Name	Marvelous Marvin Hagler
Weight	Middleweight
Height
Reach
Nationality	American
Birth date	May 23, 1954
Birth place	Newark, New Jersey, USA
Home	Brockton, Massachusetts
Style	Ambidextrous
Total	67
Wins	62
Ko	52
Losses	3
Draws	2
No contests	0 }}

Marvelous Marvin Hagler (born Marvin Nathaniel Hagler, in Newark, New Jersey, May 23, 1954), is a former professional boxer who was undisputed world middleweight champion between 1980 and 1987. Hagler holds the distinction of having the highest KO% of all middleweight champions at 78%. In 1982, upset that network announcers often did not refer to him by his nickname of "Marvelous", Hagler legally changed his name from "Marvin Nathaniel Hagler" to "Marvelous Marvin Hagler".

Hagler is an inductee of the International Boxing Hall of Fame and the World Boxing Hall of Fame. In 2002 he was named the 17th greatest fighter of the past 80 years by ''Ring Magazine''. The International Boxing Research Organisation (IBRO) rates Hagler as the sixth greatest middleweight of all time. Boxrec rates Hagler the fifth best middleweight of all time. At six years and seven months, Hagler's reign as undisputed middleweight champion is the second longest of the last century, behind only the seven year reign of Tony Zale in the 1940s.

Early life and amateur career

Hagler was raised by his mother in Newark, New Jersey's Central Ward. During the summer of 1967, the Newark Riots occurred July 12–17. Twenty-six people were killed and $11 million worth of property damage was caused by the disorder, which included the destruction of the Hagler family tenement. Following the riots, the Haglers moved to Brockton, Massachusetts where Hagler soon began boxing training at the Petronelli brothers' gym in 1969. In 1973, Hagler became the National AAU 165-pound champion after defeating Terry Dobbs of Atlanta.

Professional career

Hagler was a # 1 ranked middleweight boxer for many years before he could fight for the title. He often had to travel to his opponents' hometowns to get fights. He lost decisions to Willie Monroe and Bobby 'Boogaloo' Watts.

Hagler avenged his 2 defeats by knocking out Monroe and Watts in rematches, and won a 10-round decision over Bennie Briscoe. By then, promoter Bob Arum took notice and signed him.

In November 1979, Hagler fought World Middleweight Champion Vito Antuofermo at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. After fifteen rounds, most thought that Hagler had won. Referee Mills Lane directed Hagler to turn and face the television cameras. "Congratulations," he said. "Now stay facing this way until they announce the decision and I raise your arm." Hagler and many others were surprised when the decision was announced as a draw and Antuofermo retained his title. This only added to Hagler's frustrations.

Antuofermo lost his title later to Alan Minter, who gave Hagler his second title shot. Hagler went to London and beat Minter, who had stated that "No black man is going to take my title," in 3 rounds at the Wembley Arena. At the conclusion of this bout a riot broke out and Hagler and his trainers had to be carried away to their locker rooms by the police, in the middle of a rain of beer bottles and glasses.

Hagler proved a busy world champion, and he defeated future world champion Fulgencio Obelmejias of Venezuela by a knockout in 8 rounds, and then former world champ Antuofermo in a rematch by TKO in 4 rounds. Both matches were fought at the Boston Garden near Hagler's hometown, endearing him to Boston fight fans. Syrian born Mustafa Hamsho, who would later defeat future world champion Bobby Czyz, became Hagler's next challenger, but he was beaten in 11 rounds. Michigan fighter William "Caveman" Lee lasted only 1 round, and in a rematch in Italy, Obelmejias lasted 5 rounds. British champion (and mutual Alan Minter conquerer) Tony Sibson followed in Hagler's ever growing list of unsuccessful challengers. Sibson provided one of the most entertaining (to this point) fights of Marvelous Marvin's career , but he ultimately fell short, lasting 6 rounds. Next, came Wilford Scypion, who only lasted 4. By then, Hagler was a staple on HBO, the Pay Per View of its time.

Hagler vs Roberto Durán

A fight against Roberto Durán followed, and Duran was the first challenger to last the distance with Hagler in a world championship bout. Duran was the WBA light middleweight champion and went up in weight to challenge for Hagler's middleweight crown. Hagler won a unanimous 15-round decision, although after 12 rounds two of the judges had Durán ahead in a tough contest. Hagler fought tenaciously over the final three rounds to earn a unanimous decision.

Defenses

Then came Juan Roldán of Argentina, who became the only man to be credited with a knockdown of Hagler, scoring one knockdown seconds into the fight. Hagler protested bitterly that he had been pulled/pushed to the canvas and HBO replay clearly showed that he had indeed been pulled down. Hagler took his revenge though, brutalizing Roldan over ten rounds and stopping him in the middle of round ten. Sugar Ray Leonard was calling the fight ringside with HBO analyst Barry Tompkins. He noted to Tompkins between rounds that Hagler looked older and slower. "Marvin might finally be slowing down, Barry". Leonard remarked. Many people believe this is the fight that gave Sugar Ray Leonard the idea that he could actually win a fight with the aging Hagler. Hamsho was given a rematch, but the Syrian was again TKO'd, this time in 3 rounds. Hamsho angered Hagler with a trio of intentional headbutts in the second round and a fourth early in the third, goading the normally patient and cautious Hagler into a full-out attack that left Hamsho battered and defensless in a matter of seconds.

Hagler vs Hearns aka "The War"

On April 15, 1985, Hagler and Thomas Hearns met in what was billed as The Fight; later it would become known as "The War". Hagler, despite a cut to the head and being covered in blood, managed to overpower Hearns in the third round after a glancing right hand followed by two more rights and a left, scoring a decisive knockout. The first round of Hagler v Hearns is one of the best three minutes boxing in middleweight history as the two fighters stand toe to toe trading blows. Rounds two and three cannot live up to the first, as Hearns broke his hand in the first round, but are still very competitive, the fight only lasts eight minutes but it is rightly regarded as a classic.

Hagler vs Mugabi

Next was John Mugabi of Uganda, who was 26-0 with 26 knockouts and an Olympic silver medalist. The fight was fought on 10 March 1986 as Hagler had hurt his back and could not fight on the first date booked in 1985. Hagler stopped Mugabi in the 11th round of a brutal fight. Many ringside observers, including analyst Gil Clancy, noticed that Hagler was showing signs of advanced ring wear and age. He was much slower of hand and foot and seemed much easier to hit. He had also completely morphed his ring style from a slick, quick-fisted, boxer/puncher to a strictly flat-footed, stalking slugger to compensate for his loss of speed and reflexes.

Hagler vs Sugar Ray Leonard

Hagler's next challenger was Sugar Ray Leonard, who was returning to the ring after a three-year retirement. During the pre-fight negotiations, in return for granting Hagler a larger share of the purse Leonard obtained several conditions which would be crucial to his strategy; a large ring (24x24ft), 12oz gloves and the fight was to be over 12 - not 15 - rounds. After the fight it also emerged that Leonard engaged in several real fights behind closed doors in preparation. Hagler, the natural middleweight and the more active fighter, was a heavy betting favorite. The fight took place at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on April 6, 1987.

Many were surprised that Hagler, a natural southpaw, opened the fight boxing out of an orthodox stance. After the quick and slick Leonard won the first two rounds on all three scorecards, Hagler started the third round as a southpaw. Hagler did better, but Leonard's superior speed and boxing skill kept him in the fight. By the fifth, Leonard, who was moving a lot, began to tire and Hagler started to get closer. As he tired Leonard began to clinch with more frequency (in total referee Richard Steele gave him over 30 warnings for holding, although never deducted a point). Hagler buckled Leonard's knees with a right uppercut near the end of the round, which finished with Leonard on the ropes. Hagler continued to score effectively in round six. Leonard, having slowed down, was obliged to fight more and run less. However, he was able to outpunch Hagler along the ropes and got the better of several bristling exchanges. In rounds seven and eight, Hagler's southpaw jab was landing solidly and Leonard's counter flurries were less frequent. Round nine was the most exciting round of the fight. Hagler hurt Leonard with a left cross and pinned him in a corner. Leonard looked to be in trouble, but he furiously fought his way out of the corner. The action see-sawed back and forth for the rest of the round, with each man having his moments. Round ten was tame by comparison, as the pace slowed after the furious action of the previous round. Despite Leonard's obvious fatigue, he boxed well in the eleventh. Every time Hagler scored, Leonard came back with something flashier, if not as effective. In the final round, Hagler continued to chase Leonard. He hit Leonard with a big left hand and backed him into a corner. Leonard responded with a furious flurry. Hagler backed off, and Leonard danced away with Hagler in pursuit. The fight ended with Hagler and Leonard exchanging along the ropes. Hagler began dancing in celebration of his performance while a totally exhausted and spent Leonard collapsed to the canvas. Leonard threw 629 punches and landed 306, while Hagler threw 792 and landed 291. Video replay of the fight showed however, that many of Leonards punches that were credited as landing actually hit only arms and shoulders.

Leonard was awarded a controversial split-decision. Many felt that Hagler deserved the decision because he was the aggressor and landed the harder punches. Hugh McIlvanney wrote in the British ''Sunday Times'' that Leonard's plan was to "steal rounds with a few flashy and carefully timed flurries....he was happy to exaggerate hand speed at the expense of power, and neither he nor two of the scorers seemed bothered by the fact that many of the punches landed on the champion's gloves and arms." McIlvanny also referred to Budd Schulberg's contention that simply being more competitive than expected meant that Leonard appeared more effective and to be doing more than he actually was.

Others felt that Leonard deservedly got the decision, arguing that Leonard landed more punches and showed better defense and ring generalship. Jim Murray, long-time sports columnist for the ''Los Angeles Times'', wrote, "It wasn't even close...He didn't just outpoint Hagler, he exposed him. He made him look like a guy chasing a bus. In snowshoes. Leonard repeatedly beat Hagler to the punch. When he did, he hit harder. He hit more often. He made Hagler into what he perceived him to be throughout his career - a brawler, a swarmer, a man who could club you to death only if you stood there and let him. If you moved, he was lost."

To this day, the fight is still hotly debated. The scorecards from the ringside press attest to the closeness of the fight:

{| |width=25% valign=top|

Associated Press: 117-112 Hagler

New York Daily News: 117-111 Leonard

New York Times: 114-114

New York Post: 114-114

Newsday: 115-114 Hagler

Chicago Sun-Times: 115-114 Hagler

Chicago Tribune: 7-5 Hagler

|width=25% valign=top|

Houston Chronicle: 115-114 Leonard

Washington Post: 114-114

Boston Globe: 117-111 Leonard

Boston Herald 116-113 Leonard

Baltimore Sun: 7-5 Leonard

Oakland Tribune: 117-112 Leonard

San Jose Mercury-News: 116-115 Hagler

|}

Hagler retired from boxing in June 1988, having been unable to secure a rematch with Leonard: "the only reason I would return would be to regain my title, but since Leonard has been playing games, it would probably take another year to work things out."

Training style

Hagler had a unique training regimen in which he would hole up on Cape Cod in motels that had closed for the winter. For his "road work" he would take to the pavement in army boots, declaring running shoes "sissy shoes." He would run much of his route backwards to prepare for movements in the boxing ring.

Awards and recognition

Named Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year for 1985 and 1987.

Inducted into both the International Boxing Hall of Fame and the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 1993.

Career after boxing

After the loss to Leonard, Hagler moved to Italy, where he became a well-known star of action films. His roles include a US Marine in the films ''Indio'' and ''Indio 2''. Other notable films starring Hagler include ''Brutal Bonanza'', ''Geno's Plan'' and ''Lethal Lunch Date''. In 1995, he starred alongside Giselle Blondet in the low-budget thriller ''Black Market Wedding''. Hagler does boxing commentary for British television. Another foray into the entertainment field includes work in the video game ''Fight Night: Round 3''.

