) was a British boxer from Chatteris, Cambridgeshire Green had been a very busy fighter, having fought 6 times in 1979, winning 5 of them.
Roberto Duran
Next, Leonard went back to the Olympic Stadium in Montreal to defend his title against former lightweight champion Roberto Duran, in the first superfight of the 1980s. Roberto Durán (born June 16 1951 is a retired professional boxer from Panama, widely regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all-time In a long, grueling contest, mostly fought against the ropes or in corners, the more experienced Duran outmauled Leonard in a very close fight and captured a majority decision. Leonard surprised many observers by standing flat-footed with the Panamanian slugger.
Their rematch was held in New Orleans on November 25, 1980. New Orleans (nʲuːˈɔrliənz nʲuːˈɔrlənz French: La Nouvelle-Orléans) is a major United States port city and the largest city in Louisiana This time around, Leonard used far more lateral movement and jabs, staying off the ropes whenever possible. In round 7, Leonard taunted Duran, dropping his arms and winding up with a bolo punch. Neither fighter had absorbed much punishment, but Leonard had a narrow lead on all three scorecards after 7 rounds. In round 8, Duran turned around, walked to his corner and gave up. Although Duran is widely remembered for the now famous words, "no más," he never actually said them. It was actually commentator Howard Cosell who uttered the phrase. Regardless, the sports world was stunned by Duran's actions. The controversy regarding this bout and Duran's motivation for quitting continues to this day. However, in an interview with ESPN, Duran had stated that he had started to get stomach cramps and felt it better to quit now than suffer through it. In an episode of FOX Sports's Behind The Glory, Duran's trainer said that Duran had turned to him and said "I won't fight anymore with this clown. " [1]
But Leonard was a world champion again and, after avenging his only defeat, once more was on top of the boxing world.
In March 1981, Leonard scored a routine 10th round TKO of unheralded Larry Bonds in a welterweight title defense.
A second world title, and "The Showdown" with Thomas Hearns
On June 25, 1981, Leonard fought undefeated Ayub Kalule, world junior middleweight champion. Kalule gave Leonard a tough fight, but Sugar Ray won via a 9th round TKO.
Undefeated arch-rival Thomas Hearns, meanwhile, was tearing apart the welterweight division and had won the WBA world title by knocking out Pipino Cuevas. Thomas Hearns (born October 18, 1958, in Memphis, raised in Detroit) is an American 8-time world champion professional Hearns seemed unbeatable, having scored 30 KO's in 32 fights with no losses. A unification bout was set for September 16, 1981, once again at Caesar's Palace.
Hearns unexpectedly weighed in at a very light 145 pounds, causing many to speculate he over-trained. "The Showdown" was televised on closed-circuit and pay-per-view outlets throughout the world.
Hearns (32-0) controlled the early rounds with his jab, keeping Leonard (30-1) off-balance. In the middle rounds, Leonard got inside and seriously hurt Hearns with left hooks. From rounds 8-12, Hearns rebounded and took charge by becoming the boxer, using side-to-side movement, steady jabs and occasional right crosses. Leonard's left eye, injured during a sparring session two weeks earlier, began to swell up. By the end of round 12 it was almost completely closed.
Warned by trainer Angelo Dundee that he was "blowing it," Leonard roared out in the 13th round and seriously hurt Hearns with a barrage of punches and knocked him down. Hearns barely survived the round. In the 14th, a combination of blows prompted the referee to stop the fight. At the time of the stoppage, all 3 judges had Hearns ahead on points. Leonard was now the undisputed welterweight champion, and had greatly increased his popularity and respect among some sports fans. Another group of boxing fans however, thought the fight was stopped prematurely, as Hearns was not seriously hurt. Leonard's frequent punch flurries, using his blinding hand speed, was not only used as tactic to hurt and disorient his opponents, but also served to confuse judges and referees into thinking that the other fighter was in greater peril than they actually were.
Sugar Ray was later named Fighter of the Year by Ring Magazine for 1981, and they also tabbed his fight with Hearns as Fight of the Year. In addition, Ray was named ABC's Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year. The American Broadcasting Company ( ABC) is an American Television network. ABC's Wide World of Sports was a long-running Sports Anthology show on American Television that ran as a series from 1961 to 1998
Eye Injury
In February 1982 Leonard KO'd Bruce Finch in the 3rd round to retain his undisputed title. However, Leonard's next defense against Roger Stafford in May had to be canceled. A few days before the bout, doctors discovered Leonard had suffered a detached retina in his left eye, and he underwent surgery at Johns Hopkins hospital to repair the problem. Retinal detachment is a disorder of the Eye in which the Retina peels away from its underlying layer of support tissue Johns Hopkins University|Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine|Greenspring StationThe Johns Hopkins Hospital is a Teaching hospital in Baltimore Maryland The boxing world had to wait 6 months for Leonard to announce his future boxing plans. His future plans generated much speculation.
Retirement and 1st comeback
In November 1982, after consulting with doctors, friends and family, Sugar Ray invited Hagler and other boxing dignitaries to a charity event in Baltimore, Maryland. Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) Boxing (sometimes also known as English boxing or pugilism) is a Combat sport in which two participants generally of similar weight, Standing in a boxing ring with ABC's Howard Cosell nearby, Leonard announced his retirement, saying a bout with Hagler would unfortunately never happen. Leonard maintained his eye was fully healed, but that he just didn't want to box anymore. In retirement, Leonard continued to be a commentator on HBO & CBS boxing contests, and performed other assignments for them. He also did more endorsements.
Missing the limelight, and the big purses of boxing, Leonard announced in December 1983 that he was returning to the ring. This was the first of what would be several boxing comebacks during his career. Leonard boasted that he would re-claim his welterweight titles, and then take on Aaron Pryor, Donald Curry, Milton McCrory, Duran, Hearns and finally Hagler. In 1983 after defending his crown against former WBC world champion Sang Hyun Kim (KO 3 Pryor defended against Arguello again this time winning by a knockout in 10 Donald Curry (born September 7, 1961) is a retired Fort Worth boxer nicknamed the 'Lone Star Cobra' Milton McCrory (born February 7, 1962 in Detroit MI) was a professional boxer in the Welterweight (147 lb) division This decision was met with a torrent of criticism from fans and the media, who felt Leonard was taking unnecessary risks with his surgically repaired eye.
A bout with Philadelphia's Kevin Howard was scheduled for February 1984 in Worcester, Massachusetts. This was postponed until May 11th when Leonard had minor corrrective surgery on his right eye. This latest eye injury further fueled the flames of those who opposed Leonard's comeback.
The Leonard-Howard bout was televised live on HBO. Howard knocked Leonard flat on his back in the 4th round. The fight had a disputed ending, with the referee stopping the fight later in Leonard's favor even though Howard had not been knocked down. At the post-fight press conference, Leonard surprised everyone by announcing his retirement again, saying he just didn't have it anymore.
Waiting to fight Marvin Hagler
In May 1986, Leonard shocked the sports world once again when he announced he would return to the ring for one more fight: against middleweight champion Marvin Hagler. Marvelous Marvin Hagler (born Marvin Nathaniel Hagler, in Newark, New Jersey, May 23, 1954) is a former American This announcement generated a lot of controversy because of Leonard's inactivity and eye injuries. Yet it also excited many sports fans, who had wanted to see this match for years. Hagler took a few months to decide, then agreed to the match, scheduled for April 6, 1987 at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas. Caesars Palace, sometimes referred to colloquially as simply Caesars, is a luxury Hotel and Casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise
Leonard had a very long training camp for the Hagler fight it came to light after the fight.
After the Hagler fight it was also revealed that Leonard had had a number of full 12 round fights behind closed doors. These were officially sparring sessions, but with a few major differences. There were no headgaurds used, small gloves and the sparring partners were told to try their best to win over the full 12 rounds. They were basically REAL fights.
Two of the sparring were Quincy Taylor and Anthony Fletcher (who was a southpaw). Quincy Taylor (born July 18, 1963 in Dallas Texas, US) was a professional boxer in the Middleweight (160 lb Taylor floored Leonard during one of these 'fights'.
The bout against Hagler was marketed by the promoters as "The Superfight". In exchange for more money, an over-confident Hagler agreed to a 12 round limit (which guaranteed WBC sanction) and 10-ounce gloves. The 12-round limit would haunt Hagler later on. Leonard-Hagler was broadcast on pay-per-view TV and closed-circuit outlets all over the world and was a huge money maker.
Hagler was a heavy favorite, the odds starting at 4-1, then settling at 3-1. Leonard had only fought once in five years, and had never fought as a middleweight. It was only Hagler's third fight in two & a half years as he entered the twilight of a glittering career. Leonard used the same tactics as he did in the 2nd Duran match, lateral movement, jabs and clenching when he was in trouble. Hagler had trouble keeping up with the fleet-footed Leonard. Leonard's strategy of waiting to fight Hagler until Marvin as older and not able to keep up worked to his advantage. In general, Hagler landed the harder blows, Leonard landed more and the flashier ones, and neither fighter was cut or knocked down. Leonard was warned repeatedly for holding by the referee, but no points were deducted. The decision went to Leonard via split decision. Hagler bitterly protested the result, and many boxing fans and writers have argued about the decision since.