Personal life

Former middleweight southpaw boxer Robbie Sims is Hagler's half brother. Hagler has five children with his first wife, Bertha, including Charelle, Celeste, James, Marvin, Jr., and Gentry. Although he owns a home in Barlett, New Hampshire, Hagler currently lives in Milan. On May 2000, he married his second wife Kay, an Italian woman, in Pioltello, Italy.

Professional boxing record

| style="text-align:center;" colspan="8"|62 Wins (52 Knockouts), 3 Defeats, 2 Draws |- style="text-align:center; background:#e3e3e3;" | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Res. | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Record | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Opponent | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Type | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Rd., Time | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Date | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Location | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Notes |- align=center |- align=center |Loss |62-3-2 |align=left| Sugar Ray Leonard | | | |align=left| Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |62-2-2 |align=left| John Mugabi | | | |align=left| Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |61-2-2 |align=left| Thomas Hearns | | | |align=left| Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |60-2-2 |align=left| Mustafa Hamsho | | | |align=left| Madison Square Garden, New York, New York}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |59-2-2 |align=left| Juan Roldán | | | |align=left| The Riviera Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |58-2-2 |align=left| Roberto Duran | | | |align=left| Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |57-2-2 |align=left| Wilford Scypion | | | |align=left| Providence Civic Center, Providence, Rhode Island}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |56-2-2 |align=left| Tony Sibson | | | |align=left| Centrum, Worcester, Massachusetts}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |55-2-2 |align=left| Fulgencio Obelmejias | | | |align=left| Teatro Ariston, San Remo, Liguria}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |54-2-2 |align=left| William Lee | | | |align=left| Bally's Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |54-2-2 |align=left| Mustafa Hamsho | | | |align=left| Rosemont Horizon, Rosemont, Illinois}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |53-2-2 |align=left| Vito Antuofermo | | | |align=left| Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |52-2-2 |align=left| Fulgencio Obelmejias | | | |align=left| Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |51-2-2 |align=left| Alan Minter | | | |align=left| Wembley Arena, Wembley, London}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |50-2-2 |align=left| Marcos Geraldo | | | |align=left| Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |49-2-2 |align=left| Bobby Watts | | | |align=left| Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland, Maine}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |48-2-2 |align=left| Loucif Hamani | | | |align=left| Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland, Maine}} |align=left| |- align=center |style="background:#abcdef;"|Draw |47-2-2 |align=left| Vito Antuofermo | | | |align=left| Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |46-2-1 |align=left| Norberto Rufino Cabrera | | | |align=left| Esplanade de Fontvieille, Monte Carlo}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |45-2-1 |align=left| Jamie Thomas | | | |align=left| Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland, Maine}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |44-2-1 |align=left| Bob Patterson | | | |align=left| Providence Civic Center, Providence, Rhode Island}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |43-2-1 |align=left| Sugar Ray Seales | | | |align=left| Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |42-2-1 |align=left| Willie Warren | | | |align=left| Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |41-2-1 |align=left| Bennie Briscoe | | | |align=left| The Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |40-2-1 |align=left| Kevin Finnegan | | | |align=left| Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |39-2-1 |align=left| Doug Demmings | | | |align=left| Grand Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |38-2-1 |align=left| Kevin Finnegan | | | |align=left| Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |37-2-1 |align=left| Mike Colbert | | | |align=left| Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |36-2-1 |align=left| Jim Henry | | | |align=left| Marvel Gymnasium, Providence, Rhode Island}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |35-2-1 |align=left| Ray Phillips | | | |align=left| Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |34-2-1 |align=left| Willie Monroe | | | |align=left| The Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |33-2-1 |align=left| Roy Jones | | | |align=left| Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, Connecticut}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |32-2-1 |align=left| Reggie Ford | | | |align=left| Boston Arena, Boston, Massachusetts}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |31-2-1 |align=left| Willie Monroe | | | |align=left| Hynes Auditorium, Boston, Massachusetts}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |30-2-1 |align=left| George Davis | | | |align=left| Hynes Auditorium, Boston, Massachusetts}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |29-2-1 |align=left| Eugene Hart | | | |align=left| The Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |28-2-1 |align=left| DC Walker | | | |align=left| Arena, North Providence, Rhode Island}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |27-2-1 |align=left| Bob Smith | | | |align=left| Roseland Ballroom, Taunton, Massachusetts}} |align=left| |- align=center |Loss |26-2-1 |align=left| Willie Monroe | | | |align=left| The Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |26-1-1 |align=left| Matt Donovan | | | |align=left| Boston Arena, Boston, Massachusetts}} |align=left| |- align=center |Loss |25-1-1 |align=left| Bobby Watts | | | |align=left| The Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |25-0-1 |align=left| Johnny Baldwin | | | |align=left| Hynes Auditorium, Boston, Massachusetts}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |24-0-1 |align=left| Lamont Lovelady | | | |align=left| Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |23-0-1 |align=left| Jesse Bender | | | |align=left| Exposition Building, Portland, Maine}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |22-0-1 |align=left| Jimmy Owens | | | |align=left| Brockton High School Gymnasium, Brockton, Massachusetts}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |21-0-1 |align=left| Jimmy Owens | | | |align=left| Boston Arena, Boston, Massachusetts}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |20-0-1 |align=left| Joey Blair | | | |align=left| Harvard Club of Boston, Boston, Massachusetts}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |19-0-1 |align=left| Dornell Wigfall | | | |align=left| Brockton High School Gymnasium, Brockton, Massachusetts}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |18-0-1 |align=left| DC Walker | | | |align=left| Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts}} |align=left| |- align=center |style="background:#abcdef;"|Draw |17-0-1 |align=left| Sugar Ray Seales | | | |align=left| Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, Washington}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |17-0 |align=left| George Green | | | |align=left| Brockton, Massachusetts}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |16-0 |align=left| Morris Jordan | | | |align=left| Brockton High School Gymnasium, Brockton, Massachusetts}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |15-0 |align=left| Sugar Ray Seales | | | |align=left| WNAC-TV Studio, Boston, Massachusetts}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |14-0 |align=left| Peachy Davis | | | |align=left| Sargent Field, New Bedford, Massachusetts}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |13-0 |align=left| Bobby Williams | | | |align=left| Boston Arena, Boston, Massachusetts}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |12-0 |align=left| Curtis Phillips | | | |align=left| Exposition Building, Portland, Maine}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |11-0 |align=left| James Redford | | | |align=left| Brockton High School Gymnasium, Brockton, Massachusetts}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |10-0 |align=left| Tracy Morrison | | | |align=left| WNAC-TV Studio, Boston, Massachusetts}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |9-0 |align=left| Bob Harrington | | | |align=left| Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |8-0 |align=left| James Redford | | | |align=left| Boston, Massachusetts}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |7-0 |align=left| Manny Freitas | | | |align=left| Exposition Building, Portland, Maine}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |6-0 |align=left| Cocoa Kid | | | |align=left| Brockton, Massachusetts}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |5-0 |align=left| Cove Green | | | |align=left| Brockton High School Gymnasium, Brockton, Massachusetts}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |4-0 |align=left| Dornell Wigfall | | | |align=left| Brockton High School Gymnasium, Brockton, Massachusetts}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |3-0 |align=left| Muhammed Smith | | | |align=left| Boston Arena, Boston, Massachusetts}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |2-0 |align=left| Sonny Williams | | | |align=left| Boston Arena, Boston, Massachusetts}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |1-0 |align=left| Terry Ryan | | | |align=left| Brockton High School Gymnasium, Brockton, Massachusetts}} |align=left|

See also

List of undisputed boxing champions

List of WBC world champions

Notes

External links

The Super Fight: Hagler vs Leonard

Official Web Site

Marvin Hagler's Amateur Boxing Record

{{s-ttl | title=WBA Middleweight Champion| years=September 27, 1980 – March 10, 1987Stripped}} |- {{s-ttl | title=WBC Middleweight ChampionThe Ring Magazine Middleweight Champion| years=September 27, 1980 – April 6, 1987}} |- {{s-ttl | title=IBF Middleweight Champion| years=May 27, 1983 – April 6, 1987Stripped}} |- |- {{s-ttl | title=World Middleweight Champion| years=May 27, 1983 – April 6, 1987''Titles fractured''}} |- |-

Category:1954 births Category:African American boxers Category:American expatriates in Italy Category:American boxers Category:International Boxing Federation Champions Category:International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees Category:Living people Category:Middleweight boxers Category:People from Newark, New Jersey Category:People from Brockton, Massachusetts Category:Southpaw boxers Category:World Boxing Association Champions Category:World Boxing Council Champions Category:Winners of the United States Championship for amateur boxers

de:Marvin Hagler es:Marvin Hagler fr:Marvin Hagler it:Marvin Hagler ja:マービン・ハグラー pl:Marvin Hagler ru:Хаглер, Марвин simple:Marvin Hagler fi:Marvelous Marvin Hagler sv:Marvin Hagler th:มาร์วิน แฮ็กเลอร์

Name	Thomas Hearns
Realname	Thomas Hearns
Nickname	The Hitman Motor City Cobra
Height
Weight	Welterweight Super Welterweight Middleweight Super Middleweight Light-Heavyweight Cruiserweight
Nationality	American
Birth date	October 18, 1958
Birth place	Memphis, Tennessee, USA
Home	Detroit, Michigan, USA
Style	Orthodox
Total	67
Wins	61
Ko	48
Losses	5
Draws	1
No contests	0 }}

Thomas "Hitman" Hearns or just commonly known as "The Hitman" is a retired American boxer who won eight world titles in six different weight divisions. He was born on October 18, 1958 in Memphis, Tennessee. Shortly after his birth, his family moved to Detroit, Michigan.

Hearns became the first boxer in history to win world titles in four divisions. He would also become the first fighter in history to win 5 world titles in 5 different divisions.

He has scored 48 knockouts in his career.

Hearns received the "Fighter of the Year" award in 1980 and 1984.

He fought 21 current, past or future world champions.

He lost only one decision in his entire career, at the age of 33, to Iran "The Blade" Barkley.

Amateur career

Hearns had an amateur record of 155–8. In 1977, he won the National Amateur Athletic Union Light Welterweight Championship, defeating Bobby Joe Young of Steubenville, Ohio, in the finals. He also won the 1977 National Golden Gloves Light Welterweight Championship.

Professional career

Hearns began his professional boxing career in Detroit, Michigan, under the tutelage of Emanuel Steward in 1977.

He won eight titles in six weight classes during his pro career, defeating future boxing hall of famers such as Pipino Cuevas, Wilfred Benítez, Virgil Hill and Roberto Durán. Hearns started his career by knocking out his first 17 opponents. In 1980, Hearns carried his 28-0 record into a world title match against Mexico's Pipino Cuevas. Hearns ended Cuevas's 4-year reign by beating him by TKO in the second round. Hearns was voted "Fighter of the Year" by Ring Magazine in 1980.

In 1981, Hearns the WBA champion, with a 32-0 record (30 KOs), fought World Boxing Council champion Sugar Ray Leonard (30-1) to unify the World Welterweight Championship in a bout dubbed "The Showdown". In this legendary fight, Hearns suffered his first professional defeat when Leonard stopped him in the 14th round. In the 13th round, Leonard, behind on points on all 3 judges scorecards, needed a knockout to win. He came on strong and put Hearns through the ropes at the end of the round. Hearns was dazed, totally out of gas and received a count but was saved by the bell. Leonard, with his left eye shut and time running out, resumed his attack in the 14th. Hearns started the round boxing and moving, but after staggering Hearns with an overhand right, Leonard pinned Hearns against the ropes. After another combination to the body and head, referee Davey Pearl stopped the fight. Hearns and Leonard banked a combined 17 million dollars for the fight, making it the largest purse in sports history. The following year, Leonard retired due to a detached retina caused by Hearns jab, and there would be no rematch until 1989.

Hearns moved up in weight and won the WBC Super Welterweight World Title from boxing legend and 3-time world champion Wilfred Benítez (44-1-1) in New Orleans in December 1982 and defended that title against European champion Luigi Minchillo (42-1) (W 12), Roberto Durán (KO 2), no.1 contender Fred Hutchings (29-1) (KO 3), and #1 contender Mark Medal (26-2) (TKO 8). During his reign at this weight, the 2 round destruction of the legendary Roberto Durán, in which he became the first boxer to KO Duran, is seen as his pinnacle achievement, earning him his second Ring Magazine "Fighter of the Year" award in 1984.

During his time as Super Welterweight champion, Hearns also ventured into the middleweight division, losing a legendary battle to World Champion Marvin Hagler in 1985. Billed "The Fight", (later known as The War), this superbout is commonly known as the 3 greatest rounds in history. The legendary battle elevated both fighters to superstar status. Hearns was able to stun Hagler soon after the opening bell, but he subsequently broke his right hand in the first round. He did, however, manage to open a deep cut over Hagler's nose that caused the ring doctor to consider a stoppage. The fight, however, was allowed to continue at this point, with the ringside commentators remarking on the fact that, "the last thing Hagler wants or needs is for this fight to be stopped on a cut." The battle did go back and forth some, but Hearns was unable to capitalize on his early successes against Hagler, and the hand injury ultimately contributed to his undoing. After the injury, he was unable to throw the type of devastating right hand power punches for which he was known. As a result he began to use lateral movement and a good jab to keep Hagler at bay as best he could under the circumstances. This tactic worked fairly well, but in the third round a smiling Hearns turned his back on Hagler after an exchange. This grave mistake allowed Hagler to trap Hearns on the ropes, where a crushing right hand by Hagler knocked Hearns down. Hearns beat the count but was totally gone and the referee stopped the fight. Despite the loss, Hearns garnered a tremendous amount of respect from fans and boxing aficionados alike. Considering the popularity of the fight and the level of competition a rematch would seem to be a foregone conclusion.

Hearns quickly made amends by dispatching undefeated rising star James "Black Gold" Shuler with a devastating first round knockout in 1986. Two weeks after the fight, Shuler was killed in a motorcycle accident. Hearns presented the NABF Championship belt to Shuler's family at his funeral, saying he deserved to keep the belt as he had held it longer than Hearns.

Other notable World Title fights included the 6 knockdowns of 3-time world champion Dennis Andries to win the WBC Light Heavyweight World Title in March 1987, his four-round destruction of the feared Juan Roldán (63-2) later that year to claim the WBC Middleweight World Title, his TKO "Ring Magazine 1988 upset of the year" loss to Iran Barkley in his first defense of that same title, and his win against James "the Heat" Kinchen (44-3) for the WBO Super Middleweight Title.

Hearns had to wait until 1989 for a rematch with Sugar Ray Leonard, this time for the WBC Super Middleweight title. This was Hearns's sixth Superfight, a fight which much of the public believed Hearns won, flooring Leonard in both the 3rd and 11th rounds. However, the judges scored the fight a controversial draw. Leonard later admitted that Hearns had beat him and that he was gifted the draw, stating the fighters were 1-1 in his book.

1991 would see one last great performance by the aging Hitman as he challenged the undefeated WBA Light Heavyweight Champion Virgil Hill. In Hill's 11th defense of the title, Hearns would return to his amateur roots and outbox the champion to win a convincing decision and add a 6th World Title to his illustrious career.

Later in his career, Hearns also won 2 Cruiserweight titles, the WBU and the IBO.

Personal

Hearns' family is a fixture on the Detroit sports scene. His mother, Lois Hearns, is a fight promoter. Their company, "Hearns Entertainment", has promoted many cards, including the Mike Tyson-Andrew Golota bout in 2000. His son Ronald Hearns is also a boxer, and has fought on the undercard of his father's last couple of fights. He currently lives in Southfield, Michigan (a suburb of Detroit). Due to personal financial issues, Hearns was forced to auction off his possessions at The Auction Block of Detroit, Michigan on April 3, 2010. Items included were a 1957 Chevy, 47' Fountain boat, and a slew of collectors memorabilia. His debt to the IRS was $250,000. He took responsibility for repaying the entire debt, which he said was accrued from being overly generous toward his large extended family.

Professional boxing record

| style="text-align:center;" colspan="8"|61 Wins (48 Knockouts), 5 Defeats (4 Knockouts), 1 Draw |- style="text-align:center; background:#e3e3e3;" | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Res. | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Record | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Opponent | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Type | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Rd., Time | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Date | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Location | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Notes |- align=center |- align=center |Win |61-5-1 |align=left| Shannon Landberg | | | |align=left| The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |60-5-1 |align=left| John Long | | | |align=left| Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan}} |align=left| |- align=center |Loss |59-5-1 |align=left| Uriah Grant | | | |align=left| Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |59-4-1 |align=left| Nate Miller | | | |align=left| M.E.N. Arena, Manchester, Greater Manchester}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |58-4-1 |align=left| Jay Snyder | | | |align=left| Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |57-4-1 |align=left| Ed Dalton | | | |align=left| Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |56-4-1 |align=left| Karl Willis | | | |align=left| Roanoke Civic Center, Roanoke, Virginia}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |55-4-1 |align=left| Earl Butler | | | |align=left| The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |54-4-1 |align=left| Lenny LaPaglia | | | |align=left| Detroit, Michigan}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |53-4-1 |align=left| Freddie Delgado | | | |align=left| Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, North Carolina}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |52-4-1 |align=left| Dan Ward | | | |align=left| MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |51-4-1 |align=left| Andrew Maynard | | | |align=left| Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Loss |50-4-1 |align=left| Iran Barkley | | | |align=left| Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |50-3-1 |align=left| Virgil Hill | | | |align=left| Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |49-3-1 |align=left| Ken Atkins | | | |align=left| Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |48-3-1 |align=left| Kemper Morton | | | |align=left| Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |47-3-1 |align=left| Michael Olajide | | | |align=left| Trump Taj Mahal, Atlantic City, New Jersey}} |align=left| |- align=center |style="background:#abcdef;"|Draw |46-3-1 |align=left| Sugar Ray Leonard | | | |align=left| Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |46-3 |align=left| James Kinchen | | | |align=left| Hilton Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Loss |45-3 |align=left| Iran Barkley | | | |align=left| Hilton Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |45-2 |align=left| Juan Roldán | | | |align=left| Hilton Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |44-2 |align=left| Dennis Andries | | | |align=left| Cobo Hall, Detroit, Michigan}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |43-2 |align=left| Doug DeWitt | | | |align=left| Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |42-2 |align=left| Mark Medal | | | |align=left| Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |41-2 |align=left| James Shuler | | | |align=left| Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Loss |40-2 |align=left| Marvin Hagler | | | |align=left| Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |40-1 |align=left| Fred Hutchings | | | |align=left| Civic Center, Saginaw, Michigan}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |39-1 |align=left| Roberto Duran | | | |align=left| Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |38-1 |align=left| Luigi Minchillo | | | |align=left| Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |37-1 |align=left| Murray Sutherland | | | |align=left| Caesars Atlantic City, Atlantic City, New Jersey}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |36-1 |align=left| Wilfred Benítez | | | |align=left| Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |35-1 |align=left| Jeff McCracken | | | |align=left| Cobo Hall, Detroit, Michigan}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |34-1 |align=left| Marcos Geraldo | | | |align=left| The Aladdin, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |33-1 |align=left| Ernie Singletary | | | |align=left| Queen Elizabeth Sports Centre, Nassau}} |align=left| |- align=center |Loss |32-1 |align=left| Sugar Ray Leonard | | | |align=left| Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |32-0 |align=left| Pablo Baez | | | |align=left| Astrodome, Houston, Texas}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |31-0 |align=left| Randy Shields | | | |align=left| Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |30-0 |align=left| Luis Primera | | | |align=left| Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |29-0 |align=left| José Cuevas | | | |align=left| Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |28-0 |align=left| Eddie Gazo | | | |align=left| Cobo Hall, Detroit, Michigan}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |27-0 |align=left| Santiago Valdez | | | |align=left| Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |26-0 |align=left| Ángel Espada | | | |align=left| Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |25-0 |align=left| Jim Richards | | | |align=left| Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |24-0 |align=left| Mike Colbert | | | |align=left| Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |23-0 |align=left| Saensak Muangsurin | | | |align=left| Olympia Stadium, Detroit, Michigan}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |22-0 |align=left| Jose Figueroa | | | |align=left| Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |21-0 |align=left| Inocencio Mao De la Rosa | | | |align=left| Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |20-0 |align=left| Bruce Curry | | | |align=left| Olympia Stadium, Detroit, Michigan}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |19-0 |align=left| Harold Weston | | | |align=left| Dunes Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |18-0 |align=left| Alfonso Hayman | | | |align=left| The Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |17-0 |align=left| Segundo Murillo | | | |align=left| Olympia Stadium, Detroit, Michigan}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |16-0 |align=left| Sammy Ruckard | | | |align=left| Saginaw, Michigan}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |15-0 |align=left| Clyde Gray | | | |align=left| Olympia Stadium, Detroit, Michigan}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |14-0 |align=left| Rudy Barro | | | |align=left| Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |13-0 |align=left| Pedro Rojas | | | |align=left| Olympia Stadium, Detroit, Michigan}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |12-0 |align=left| Bruce Finch | | | |align=left| Detroit, Michigan}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |11-0 |align=left| Eddie Marcelle | | | |align=left| Detroit, Michigan}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |10-0 |align=left| Raul Aguirre | | | |align=left| Detroit, Michigan}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |9-0 |align=left| Jimmy Rothwell | | | |align=left| Olympia Stadium, Detroit, Michigan}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |8-0 |align=left| Tyrone Phelps | | | |align=left| Saginaw, Michigan}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |7-0 |align=left| Ray Fields | | | |align=left| Detroit, Michigan}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |6-0 |align=left| Billy Goodwin | | | |align=left| Saginaw, Michigan}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |5-0 |align=left| Robert Adams | | | |align=left| Detroit, Michigan}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |4-0 |align=left| Anthony House | | | |align=left| Knoxville, Tennessee}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |3-0 |align=left| Willie Wren | | | |align=left| Detroit, Michigan}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |2-0 |align=left| Jerry Strickland | | | |align=left| Mount Clemens, Michigan}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |1-0 |align=left| Jerome Hill | | | |align=left| Detroit, Michigan}} |align=left|

See also

List of boxing triple champions‎

List of boxing quadruple champions

List of boxing quintuple champions

List of boxing sextuple champions

List of IBO world champions

List of WBC world champions

List of WBA world champions

List of WBO world champions

List of IBF world champions

References

External links

Thomas Hearns' Amateur Boxing Record

Highlight Video

{{S-ttl | title=WBA Welterweight Champion| years=August 2, 1980 – September 16, 1981}} |- {{S-ttl | title=WBC Light Middleweight Champion| years=December 3, 1982–1986Vacated}} |- {{S-ttl | title=WBC Light Heavyweight Champion| years=March 7, 1987 – November 27, 1987Vacated}} |- {{S-ttl | title=WBC Middleweight Champion| years=October 29, 1987 – June 6, 1988}} |- {{S-ttl | title=WBO Super Middleweight Champion| years=November 4, 1988 – April 28, 1990Vacated}} |- {{S-ttl | title=WBA Light Heavyweight Champion| years=June 3, 1991 – March 20, 1992}} |- {{S-ttl | title=IBO Cruiserweight Champion| years=April 10, 1999 – April 8, 2000}} |- |-

Category:1958 births Category:Living people Category:American boxers Category:African American boxers Category:Welterweight boxers Category:Light-middleweight boxers Category:Middleweight boxers Category:World Boxing Association Champions Category:World Boxing Council Champions Category:World Boxing Organization Champions Category:Winners of the United States Championship for amateur boxers

de:Thomas Hearns fr:Thomas Hearns ko:토머스 헌즈 it:Thomas Hearns ja:トーマス・ハーンズ pl:Thomas Hearns ru:Хирнс, Томас fi:Thomas Hearns sv:Thomas Hearns th:โธมัส เฮิร์นส์

Name	Sugar Ray Leonard
Realname	Ray Charles Leonard
Nickname	Sugar
Weight	WelterweightJunior MiddleweightMiddleweightSuper MiddleweightLight Heavyweight
Height
Reach
Nationality	American
Birth date	May 17, 1956
Birth place	Rocky Mount, North Carolina, USA
Style	Orthodox
Total	40
Wins	36
Ko	25
Losses	3
Draws	1
No contests	0
Medaltemplates	}}

Sugar Ray Leonard (born May 17, 1956) is an American retired professional boxer and occasional actor. He was named Ray Charles Leonard, after his mother's favorite singer, Ray Charles. Leonard was the first boxer to earn more than $100 million in purses, and he is widely considered to be one of the best boxers of all time, winning world titles in five weight divisions and defeating future fellow International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees Wilfred Benítez, Thomas Hearns, Roberto Durán and Marvin Hagler. Leonard was named "Boxer of the Decade" for the 1980s.