Despite pleas from Hagler's camp for a rematch, Leonard announced his retirement a month later.
Past his prime, but still fighting
On November 7, 1988 Leonard came back and fought Don Lalonde. Events 1492 - The Ensisheim Meteorite the oldest Meteorite with a known date of impact strikes the Earth around noon in a Wheat Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) Donny Lalonde (born March 12, 1960 in Victoria British Columbia) is a professional boxer from Winnipeg, Canada. In a tough, brusing battle, Sugar Ray suffered a 4th round knockdown and was cut on the nose. Yet he recovered and knocked out Lalonde in the ninth round to win two world titles in one fight, the newly created WBC super middleweight championship, and Lalonde's WBC light heavyweight championship. The World Boxing Council was initially created by 11 countries the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, The World Boxing Council was initially created by 11 countries the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, This arrangement was somewhat controversial because light-heavyweight LaLonde had to weigh-in at or below the super-middleweight limit of 168 pounds.
In 1989, Leonard fought two old rivals. Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) In June, he battled Hearns again at Caesar's Palace. Caesars Palace, sometimes referred to colloquially as simply Caesars, is a luxury Hotel and Casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise In an exciting battle, Leonard was knocked down twice, but the decision by the officials was a twelve round draw. Most onlookers thought the draw decision unfair since Hearns knocked Leonard down twice. In fact, most astute boxing fans saw this as Leonard's personality and television appeal as being the deciding factor. Those who watched the fight had no doubt that Hearns was the aggressor and Hearns landed many more power shots. Years later, Leonard himself would admit this to Hearns on ESPN's Ringside TV program. Nevertheless, the draw decision enabled Leonard to retain his WBC Super-Middleweight title. Six months later, in December 1989, Sugar Ray fought Roberto Duran for a third time. This matchup took place at the new Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas. Leonard used constant lateral movement and won by a lopsided twelve round unanimous decision over a listless Duran. 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.
Failed comebacks and post-boxing life
Leonard was inactive in 1990, but came back in February 1991 to fight world junior H middleweight champion Terry Norris at Madison Square Garden. Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. For the Australian actor and politician see Terry Norris (actor. Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG, and known colloquially as The Garden, has been the name of four Arenas in New York City. Norris knocked Leonard down twice and won a lopsided unanimous decision. After the verdict was announced, a battered Leonard took the microphone and once again announced his retirement.
Around this time, Leonard's job as a boxing commentator with HBO came to an end. His association with CBS had ended a few years earlier.
Ahead were very difficult times: after the fight, Leonard admitted to a stint with cocaine that lasted from 1982 to 1986. Cocaine ( benzoylmethyl ecgonine) is a Crystalline Tropane Alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the Coca plant Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) Year 1986 ( MCMLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar) He fell victim to the drug, and reports surfaced of violence against his wife Juanita. Leonard admitted that his problems were caused by a need to be involved in the sport of boxing during the periods he was away from it, and immaturity. Boxing (sometimes also known as English boxing or pugilism) is a Combat sport in which two participants generally of similar weight,
He and Juanita divorced, and in 1993, he married Bernadette Robi, the daughter of Paul Robi, a member of the original Platters. The Platters were a successful vocal group of the early Rock and roll era
In 1997, at age 40, Leonard launched what has so far been his final boxing comeback against former lightweight champion Hector 'Macho' Camacho. Héctor Camacho (born May 24, 1962) nicknamed "Macho Camacho", is a Puerto Rican professional boxer. Years past his prime, Leonard was easily stopped by the smaller, usually light-hitting Camacho in 5 rounds. After this humiliating defeat, it was finally enough for Leonard, and he has not fought since. Later that year, Leonard was inducted into the International Boxing Hall Of Fame. The modern International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF is located in Canastota, New York, United States, within driving distance from the Baseball Hall
For a short time, Leonard headed a boxing promotion company that included world cruiserweight champion Vassiliy Jirov and rising heavyweight Joe Mesi. Boxing (sometimes also known as English boxing or pugilism) is a Combat sport in which two participants generally of similar weight, Vassiliy "The Tiger" Jirov (born April 4, 1974 in Balqash, Kazakhstan) is a professional Kazakh boxer and former "Baby" Joe Mesi (born November 27, 1973) is an American boxer and former #1 contender to the WBC heavyweight title
He was a recurring cast member of the American action television series, L.A. Heat in the role of Det. For the unrelated 1989 film LA Heat see LA Heat (movie. LA Heat was an American television action Benny Lewis.