Early life

Leonard, the fifth of seven children, was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina to Cicero and Getha Leonard. He grew up in Wilmington, N.C. When he was three, the family moved to Washington, D.C. When he was ten, they settled permanently in Palmer Park, Maryland. His father worked as a supermarket night manager, his mother was a nurse.

Leonard was a shy child, and aside from the time he nearly drowned in a creek during a Seat Pleasant flood, his childhood was uneventful. He stayed home a lot, reading comic books and playing with his dog. "He never did talk too much," his mother said. "We never could tell what he was thinking. But I never had any problems with him. I never had to go to school once because of him."

Amateur career

Leonard started boxing at the Palmer Park recreation center in 1969. His older brother Roger started boxing first. Roger helped start the boxing program, urging the center's director, Ollie Dunlap to form a team. Dave Jacobs, a former boxer, and Janks Morton volunteered as boxing coaches. Roger won some trophies and showed them off in front of Ray, goading him to start boxing.

In 1972, Leonard boxed in the featherweight quarterfinals of the National AAU Tournament, losing by decision to Jerome Artis. It was his first defeat. Later that year, he boxed in the Eastern Olympic Trials. The rules stated that a boxer had to be seventeen to box in international competition, so Leonard, only sixteen, lied about his age. He made it to the lightweight semifinals, losing a disputed decision to Greg Whaley, who took such a beating that he wasn't allowed to continue in the trials. Whaley never boxed again.

Sarge Johnson, assistant coach of the U.S. Olympic Boxing Team, said to Dave Jacobs, "That kid you got is sweet as sugar." The nickname stuck. However, given his style and first name, it was probably only a matter of time before people started calling him Sugar Ray, after the man many consider to be the best boxer of all time, Sugar Ray Robinson.

In 1973, Leonard won the National Golden Gloves Lightweight Championship, but lost to Randy Shields in the lightweight final of the National AAU Tournament. The following year, Leonard won the National Golden Gloves and National AAU Lightweight Championships.

Leonard suffered his last two losses as an amateur in 1973. He lost a disputed decision to Anatoli Kamnev in Moscow, after which, Kamnev gave the winner's trophy to Leonard. In Poland, Kazimier Szczerba was given a decision victory over Leonard, even though he was dominated in the first two rounds and dropped three times in the third.

Leonard won the National Golden Gloves and National AAU Light Welterweight Championships in 1974. The following year, he again won the National AAU Light Welterweight Championship, as well as the Light Welterweight Championship at the Pan American Games.

In 1976, Leonard made the U.S. Olympic Team as the light welterweight representative. The team also included Leon and Michael Spinks, Howard Davis, Jr., Leo Randolph, Charles Mooney and John Tate. Many consider the 1976 U.S. team to be the greatest boxing team in the history of the Olympics.

Leonard won his first four Olympic bouts by 5–0 decisions. He faced Kazimier Szczerba in the semifinals and won by a 5–0 decision, avenging his last amateur loss. In the final, he boxed the great Cuban knockout artist Andrés Aldama, who scored five straight knockouts to reach the final.

Leonard landed several good left hooks in the first round. In the second, he dropped Aldama with a left to the chin. Late in the final round, he again hurt Aldama, which brought a standing eight count from the referee. With only a few seconds left in the fight, a Leonard combination forced another standing eight count. Leonard was awarded a 5–0 decision and the Olympic Gold Medal.

Afterward, Leonard announced, "I'm finished...I've fought my last fight. My journey has ended, my dream is fulfilled. Now I want to go to school." He was given a scholarship to the University of Maryland, a gift from the citizens of Glenarden, Maryland. He planned to study business administration and communications.

He finished his amateur career with a record of 145–5 and 75 KO's.

Achievements

1973 National Golden Gloves Lightweight Champion, defeating Hilmer Kenty

1973 National AAU Light Welterweight Championship runner-up, losing to Randy Shields

1974 National AAU Light Welterweight Champion

1974 National Golden Gloves Light Welterweight Champion

1975 National AAU Light Welterweight Champion

1975 Pan American Games Light Welterweight Gold Medalist

1976 Olympic Light Welterweight Gold Medalist

;Olympic Results

Defeated Ulf Carlsson (Sweden) points 5–0

Defeated Valery Limassov (Soviet Union) points 5–0

Defeated Clinton McKenzie (Great Britain) points 5–0

Defeated Ulrich Beyer (East Germany) points 5–0

Defeated Kazimierz Szczerba (Poland) points 5–0

Defeated Andrés Aldama (Cuba) points 5–0

Change in plans

Juanita Wilkinson, Leonard's high school girlfriend, told him she was pregnant in the summer of 1973. They decided to have the baby but marriage would be put off until after the Olympics in 1976. Leonard would continue to pursue his Olympic dream while she and the baby, Ray Charles Leonard Jr., lived with her parents. When Leonard boxed in the Olympics, he had a picture of Wilkinson taped to his sock.

Shortly before the Olympics, Wilkinson had filed an application to receive $156 a month in child support payments from Prince Georges County. She named Leonard as the father and the county's state attorney's office filed a civil suit against Leonard to establish paternity and get support payments for the child. Leonard learned of the suit several days after returning home from the Olympics. The headline in the ''Washington Star'' read, "Sugar Ray Leonard Named in Welfare Dept. Paternity Suit."

Wilkinson went to the Olympics to watch Leonard box, but she did not tell him about the suit and never asked him for any money. "I didn't feel like being bothered by all those complications by asking him for any money for support," she said. Leonard pledged he would support his son, even if he had to scrap plans to attend college.

Leonard had hoped to get lucrative endorsements following his gold medal win, but the publicity from the paternity suit chased off any big commercial possibilities. To make matters worse, his father was hospitalized with meningitis, and his mother suffered a heart attack. 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.

Professional career

Early professional career

When Leonard decided to turn professional, Janks Morton introduced him to Mike Trainer, a friend of his who was an attorney. Trainer talked twenty-four 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. Trainer then made Leonard the sole stockholder in Sugar Ray Leonard, Inc.

Angelo Dundee, Muhammad Ali's trainer, was brought in to be Leonard's trainer and manager. Many of the people being considered wanted absolute control and a cut somewhere near the manager's traditional 33%. Dundee had a different proposition. Although he would prescribe the training procedures, he would leave the day-to-day work to Dave Jacobs and Janks Morton. He would also choose Leonard's opponents. For his services, Dundee would get 15% of Leonard's purse.

Leonard made his professional debut on February 5, 1977 before a crowd of 10,270 at the Civic Center in Baltimore, Maryland. He was paid $40,044 for the fight. His opponent was Luis "The Bull" Vega, whom he defeated by a six-round unanimous decision. After the fight, Leonard paid back his $21,000 loan to the investors.

In his fourteenth professional fight, Leonard fought his first world-ranked opponent, Floyd Mayweather, who was ranked seventeenth. The fight took place on September 9, 1978. Leonard won by a tenth-round knockout. A month later, Leonard defeated his old amateur nemesis Randy Shields by a ten-round unanimous decision.

On August 12, 1979, Leonard knocked out Pete Ranzany in four rounds to win the NABF Welterweight Championship. The following month, he made his first title defense against Andy Price. Many felt that Price would give Leonard a tough fight, but Leonard took him out in the first round, advancing his record to 25–0 with 16 knockouts.

First world title

Leonard fought Wilfred Benitez for the WBC Welterweight Championship on November 30, 1979 at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. Leonard received $1 million and Benitez, a two-division champion with a record of 38–0–1, received $1.2 million.

It was a highly competitive and tactical battle. In the first round, Leonard rocked Benitez with a left hook that came off a jab and right cross. Late in the third, Leonard dropped Benitez on the seat of his pants with a stiff left jab. More embarrassed than hurt, Benitez got up quickly.

Benitez started to do better in the fourth, slipping numerous punches and finding the range with his right hand. "I wasn't aware I was in a championship early because I hit him so easy," Leonard said. "But then he adjusted to my style. It was like looking in a mirror."

In the sixth, there was an accidental clash of heads, which opened a cut on the forehead of Benitez. Blood flowed down his forehead and the bridge of his nose but stayed out of his eyes.

Leonard landed the harder punches and had Benitez hurt several times late in the fight, but Leonard couldn't put him away. Benitez was very slick. "No one, I mean no one, can make me miss punches like that," Leonard said.

Going into the final round, Leonard led by scores of 137–130, 137–133, and 136–134. The two went toe-to-toe in the fifteenth. Late in the round, Leonard dropped Benitez with a left. He got up, but after a few more punches, the referee stopped the fight. The time was 2:54 of round fifteen.

The Boxing Writers Association of America and ''The Ring'' named Leonard "Fighter of the Year" for 1979.

Leonard made his first title defense in Landover, Maryland on March 31, 1980. His opponent was Dave "Boy" Green. The British challenger had a record of 33–2. In the fourth round, Leonard knocked Green out with a devastating left hook. Leonard called it "the hardest single punch I ever threw."

The brawl in Montreal

On June 20, 1980 Leonard returned to the Olympic Stadium in Montreal to defend his title against Roberto Durán before a crowd of 46,317. Duran, the former Undisputed World Lightweight Champion, had a record of 71–1 and was the #1 welterweight contender. Duran received $1.5 million and Leonard, working for a percentage of the closed-circuit gate as well as a guarantee, received over $9 million.

Angelo Dundee counseled Leonard to box, to move side to side and not to get caught on the ropes. However, Leonard decided to fight Duran's way. "Flat-footed," he said. "I will not run."

Duran forced the issue and took the fight to Leonard, cutting off the ring and denying Leonard space to fight his fight. Duran attacked at almost every turn. Leonard battled back again and again, but he had to work just to find room to breathe and swing, at times simply to survive. In the second, Duran rocked Leonard with a left hook, sending him into the ropes. Leonard started to do better by the fifth round, finding some punching room and throwing numerous multi-punch combinations. The two fought with great intensity throughout the fight. According to Bill Nack:

It was, from almost the opening salvo, a fight that belonged to Duran. The Panamanian seized the evening and gave it what shape and momentum it had. 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. Always moving forward, he mauled and wrestled Leonard, scoring inside with hooks and rights. For three rounds Duran drove at Sugar Ray with a fury, and there were moments when it seemed the fight could not last five. Unable to get away, unable to counter and unable to slide away to open up the ring, Leonard seemed almost helpless under the assault. Now and then he got loose and countered—left-right-left to Duran's bobbing head—but he missed punches and could not work inside, could not jab, could not mount an offense to keep Duran at bay.

Duran was awarded a unanimous decision, although it was mistakenly read as a majority decision in the ring. The scorecard of judge Angelo Poletti was incorrectly added and announced as 147–147. He actually scored it 148–147. In rounds, he had it three for Duran, two for Leonard, and ten even. ''Sports Illustrated'' called his scorecard "a monument to indecision." Judges Raymond Baldeyrou and Harry Gibbs scored the fight 146–144 and 145–144, respectively. ''The Associated Press'' had it 144–141 for Duran, while ''The New York Times'' had Leonard ahead 144–142.

"I did the best I could," Leonard said. "I think I pretty much fought from the heart." Asked if Leonard was the best he ever fought, Duran thought for a moment and then answered, "Si, si." Duran said. "He does have a heart. That's why he's living."

Revenge in New Orleans

The rematch took place November 25, 1980 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans. Leonard received $7 million and Duran received $8 million.

Dave Jacobs disagreed with the decision to have an immediate rematch with Duran and terminated his relationship with Leonard when the rematch was made. "My idea is that he should have a tuneup fight before he fights with Roberto again," Jacobs said. "I think he won the fight with Duran, but I don't think it is healthy for him to be fighting Duran right away."

After the Montreal fight Duran went on a partying binge and ballooned in weight. Leonard was aware of this, and in an interview for Beyond the Glory he said: "My intention was to fight Duran ASAP because I knew Duran's habits. I knew he would indulge himself, he'd gain 40–50 lbs and then sweat it off to make 147." Unlike the fight in Montreal, Leonard used his superior speed and movement to outbox and befuddle Duran. "The whole fight, I was moving, I was moving," Leonard said. "And ''Voom!'' I snapped his head back with a jab. ''Voom!'' I snapped it back again. He tried to get me against the ropes, I'd pivot, spin off and ''Pow!'' Come under with a punch."

In round seven, Leonard started to taunt Duran. Leonard's most memorable punch came late in the round. Winding up his right hand, as if to throw a bolo punch, Leonard snapped out a left jab and caught Duran flush in the face. "It made his eyes water," Leonard said. He continued to taunt Duran mercilessly. He stuck out his chin, inviting Duran to hit it. Duran hesitated. Leonard kept it up, continuing to move, stop, and mug.

In the closing seconds of the eighth round, Duran turned his back to Leonard and quit, saying to referee Octavio Meyran, "No Mas." Leonard was the winner by a technical knockout at 2:44 of round eight, regaining the WBC Welterweight Championship. Leonard led by scores of 68–66, 68–66 and 67–66.

Duran said he quit because of stomach cramps, caused by overeating after the weigh-in. "At the end of the fifth round, I got cramps in my stomach and it kept getting worse and worse," Duran later said. "I felt weaker and weaker in my body and arms." He then announced, "I am retiring from boxing right now." During the night Duran was admitted to hospital with stomach pains, and discharged the following day.

Everyone was surprised by Duran's actions, none more so than his veteran trainers, Freddie Brown and Ray Arcel. "I was shocked," Brown said. "There was no indication that he was in pain or getting weak." Arcel was angry. "That's it," he said. "I've had it. This is terrible. I've handled thousands of fighters and never had anyone quit on me. I think he needs a psychiatrist more than he needs anything else." Durán's manager, Carlos Eleta, said, "Durán didn't quit because of stomach cramps. He quit because he was embarrassed. I ''know'' this." According to Randy Gordon, who witnessed Duran's antics beforehand and was in his dressing room immediately afterwards, Duran quit because of his huge eating binge prior to the fight.

"I ''made'' him quit," Leonard said. "To make a man quit, to make Roberto Duran quit, was better than knocking him out."

Second world title

On March 28, 1981, Leonard defended his title against Larry Bonds, the WBC sixth-ranked contender, at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York. Bonds was a southpaw, which made him a good opponent for Leonard, given that his next opponent was scheduled to be the WBA Junior Middleweight Champion Ayub Kalule, a southpaw.

Leonard was the aggressor throughout, with Bonds circling the ring. He staggered Bonds with a right in the fourth round and dropped him with a follow-up combination. Bonds got up and continued to move, with Leonard in pursuit. Leonard dropped him again in the tenth. Bonds rose but Leonard didn't let him off the hook. The referee stopped the fight with Bonds taking punishment in a corner.

Leonard moved up to the junior middleweight division and faced Kalule on June 25, 1981 at the Astrodome in Houston, Texas. Kalule, who was 36–0, had been the WBA Junior Middleweight Champion for two years.

Kalule and his handlers had expected Leonard to use lateral movement against him, but Leonard took the fight to Kalule. After eight tough rounds, he got Kalule in the ninth. Leonard hurt him with a right to the head. Shortly afterward, Leonard dropped him with a right-left-right combination. He got up but when the referee asked him if he was O.K., he shook his head. Leonard celebrated his victory with a full 360-degree, no-hands flip.

The Showdown

Promoted as "The Showdown", Leonard fought Thomas Hearns on September 16, 1981 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas to unify the World Welterweight Championship in a scheduled fifteen-rounder. They fought before a live crowd of 23,618. Hearns was paid $5.1 million, and Leonard made over $11 million.

Hearns, 32–0 with 30 knockouts, won the WBA Welterweight Championship in 1980, scoring a second-round knockout of Jose 'Pipino' Cuevas in Detroit, Michigan. He made three successful title defenses, stopping Luis Primera, Randy Shields, and Pablo Baez.

The fight began as expected, Leonard boxing from a distance and Hearns stalking. Leonard had difficulty with Hearns' long reach and sharp jab. By the end of round five, Leonard had a growing swelling under his left eye, and Hearns had built a considerable lead on the scorecards. Leonard, becoming more aggressive, hurt Hearns in the sixth with a left hook to the chin. Leonard battered Hearns in rounds six and seven, but Hearns regrouped. Hearns started to stick and move, and he started to pile up points again. The roles reversed: Leonard became the stalker and Hearns became the boxer. The fight billed as a classic showdown between a powerful knockout artist and the best boxer/puncher the middleweight division had seen in decades devolved into a tactical and boring fight.

Hearns won rounds nine through twelve on all three scorecards. Between rounds twelve and thirteen, Angelo Dundee told Leonard, "You're blowing it, son! You're blowing it!"

Leonard, with a badly swollen left eye, came out roaring for the thirteenth round. After hurting Hearns with a right, Leonard exploded with a combination of punches. Hearns' legs were clearly gone and after more pressure from Leonard he was bundled through the ropes, no knockdown was given as it wasn't a punch that sent him there. Hearns managed to rise, but was dropped by a flurry of hard punches near the end of the round.

In round fourteen, after staggering Hearns with an overhand right, Leonard pinned Hearns against the ropes, where he unleashed another furious combination, prompting referee Davey Pearl to stop the contest and award Sugar Ray Leonard the Unified World Welterweight Championship. Hearns was leading by scores of 124–122, 125–122, and 125–121.

After the fight, there was controversy due to the scoring of rounds six and seven. Even though Leonard dominated, hurting Hearns and battering him, all three judges gave both rounds to Leonard by a 10–9 margin. Many felt that the ten-point must scoring system was not properly used and those rounds should have been scored 10–8.

The fight was named "Fight of the Year" by ''The Ring''.

Leonard was named "Fighter of the Year" by ''The Ring'' and The Boxing Writers Association of America. He was also named "Athlete of the Year" by ABC's Wide World of Sports and "Sportsman of the Year" by ''Sports Illustrated''.

Retirement and return

On February 15, 1982, Leonard defended the unified title against Bruce Finch, the WBC #4 contender. Leonard knocked him out in the third round. Leonard's next fight was scheduled to be against Roger Stafford on May 14, 1982 in Buffalo, New York. While training, Leonard started to see floaters. He went to a doctor and discovered that he had a detached retina.

On November 9, 1982, after consulting with doctors, friends and family, Leonard invited Marvin Hagler and other boxing dignitaries to a charity event in Baltimore, Maryland. 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.

Missing the limelight and the competition, Leonard announced in December 1983 that he was returning to the ring. Leonard boasted that he would have a couple of ten-round bouts and then take on Milton McCrory, Donald Curry, Duran, Hearns and finally Hagler. 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, who was 20–4–1, was scheduled for February 25, 1984. The fight was postponed when Leonard had minor corrective surgery on his right eye. This latest eye injury further fueled the flames of those who opposed Leonard's comeback.

Before the fight with Howard, Dave Jacobs rejoined Leonard's team in a limited role. Jacobs had quit in 1980, disagreeing with Leonard's decision to have an immediate rematch with Duran.

Leonard and Howard fought on May 11, 1984 in Worcester, Massachusetts. Howard knocked Leonard flat on his back in the fourth round. It was the first knockdown of Leonard's professional career. Leonard came back to stop Howard in the ninth round, but the stoppage was disputed, with some feeling that the referee stopped the fight prematurely. Leonard was ahead on all three scorecards at the time of the stoppage. At the post-fight press conference, Leonard surprised everyone by announcing his retirement again, saying he just didn't have it anymore.

The Super Fight

On March 10, 1986, Marvelous Marvin Hagler knocked out John "The Beast" Mugabi in eleven rounds to retain the Undisputed World Middleweight Championship for the twelfth time and advance his record to 62–2–2. "I was ringside," Leonard said. "I'm watching John 'The Beast' Mugabi outbox Hagler. Of all people, John 'The Beast' Mugabi." It was then that Leonard decided to come back and fight Hagler. He called Mike Trainer and said, "I can beat Hagler."

On May 1, 1986, Leonard announced on a Washington, D.C. talk show that he would return to the ring to fight Hagler. The announcement generated a lot of controversy because of Leonard's inactivity and eye injuries, yet it also excited many sports fans who had hoped to see them fight years earlier. Hagler took a few months to decide, then agreed to the match.

The fight, promoted as "The Super Fight", was scheduled for April 6, 1987 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Leonard was guaranteed $11 million, and Hagler was guaranteed $12 million. Hagler was a heavy favorite. The odds started at 4–1, then settled at 3–1.

The original fight plan for Leonard was to go toe-to-toe with Hagler and try to cut him, but the plan changed about five days before the fight. Leonard got hit by sparring partner Quincy Taylor and was badly buckled. "He almost knocked me out," Leonard said. After that, Leonard decided to box Hagler.

Many were surprised that Hagler, a natural southpaw, opened the fight boxing out of an orthodox stance. After the quick and slick Leonard won the first two rounds on all three scorecards, Hagler started the third round as a southpaw. Hagler did better, but Leonard's superior speed and boxing skill still allowed him to control the fight. Hagler looked stiff and mechanical and missed the speedy Leonard time and again prompting ringside commentator for the NBC network re-broadcast Gil Clancy to remark "...and is he ever missing...Leonard isn't doing anything to make him miss, he's just missing!"

By the fifth, Leonard, who was moving a lot, began to tire and Hagler started to get closer. Hagler buckled Leonard's knees with a right uppercut near the end of the round, which finished with Leonard on the ropes. Hagler continued to score somewhat effectively in round six. Leonard, having slowed down, was obliged to fight more and move less. However, he was able to outpunch Hagler along the ropes and got the better of several bristling exchanges. Hagler never seized control of the fight as he had against Thomas Hearns 2 years earlier brutalizing Tommy and scoring a 3rd round knockout. His punches lacked snap and, although he was scoring solidly to the body, he looked nothing like the dominant fighter he was in ruling the middleweight division for the previous 5 years. Leonard's observation that the Hagler that beat John Mugabi was older and slower proved to be spot on.