He is currently involved in the TV reality boxing series, The Contender and has served as host and boxing mentor to the aspiring fighters. The Contender is a Reality television series that follows a group of Boxers as they compete with one another in an elimination-style competition His former co-host Sylvester Stallone was one of the executive producers, along with Mark Burnett. Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone (born July 6 1946 is an American Actor, director, producer and Screenwriter. Mark Burnett (born 17 July, 1960) is a British Television producer.
Personal
Ray's older brother, Roger Leonard, was also a professional boxer, as well as an amateur standout. Roger Leonard was a professional boxer and was the older brother of boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard. He frequently fought on the undercard of Ray's bouts [2].
Trivia
- Ray Leonard was named after Ray Charles, whose real name is Ray Robinson. Ray Charles Robinson ( September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) known by his Stage name Ray Charles, was an American This is also the name of the original Sugar Ray, Sugar Ray Robinson (born Walker Smith, Jr. Sugar Ray Robinson' (born Walker Smith Jr, May 3 1921 – April 12 1989 was a professional boxer ), from whom Leonard gets his nickname. Ray Charles was born Ray Charles Robinson, but shortened it to "Ray Charles" so as not to be confused with Sugar Ray Robinson.
- Sugar Ray instructed Juanita, the 16-year-old mother of his newborn baby, to say that the father's whereabouts were unknown so that she could collect welfare benefits (Sugar Ray admitted this on an ESPN special).
- He and Contender co-host Sylvester Stallone were among the pallbearers at Najai Turpin's funeral. Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone (born July 6 1946 is an American Actor, director, producer and Screenwriter. Turpin was a contestant who later committed suicide in 2005.
- Alternative band Sugar Ray was named after Leonard. This article is about the band Sugar Ray For the boxers see Sugar Ray Leonard or Sugar Ray Robinson.
- He is also the subject of a joke in The Diplomat's Club, an episode of the popular TV series Seinfeld in which George's boss appears very much like Sugar Ray, though neither he nor anyone else will admit it. "The Diplomat's Club" is the 108th episode of NBC sitcom Seinfeld. Seinfeld is an American Situation comedy, or sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5 1989 to May 14 1998 lasting nine seasons
Amateur Achievements
- 1972 National Golden Gloves Lightweight champion
- 1973 National Golden Gloves Lightweight champion, defeating Hilmer Kenty
- 1973 Runner-up in National AAU Light Welterweight championships, losing to Randy Shields
- 1974 National AAU Light Welterweight champion
- 1974 National Golden Gloves Light Welterweight champion
- 1975 National AAU Light Welterweight champion
- Won the Light Welterweight gold medal for the United States at the 1975 Pan American Games
- Won the Light Welterweight gold medal for the United States at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, Canada
Olympic Results
- Defeated Ulf Carlsson (Sweden) points
- Defeated Valery Limassov (Soviet Union) points
- Defeated Clinton McKenzie (Great Britain) points
- Defeated Ulrich Beyer (East Germany) points
- Defeated Kazimierz Szczerba (Poland) points
- Defeated Andres Aldama (Cuba) 5-0
See also
- List of male boxers
- List of WBC world champions
- The No Más Fight
- Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Thomas Hearns
- List of boxing triple champions
- List of boxing quadruple champions
- List of boxing quintuple champions
External links
- Professional boxing record for Sugar Ray Leonard from Boxrec
- Sugar Ray Leonard's U.S. Olympic Team bio
- Ian Palmer's TigerBoxing article on Leonard vs Duran I
| Preceded by Wilfred Benitez |
WBC Welterweight Champion 30 Nov 1979 – 20 Jun 1980 |
Succeeded by Roberto Duran |
| Preceded by Roberto Duran |
WBC Welterweight Champion 25 Nov 1980 – 9 Nov 1982 Retires |
Succeeded by Milton McCrory |
| Preceded by Ayub Kalule |
WBA Light Middleweight Champion 25 Jun 1981 – Jun 1981 Vacates |
Succeeded by Tadashi Mihara |
| Preceded by Thomas Hearns |
WBA Welterweight Champion 16 Sep 1981 – 9 Nov 1982 Retires |
Succeeded by Donald Curry |
| Preceded by Marvin Hagler |
WBC Middleweight Champion 6 Apr 1987 – 27 May 1987 Retires |
Succeeded by Thomas Hearns |
| Preceded by Donny Lalonde |
WBC Light Heavyweight Champion 7 Nov 1988 – 1989 Vacates |
Succeeded by Dennis Andries |
| Preceded by Inaugural Champion |
WBC Super Middleweight Champion 7 Nov 1988 – 1990 Retires |
Succeeded by Mauro Galvano |
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