In rounds seven and eight, Hagler's southpaw jab was landing solidly and Leonard's counter flurries were less frequent. Round nine was the most exciting round of the fight. Hagler hurt Leonard with a left cross and pinned him in a corner. Leonard looked to be in trouble, but he furiously fought his way out of the corner. The action see-sawed back and forth for the rest of the round, with each man having his moments.

Round ten was tame by comparison, as the pace slowed after the furious action of the previous round. Despite Leonard's obvious fatigue, he boxed well in the eleventh. Every time Hagler scored, Leonard came back with something flashier. Between rounds 11 and 12, Leonard's trainer Angelo Dundee implored Sugar Ray to get up off his stool yelling "We got three minutes...new champ...new champ!" Leonard yelled "Yeah!" and played to the screaming crowd. Hagler's corner was much more reserved prompting Clancy to comment "They're talking to him like it's an IBM meeting or something...no emotion." In the final round, Hagler continued to chase Leonard. He hit Leonard with a big left hand and backed him into a corner. Leonard responded with a furious flurry, landing few punches but whipping the upset hoping crowd into a frenzy. Hagler backed off, and Leonard danced away with Hagler in pursuit. The fight ended with Hagler and Leonard exchanging along the ropes. At the final bell, even uniformed ringside security rushed into the ring applauding and lauding Leonard's effort.

Leonard threw 629 punches and landed 306, while Hagler threw 792 and landed 291.

Leonard was awarded a controversial split-decision. Judge Dave Moretti scored it 115–113 for Leonard, while judge Lou Filippo had it 115–113 for Hagler. Judge Jose Guerra scored the fight 118–110 for Leonard. Many felt that Hagler deserved the decision because he was the aggressor and landed the harder punches. British boxing journalist Hugh McIlvanney wrote that Leonard's plan was to "steal rounds with a few flashy and carefully timed flurries....he was happy to exaggerate hand speed at the expense of power, and neither he nor two of the scorers seemed bothered by the fact that many of the punches landed on the champion's gloves and arms."

Many others felt that Leonard deservedly got the decision, arguing that Leonard landed more punches and showed better defense and ring generalship. Jim Murray, long-time sports columnist for the ''Los Angeles Times'', wrote, "It wasn't even close...He didn't just outpoint Hagler, he exposed him. He made him look like a guy chasing a bus. Leonard repeatedly beat Hagler to the punch. When he did, he hit harder. He hit more often. He made Hagler into what he perceived him to be throughout his career—a brawler, a swarmer, a man who could club you to death only if you stood there and let him. If you moved, he was lost."

The fight was named "Fight of the Year" and "Upset of the Year" by ''The Ring''.

Despite requests from the Hagler camp, Leonard was uninterested in a rematch and retired on May 27, 1987. "I'll try, I'll give it a shot," Leonard said of his latest retirement. "But you guys know me." A month after Hagler's formal retirement in June 1988 Leonard would announce another comeback.

Another comeback

On November 7, 1988, Leonard made another comeback, facing Don Lalonde at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. They fought for Lalonde's WBC Light Heavyweight Championship and the newly created WBC Super Middleweight Championship, which meant that Lalonde had to make 168 lbs. Many were critical of Leonard for stipulating that his opponent—a natural 175 pounder—should weigh less than his usual fighting weight, weakening him. The newly created Super Middleweight division gave Leonard the opportunity to win a world title in yet another weight class.

Lalonde, 31–2 with 26 knockouts, was guaranteed at least $6 million and Leonard was guaranteed over $10 million.

This would be Leonard's first professional fight without Angelo Dundee. For Leonard's fight with Hagler, Dundee worked without a contract and received $175,000, which was less than 2% of Leonard's purse. Dundee was unhappy with that amount. He requested a contract for the Lalonde fight and Leonard refused. "I don't have contracts. My word is my bond," Leonard said. Janks Morton and Dave Jacobs trained Leonard for the Lalonde fight.

Lalonde's size and awkwardness troubled Leonard. In the fourth round, a right hand to the top of Leonard's head dropped him for just the second time in his career. Early in the ninth, Lalonde hurt Leonard with a right to the chin. Leonard fired back and hurt Lalonde with a right. He drove him to the ropes and unleashed a furious assault. Lalonde tried to tie up Leonard, but got dropped with a powerful left hook. He rose but was soon down again, and the fight was stopped. Judges Chuck Giampa and Franz Marti had Leonard ahead by scores of 77–74 and 77–75, respectively. Judge Stuart Kirshenbaum had Lalonde ahead 76–75.

After the fight, Leonard vacated the light heavyweight title, but kept the super middleweight title. Also, Leonard and Janks Morton split because of personal differences. Morton was replaced as co-trainer by Pepe Correa, who had worked with Leonard for most of the previous fifteen years.

On June 12, 1989, Leonard defended the WBC Super Middleweight Championship in a rematch with Thomas Hearns at Caesar's Palace. It was promoted as "The War." Hearns was guaranteed $11 million and Leonard was guaranteed $14 million.

Hearns dropped Leonard with a right cross in the third round, but Leonard came back and battered Hearns around the ring in the fifth. Early in the seventh round, Hearns hurt Leonard but punched himself out going for the knockout. With Hearns fatigued, Leonard came back and had a strong finish to the round. Rounds nine and ten were good rounds for Leonard, but he ran into trouble in the eleventh round. Three booming rights from Hearns sent Leonard down for the second time in the fight. Knowing he needed a big finish, Leonard fought furiously and had a big final round.

The judges scored the fight a draw and Leonard retained the title. Judge Jerry Roth scored the fight 113–112 for Hearns, Judge Tom Kazmarek scored it 113–112 for Leonard, and Judge Dalby Shirley scored it 112–112. Shirley was the only judge to give Leonard a 10–8 margin in the twelfth. If he had scored it 10–9, as his two colleagues did, Hearns would have won by a split decision. The decision was soundly booed, as most felt that Hearns had won. Eventually, Leonard admitted that Hearns deserved the decision.

On December 7, 1989, Leonard defended the title against Roberto Durán, who was the reigning WBC Middleweight Champion. Duran was guaranteed $7.6 million and Leonard's arrangement guaranteed him over $13 million.

For the Duran fight, Leonard cut his entourage from twenty-one to six. Dave Jacobs was one of the people let go, leaving Correa as the sole trainer. Correa was instructed not to spare the whip. "For the first time in a long time, I allowed someone to push me," Leonard said.

The fight 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. The scores were 120–110, 119–109, and 116–111. 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. Pat Putnam of ''Sports Illustrated'' wrote, "Leonard gave them artistic perfection when they wanted heated battle, and they booed lustily. Most fight fans would not spend a dime to watch Van Gogh paint Sunflowers, but they would fill Yankee Stadium to see him cut off his ear." The victory over Duran came at the cost of a cut left eye which required multiple stitches to close. Many observed Leonard was lucky championship distance was now 12 rounds instead of the traditional 15. Had Duran inflicted the massive cut with 3-4 rounds to go, it's doubtful Leonard would have been able to finish and Duran would have been credited with one of boxing's great comeback stories.

In January 1990, Leonard relinquished the WBC Super Middleweight Championship, saying that he was unsure whether he would fight again. When Leonard decided to continue his career, he offered Hagler a rematch, but Hagler decided to stay retired. He then offered Hearns a third fight, but Hearns said he could no longer make the weight and moved up to the light heavyweight division.

On February 9, 1991, Leonard went down to 154 lbs and fought WBC Super Welterweight Champion Terry Norris at Madison Square Garden. Norris dominated the fight. He knocked Leonard down with a left hook in the second round, and in the seventh, he dropped Leonard again with a short right. This time, it was Sugar Ray who looked awkward and slow. His vaunted and crisp flurries that wowed judges and fans alike were now sloppy and wide. Unable to turn his punches over crisply, Leonard often slapped at his opponent. Leonard went the distance but lost by a lopsided decision. The scores were 120–104, 119–103, and 116–110. After the verdict was announced, Leonard announced his retirement. "It took this fight to show me it is no longer my time," Leonard said. "Tonight was my last fight. I know how Hagler felt now."

The last comeback

In October 1996, the 40-year-old Leonard announced that he was coming out of retirement to fight Héctor Camacho for the lightly regarded IBC Middleweight Championship. Camacho, a quick southpaw, had a record of 62–3–1.

Leonard attributed his poor performance against Norris to lack of motivation, a rib injury, moving down in weight, and divorce, which was being litigated while he was in training. "It was stupid for me to fight Norris at 154 lbs," Leonard said. "This is different. I'm in the best shape possible."

For the Camacho fight, Leonard had a new trainer, Adrian Davis. "He's a great trainer, a throwback," Leonard said. "He has really helped me get ready."

In January 1997, it was announced that Leonard had been voted into the International Boxing Hall Of Fame in Canastota, New York. The rules state that a boxer must be retired for five years before being eligible for induction. When the vote took place, Leonard had been retired for more than five years, therefore, he was eligible, even though he had a fight scheduled. The induction ceremony was on June 15, 1997.

The fight with Camacho took place on March 1, 1997 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Leonard held his own in the first two rounds, but Camacho, who applied pressure from the opening bell, started to score well in the third. He continued to score well in the fourth and opened a cut above Leonard's right eye. In the fifth, Camacho dropped Leonard with a right followed by two left uppercuts. Leonard got up, but was unable to ward off Camacho. The referee stopped the fight with Leonard taking punishment on the ropes.

Afterward, Leonard retired again, saying, "For sure, my career is definitely over for me in the ring." However, less than a week after the fight, Leonard said he planned to fight again. He blamed his loss on a torn right calf muscle. His doctor suggested that he cancel the fight, but Leonard wanted to go through with it. Before the fight, he was given a shot of novacaine.

Leonard said he planned to have a series of tuneup fights before fighting a champion. 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. The Camacho fight was Leonard's last. He finished his career with a record of 36–3–1 with 25 knockouts.

Professional Boxing Record

|- |align="center" colspan=8|36 Wins (25 knockouts), 3 Losses, 1 Draw |- |align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Result |align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Record |align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Opponent |align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Type |align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Rd., Time |align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Date |align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Location |align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Notes |-align=center |Loss||36-3-1||align=left| Hector Camacho | | | |align=left| Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey}} |align=left| |-align=center |Loss||36-2-1||align=left| Terry Norris | | | |align=left| Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York}} |align=left| |-align=center |Win||36-1-1||align=left| Roberto Duran | | | |align=left| Mirage Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |-align=center |style="background: #B0C4DE"|Draw||35-1-1||align=left| Thomas Hearns | | | |align=left| Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |-align=center |Win||35–1||align=left| Donny Lalonde | | | |align=left| Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |-align=center |Win||34–1||align=left| Marvin Hagler | | | |align=left| Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |-align=center |Win||33–1||align=left| Kevin Howard | | | |align=left| DCU Center, Worcester, Massachusetts}} |align=left| |-align=center |Win||32–1||align=left| Bruce Finch | | | |align=left| Centennial Coliseum, Reno, Nevada}} |align=left| |-align=center |Win||31–1||align=left| Thomas Hearns | | | |align=left| Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |-align=center |Win||30–1||align=left| Ayub Kalule | | | |align=left| Astrodome, Houston, Texas}} |align=left| |-align=center |Win||29–1||align=left| Larry Bonds | | | |align=left| Carrier Dome, Syracuse, New York}} |align=left| |-align=center |Win||28–1||align=left| Roberto Duran | | | |align=left| Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana}} |align=left| |-align=center |Loss||27–1||align=left| Roberto Duran | | | |align=left| Olympic Stadium, Montreal, Quebec}} |align=left| |-align=center |Win||27–0||align=left| Dave Green | | | |align=left| Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland}} |align=left| |-align=center |Win||26–0||align=left| Wilfred Benitez | | | |align=left| Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |-align=center |Win||25–0||align=left| Andy Price | | | |align=left| Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |-align=center |Win||24–0||align=left| Pete Ranzany | | | |align=left| Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |-align=center |Win||23–0||align=left| Tony Chiaverini | | | |align=left| Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |-align=center |Win||22–0||align=left| Marcos Geraldo | | | |align=left| Baton Rouge, Louisiana}} |align=left| |-align=center |Win||21–0||align=left| Adolfo Viruet | | | |align=left| Dunes Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |-align=center |Win||20–0||align=left| Daniel Aldo Gonzalez | | | |align=left| Community Center, Tucson, Arizona}} |align=left| |-align=center |Win||19–0||align=left| Fernand Marcotte | | | |align=left| Convention Center, Miami Beach, Florida}} |align=left| |-align=center |Win||18–0||align=left| Johnny Gant | | | |align=left| Capitol Centre, Landover, Maryland}} |align=left| |-align=center |Win||17–0||align=left| Armando Muniz | | | |align=left| Civic Center, Springfield, Massachusetts}} |align=left| |-align=center |Win||16–0||align=left| Bernardo Prada | | | |align=left| Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland, Maine}} |align=left| |-align=center |Win||15–0||align=left| Randy Shields | | | |align=left| Civic Center, Baltimore, Maryland}} |align=left| |-align=center |Win||14–0||align=left| Floyd Mayweather, Sr. | | | |align=left| Civic Center, Providence, Rhode Island}} |align=left| |-align=center |Win||13–0||align=left| Dicky Eklund | | | |align=left| Hynes Auditorium, Boston, Massachusetts}} |align=left| |-align=center |Win||12–0||align=left| Rafael Rodriguez | | | |align=left| Civic Center, Baltimore, Maryland}} |align=left| |-align=center |Win||11–0||align=left| Randy Milton | | | |align=left| Memorial Auditorium, Utica, New York}} |align=left| |-align=center |Win||10–0||align=left| Bobby Hayman | | | |align=left| Capitol Centre, Landover, Maryland}} |align=left| |-align=center |Win||9–0||align=left| Javier Muniz | | | |align=left| Veterans Memorial Coliseum, New Haven, Connecticut}} |align=left| |-align=center |Win||8–0||align=left| Art McKnight | | | |align=left| Hara Arena, Dayton, Ohio}} |align=left| |-align=center |Win||7–0||align=left| Rocky Ramon | | | |align=left| Civic Center, Baltimore, Maryland}} |align=left| |-align=center |Win||6–0||align=left| Hector Diaz | | | |align=left| DC Armory, Washington, District of Columbia}} |align=left| |-align=center |Win||5–0||align=left| Augustin Estrada | | | |align=left| Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |-align=center |Win||4–0||align=left| Frank Santore | | | |align=left| Civic Center, Baltimore, Maryland}} |align=left| |-align=center |Win||3–0||align=left| Vinnie DeBarros | | | |align=left| Civic Center, Hartford, Connecticut}} |align=left| |-align=center |Win||2–0||align=left| Willie Rodriguez | | | |align=left| Civic Center, Baltimore, Maryland}} |align=left| |-align=center |Win||1–0||align=left| Luis Vega | | | |align=left| Civic Center, Baltimore, Maryland}} |align=left|

Media appearances

Leonard has worked as a boxing analyst for ABC, CBS, NBC, ESPN, and HBO. His relationship with HBO lasted for more than a decade. It ended in 1990, after HBO was not offered an opportunity to bid on the telecast rights to Leonard's fight with Terry Norris. HBO believed it would be inappropriate for Leonard to continue with them if they couldn't bid on his fights. Leonard's attorney, Mike Trainer, said, "There never has been a linkage between his broadcasting and his fighting."

Leonard has done commercial endorsements for numerous companies, including Coca-Cola, EA Sports, Ford, Nabisco, Revlon, and 7 Up. His most famous commercial was a 7 Up ad he did with his son, Ray Jr., Roberto Duran and Duran's son Roberto Jr. in the early 1980s.

Leonard is among the most sought-after motivational/inspirational speakers in the world today. His speech, entitled "Power" (Prepare, Overcome and Win Every Round), is consistently booked with major Fortune 500 companies throughout the United States and abroad.

Leonard has also worked as an actor. He has appeared in numerous television shows, including ''Half & Half'', ''L.A. Heat'', ''Married With Children'', ''Renegade'', and ''Tales From The Crypt''. He has also appeared in several movies, including ''I Spy'' and most recently ''The Fighter'', starring Christian Bale and Mark Wahlberg. This movie brought back memories of his fight with Dicky Eklund.

In 2001, Leonard launched Sugar Ray Leonard Boxing Inc., a boxing promotional company, and announced the company's strategic partnership with ESPN. Together, Leonard and ESPN would produce and promote "Sugar Ray Leonard and ESPN II Presents Friday Night Fights," which would air the first Friday of every month for twelve months.

Leonard dissolved the company in 2004. He had a falling out with partner Bjorn Rebney, whom he called "a cancer in my company." He also started a new time-consuming project, the reality boxing show ''The Contender''.

Speaking of his promotional company, Leonard said, "We did some great shows with evenly matched fights. I took great pride in it. But the TV show came about and made my decision a lot easier. I already had it in the back of my mind to dissolve the company. The working environment was not healthy."

For four seasons, Leonard served as host and mentor to the aspiring fighters on ''The Contender''. Sylvester Stallone, who co-hosted during the first season, was one of the executive producers, along with Mark Burnett. The first season of the television show rewarded the tournament champion $1,000,000 but this reward was reduced to $500,000 in the second season, then increased to $750,000. Some may speculate it was because Sugar Ray could not afford to keep handing out a million dollars.

Leonard competed on season 12 of Dancing with the Stars, which premiered on Monday, March 21, 2011, on ABC. His partner was Anna Trebunskaya. He was voted off in Week 4 of the show.

During his appearance on The Colbert Report in 2011, Leonard was defeated by host Stephen Colbert in a thumb wrestling contest.

Personal life

Family

Leonard married his high school sweetheart, Juanita Wilkinson, in January 1980. Their six-year-old son, Ray Jr., served as the ring bearer. In 1984, they had another son, Jarrel.

They were divorced in 1990. During divorce proceedings, Juanita Leonard accused her husband of physically abusing her while under the influence of alcohol. She also said he was an occasional cocaine user.

After the ''Los Angeles Times'' broke the story, Leonard held a press conference and acknowledged that the accusations were true. He said he started using after he retired in 1982, following surgery to repair a detached retina. "I wanted more," Leonard said. "I wanted that arena. I didn't want anyone to tell me my career had to end."

"I decided to search for a substitute...I resorted to cocaine. I used when I felt bad, I used when I missed competing at that level," he said. "It was a crutch, something that enabled me to forget."

He said he quit using drugs in early 1986, when he woke up one morning and "what I saw in the mirror was scary."

"I can never erase the pain or the scars I have made through my stupidity, my selfishness," Leonard said. "All I can do is say I'm sorry, but that is not enough."

In 2011, Sugar Ray revealed in an NPR broadcast that he had been free of alcohol since July 2006.

In 1989, Leonard was introduced to Bernadette Robi by Kenny G at a Luther Vandross concert. Robi is the daughter of Paul Robi, one of the original Platters, and she is the ex-wife of Lynn Swann.

Leonard and Robi were married at Leonard's $8.7 million estate in Pacific Palisades, California in August 1993. At the wedding ceremony, the grounds were converted into a garden with 10,000 roses and blossoms of other flowers flown in from Holland. They have two children, Camille and Daniel Ray.

Leonard is also the godfather of Khloe Kardashian and has appeared on many episodes of ''Keeping Up With The Kardashians''.

Charity work

For many years, Leonard has been the International Chairman of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation's Walk for a Cure and is actively involved in raising both awareness and funds.

Leonard testified before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs in 2009. The Senate hearing was titled "Type 1 Diabetes Research: Real Progress and Real Hope for a Cure". He testified about the burden of diabetes and the need for continued research funding to find a cure.

Leonard and his wife, Bernadette, founded the Sugar Ray Leonard Foundation to support the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and its annual Walk for a Cure. In 2009, the foundation expanded to support programs that help people rebuild their communities in ten cities across the United States. It supports accessible housing, healthcare services, and educational services and job training.

Molestation

In his autobiography: "The Big Fight: My Life in and out of the Ring", published in June 2011, Leonard reveals that as a young boxer he was the victim of sexual abuse from an Olympic trainer.

See also

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

References

External links

The Super Fight: Hagler vs Leonard

Official Site

The Sugar Ray Leonard Foundation

Ray Leonard's Amateur Boxing Record

Sugar Ray Leonard's U.S. Olympic Team Bio

|- |- |- |- |- |- {{S-ttl| title=''The Ring'' Welterweight Champion| years=30 November 1979 – 20 June 1980}} |- {{S-ttl| title=''The Ring'' Welterweight Champion| years=25 November 1980 – 9 November 1982
Retires}} |- {{S-ttl| title=''The Ring'' Junior Middleweight Champion| years=25 June 1981 – 25 June 1982
Retires}} |- {{S-ttl| title=''The Ring'' Middleweight Champion| years=6 April 1987 – 11 November 1988
Retires}} |- {{S-ttl| title=WBC Welterweight Champion| years=30 November 1979 – 20 June 1980}} |- {{S-ttl| title=WBC Welterweight Champion| years=25 November 1980 – 9 November 1982
Retires}} |- {{S-ttl| title=WBA Junior Middleweight Champion| years=25 June 1981–1981
Vacates}} |- {{S-ttl| title=WBA Welterweight Champion| years=16 September 1981 – 9 November 1982
Retires}} |- |- {{S-ttl| title=WBC Middleweight Champion| years=6 April 1987 – 27 May 1987
Retires}} |- {{S-ttl| title=WBC Light Heavyweight Champion| years=7 November 1988 – 21 February 1989
Retires}} |- {{S-ttl| title=WBC Super Middleweight Champion| years=7 November 1988 – 15 December 1990Retires}}

Category:1956 births Category:Living people Category:People from Wilmington, North Carolina Category:African American boxers Category:American boxers Category:Boxers at the 1976 Summer Olympics Category:International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees Category:Light-middleweight boxers Category:Light-heavyweight boxers Category:Middleweight boxers Category:Olympic boxers of the United States Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States Category:Super-middleweights boxers Category:World Boxing Association Champions Category:World Boxing Council Champions Category:Welterweight boxers Category:Winners of the United States Championship for amateur boxers Category:Participants in American reality television series Category:Olympic medalists in boxing

de:Sugar Ray Leonard es:Sugar Ray Leonard fr:Sugar Ray Leonard ko:슈거 레이 레너드 it:Sugar Ray Leonard he:שוגר ריי לאונרד nl:Sugar Ray Leonard ja:シュガー・レイ・レナード no:Sugar Ray Leonard pl:Sugar Ray Leonard pt:Sugar Ray Leonard ru:Леонард, Шугар Рэй fi:Sugar Ray Leonard sv:Sugar Ray Leonard th:ชูการ์ เรย์ เลนเนิร์ด

name	John Mugabi
nationality	Ugandan
realname	John Mugabi
nickname	The Beast
weight	Light-Heavyweight
birth date	March 04, 1960
birth place	Kampala, Uganda
home	Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
style	Orthodox
total	50
wins	42
ko	39
losses	7
draws	1
no contests	0 }}

John "The Beast" Mugabi (born March 4, 1960) is a former boxer and world Jr. Middleweight champion. A world traveller, Mugabi was a part of an early 1980s Jr. Middleweight and Middleweight division scene that also included Marvin Hagler, Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns, Wilfred Benítez, Davey Moore and Roberto Durán, and, together with the aforementioned world champions, he was a part of an era that many boxing fans rank as one of the most exciting times ever in the Jr. Middleweight and Middleweight divisions. His nickname was ''The Beast''.

Mugabi was born in Kampala, Uganda, where he started to box. He won a silver medal at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.

Professional career

Soon afterwards he started as a professional on December 5, 1980 by knocking out Oemer Karadenis in round one at Kampala. Soon after that win, Mugabi moved to London where he became acquainted with boxing promoter Mickey Duff, an expert in boxer marketing who landed Mugabi various fights in England and built his reputation there.

Mugabi won eight fights in Europe and then moved to the United States, setting up residence in Florida. Over time he became a favorite of American tv networks, scoring sensational knockouts of contenders such as Curtis Ramsey, Gary Guiden, former world champion Eddie Gazo, Curtis Parker, ''Frank The Animal Fletcher'', Nino Gonzalez and Earl Hargrove. Because of his ability to fight both at Jr. Middleweight and Middleweight, fans began to talk of the possibility of him challenging either world Jr. Middleweight champion Hearns or world Middleweight champion Hagler. Despite Mugabi being a mandatory contender for some time, a Hearns - Mugabi title match never materialised, as Hearns elected to move to Middleweight to challenge Marvin Hagler.

On his way to becoming the number one contender for the middleweight title of each of the three major sanctioning bodies (WBA, WBC, and IBF), Mugabi ran roughshod over the division and finished each of his opponents inside the distance. Considering his streak and Hagler's tough battle with Hearns on April 15, 1985, some felt Mugabi had a shot at doing what eleven men before him could not: wresting Hagler's undisputed world middleweight title from him.

The fight between Hagler and Mugabi was set for November 14 of 1985. Due to injury, however, Hagler postponed the fight for four months.

The fight finally came up on March 10 of 1986, and it was the first fight televised by Showtime. Mugabi landed his share of blows to Hagler's head and had the better of the early rounds. The turning point came in the sixth round, when Hagler landed many heavy blows and staggered Mugabi. Mugabi fought back gamely but his early knockout wins left him ill-prepared for a long, tough fight. In the end it was Hagler who came out the victor, with a knockout in the eleventh round. Many boxing fans consider this to have been the toughest contest of Hagler's career.

After his first loss, Mugabi retired to Uganda and ballooned in weight to 190 lbs. In September 1986 he contacted Mickey Duff, stating that he was ready to fight again. Mugabi went down in weight and was given an opportunity by the WBC to win their world Jr. Middleweight title, vacated by Hearns. Once again many fans favored him, this time against Duane Thomas, on December 5 of '86. However, Mugabi suffered a broken eye socket, the consequence of a punch with the thumb of Thomas' glove, in round three and the fight had to be stopped. Mugabi underwent optical surgery the next day to repair his injury.

Discouraged by two consecutive losses, Mugabi gained weight and did not fight for nearly fourteen months. In January 1988, he came back to fight Bryan Grant on the undercard of Mike Tyson's title defence against Larry Holmes. Mugabi won by quick knockout and set off on another knockout winning streak. He became number one contender for the WBC 154 lb title in August 1988 but could not land a fight with then champion Donald Curry. After Curry lost his title in an upset in early 1989, Mugabi was given another opportunity to become world champion by the WBC. On July 8 of that year, Mugabi finally made his dream come true, knocking out Curry's successor Rene Jacquot in round one in Grenoble to become the WBC World Jr. Middleweight champion.

After two first round knockout wins against Ricky Stackhouse and Carlos Antunes, Mugabi, who by this time was having difficulty making the weight limit of 154 lbs, put his title on the line against Terry Norris. When Norris downed the champion for the count with a right to the jaw, Mugabi received the dubious distinction as the second fighter, after Al Singer, to both win and lose a world title by first round knockout when he was defeated by Norris.

Showing resilience, Mugabi resurfaced with two more wins and once again found himself fighting for a world title, facing Gerald McClellan on November 20 of 1991 for the vacant WBO Middleweight Championship. Mugabi once again came out on the losing end, again by a first round knockout.

Mugabi then retired for 5 years and moved to Australia where he still resides and trains fighters. In 1996, he came back for the first of an eight fight comeback, but, apart from beating Jamie Wallace by a 12 round decision at the Gold Coast for the Australian Middleweight title, the comeback was undistinguished. After losing to Glenn Kelly by a knockout in eight on January 16 of 1999, Mugabi finally retired with a record of 42 wins, 7 losses and 1 draw, 39 wins by knockout.

His 26 fight knockout win streak stands as one of the longest knockout streaks ever in boxing.

In a comment posted on "The Sweet Science" blog in regard to the Antonio Tarver-Roy Jones Jr match in St. Petersburg, Florida, Mugabi wrote, "It's great to see that Tampa is still having boxing. I, John, am still sorry for letting my fans down that night. But all champions one day will get beaten. But one day I would love to come and watch some fights in the ring at Tampa. I might bring one of the fighters I train in Australia now."

Mugabi has a 20-year old daughter, Mildred Prudence Mugabi who lives in Tampa, Florida and he has another daughter who still resides in Kampala, Uganda named Mourine Kabasemera Mugabi.

Amateur career

Representing Uganda, Mugabi was the Silver medalist at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, boxing in the Welterweight (67 kg) class. Mugabi lost to Andrés Aldama of Cuba in the final. . His results were:

George Koffi (Congo) won by KO 1

Paul Rasanimanana (Madagascar) won by KO 1

Memet Bogujevci (Yugoslavia) won by KO 1

Kazimierz Szczerba (Poland) won by KO 1

Andrés Aldama (Cuba) lost PTS

He was also a Gold medalist at the 1976 Junior World Championships, defeating Herol Graham.

See also

List of WBC world champions

References

External links

Category:1960 births Category:Boxers at the 1980 Summer Olympics Category:Living people Category:Olympic boxers of Uganda Category:Olympic gold medalists for Uganda Category:Ugandan boxers Category:World boxing champions Category:Olympic medalists in boxing

de:John Mugabi fr:John Mugabi it:John Mugabi ru:Мугаби, Джон

Name	Alan Minter
Realname	Alan Minter
Nickname	Boom Boom
Weight	Middleweight
Birth date	August 17, 1951
Birth place	Crawley, England
Nationality	English
Style	Southpaw
Total	49
Wins	39
Ko	23
Losses	9
Draws	0
No contests	1
Medaltemplates	}}

Alan Minter (born 17 August 1951 in Crawley, England) is a former middleweight world champion boxer.

Amateur career

Minter was the 1971 ABA Middleweight Champion. He won the bronze medal at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games. Soon after, Minter began his career in London on Halloween night of the same year by knocking out Maurice Thomas in six rounds.

Olympic results

1st round bye

Defeated Reggie Ford (Guyana) KO 2

Defeated Valeri Tregubov (Soviet Union) 5-0

Defeated Loucif Hamani (Algeria) 4-1

Lost to Dieter Kottysch (West Germany) 2-3

Pro career

Minter won five fights in a row by knockout, and in 1973, Pat Dwyer became the first boxer to go the distance with him, over eight rounds in London. Minter won his next five fights, three by knockout, before tasting defeat for the first time after the referee stopped the fight in the eighth round to ''King'' George Aido due to bad cuts suffered by Minter. Two more wins followed before facing Jan Magziarz, who beat him twice in a row (once in the eighth and once in the sixth) again due to cuts.

1974 was a mixed year for Minter, beating Tony Byrne by a decision in eight, losing in two to Ricky Torres (again on cuts), having a third fight with Magziarz result in a no contest in four rounds, and closing the year with a win in eight rounds by decision in his first international fight, against Shako Mamba in Hamburg, Germany.

In 1975, he won four fights in a row, including another bout in Hamburg, and by the end of the year, he challenged Kevin Finnegan for the British Middleweight title, winning it by a 15 round decision. In 1976 he won six fights, to extend his streak to ten consecutive wins. Among the boxers he beat were Billy Knight by a knockout in two and Finnegan once again, by decision in 15, both in defense of his British title, along with former world title challenger Tony Licata, knocked out in six, and American Olympic Games Gold medal winner Sugar Ray Seales, beaten in five. These wins gave Minter a ranking among the top ten Middleweight challengers.

In 1977, he won the European Middleweight title by beating Germano Valsecchi by a knockout in five in Italy. But in his next fight his winning streak ended when he lost to former world title challenger Ronnie Harris by a knockout in eight. Minter returned to top ten challenger status by upsetting the former Welterweight and Jr. Middleweight world champion Emile Griffith with a ten round decision win in Monte Carlo, but then, he lost his European title to Gratien Tonna by a knockout in eight at Milan. He closed '77 with a third 15 round decision win over Finnegan to retain his British title.

1978 was a sad year for Minter, although he won all three of his bouts. On 15 February, at the Muhammad Ali-Leon Spinks I undercard in Las Vegas, he won his first bout in the United States by knocking out Sandy Torres in five. Then, he went to Italy once again, to regain his European Middleweight title by knocking out Angelo Jacopucci in twelve rounds. Jacopucci died a few days after the bout, of injuries sustained in the bout. Minter finished his year by avenging his loss to Tonna with a six round knockout.

In 1979, Minter won all four of his fights, two of them by knockout. On 16 March 1980, in Las Vegas, Nevada, he was given a shot at champion Vito Antuofermo's world Middleweight title at the Caesars Palace. He won the title by a 15 round decision, and in a rematch, he retained the world title by a TKO in eight rounds. Minter's run as world champion came to an end on 27 September of that year, when he was stopped on cuts in three rounds to Marvin Hagler at Wembley Arena in London. After the fight was stopped, Minter's supporters caused a riot, throwing beer cans and glass into the ring and both boxers had to be ushered away by the police. Prior to the fight, Minter made the blatantly racist statement on the BBC that "that black man is not going to take my title away". He later retracted this statement and said he meant "no man" is going to take my title away. Previously, Hagler refused to shake Minter's hand, claiming "I don't touch white flesh."

Minter beat fringe contender Ernie Singletary in London, in 1981, but after losses to future Hagler challengers Mustafa Hamsho in Las Vegas and Tony Sibson, in London, he retired for good.

He left boxing with a record of 39 wins, 9 losses and 1 no contest, with 23 wins by knockout. In 1983 he also delivered a knockout blow to the British version of This Is Your Life when he could not stop swearing (in delight). As a result the show ceased to be shown live and ratings plummeted.

Life After Boxing

Currently he resides in Littlehampton, England and tours all over the UK in autograph and lecture shows, alongside Jim Watt, another world boxing champion.

His son Ross "The Boss" Minter also competes in the welterweight division and is the current English and British (Southern Area) Welterweight champion his record stands at 17 wins (8 KO), 2 loss, 1 draw.

During the Lennox Lewis vs. Frank Bruno fight in October 1993, a beer can was thrown from the crowd, striking Alan Minter, much to the astonishment of the watching BBC commentators.

In a humorous moment on BBC's long-running quiz show A Question of Sport, Emlyn Hughes incorrectly identified Alan Minter as the sportsman disguised in the 'Mystery Guest' round. In fact, it was Sue Barker.

See also

List of British middleweight boxing champions

External links

Category:1951 births Category:Living people Category:People from Crawley Category:English boxers Category:Olympic boxers of Great Britain Category:Boxers at the 1972 Summer Olympics Category:Olympic bronze medalists for Great Britain Category:World boxing champions Category:Southpaw boxers Category:Amateur Boxing Association of England champions Category:Olympic medalists in boxing

de:Alan Minter fr:Alan Minter it:Alan Minter ja:アラン・ミンター