Sugar Ray Leonard: from taped floor mats in Maryland to Olympic gold and 36-3-1 | Ultimate Boxing Reunion

Why fans still care

SUGAR RAY LEONARD won world titles in five weight classes, and he did it by beating the names his era is remembered for: Wilfred Benítez, Roberto Durán, Who’s Who number 13, Thomas Hearns, Who’s Who number 27 and Marvin Hagler, Who’s Who number 5. He also lost, in Montreal in 1980, in New York in 1991 and in Atlantic City in 1997, and he came back from the first of those in just over five months.

He was fast and he planned his fights in his head. Ask a fight fan about him and you will hear about Durán quitting in New Orleans first, then the 14th round against Hearns, and then someone will tell you the Hagler decision is still not settled.

Early life

He was born in Wilmington, North Carolina, on 17 May 1956, and grew up in Palmer Park, Maryland. Looking back in 2009, he said, “I was a very introverted kid then, shy, low self-esteem.” Boxing, he said, made him more sociable.

The boxing program at the Palmer Park Community Center began in 1969, inside the centre’s gym. There was no ring, only floor mats taped together, and a fighter who fell off the mats was counted as knocked down. Janks Morton, who trained there, remembered it that way. Dave Jacobs was his first amateur trainer. Leonard jogged at 5:30 a.m. past Kent Junior High, and the Sugar Ray Leonard Boxing Center now stands across the street from the community centre.

Montreal, 1976

He won Pan American Games gold in 1975, and at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal he won the light welterweight gold medal. All six of his bouts went to the judges. In the final, on 31 July 1976, he beat Andrés Aldama of Cuba on a unanimous decision. ESPN Classic counts five American gold medals that year, won by Davis, Randolph, the two Spinks brothers and Leonard. One of them was Leon Spinks, Who’s Who number 30 (story coming soon), his Olympic teammate.

He taped a family photo to his boot or sock for the Games. Sources differ on which, and ESPN Classic says it was on his boxing shoe the night he won gold.

Turning professional

After the Olympics he said he was done. According to the Washington City Paper, Janks Morton contacted the lawyer Mike Trainer, who played softball with him. Trainer found Leonard a job with Parks and Planning and a scholarship at the University of Maryland. The pressure to box came back when Leonard’s father fell ill and local fans pushed him to turn professional.

Mike Trainer became his manager and promoter, and he booked the Baltimore debut himself. Angelo Dundee came onto the team as trainer, and he was never the manager. Leonard says Muhammad Ali, Who’s Who number 33 steered him there with the words, “Get Angelo Dundee. He’s the right complexion with the right connection.” He calls it the best advice he received in his career.

He made his professional debut on 5 February 1977 with a six round decision over Luis Vega in Baltimore.

Career chapters

1. 1969The boxing program starts on floor mats at the Palmer Park Community Center
2. 1975Wins Pan American Games gold
3. 1976Wins Olympic gold in Montreal
4. 1977Turns professional in Baltimore
5. 1978Stops Floyd Mayweather Sr in round 10
6. 1979Stops Wilfred Benítez in round 15 for the WBC welterweight title
7. 1980Loses to Roberto Durán, Who’s Who number 13 in June, then wins the rematch in November when Durán quits
8. 1981Beats Ayub Kalule for the WBA light middleweight title, then stops Thomas Hearns, Who’s Who number 27 in round 14
9. 1982Retires on 9 November at a fundraiser in Baltimore
10. 1984Stops Kevin Howard in round 9 and retires again
11. 1987Beats Marvin Hagler, Who’s Who number 5 on a split decision
12. 1988Stops Donny Lalonde in round 9 and wins two WBC titles
13. 1989Draws with Hearns, then beats Durán again
14. 1991Loses to Terry Norris
15. 1997Loses to Héctor Camacho, then is inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame

Floyd Mayweather Sr 9 September 1978

On 9 September 1978 in Providence he stopped Floyd Mayweather Sr, the father of Floyd Mayweather Jr, Who’s Who number 14, in round 10 of a non title fight. It was his 14th straight win, and it ended with a left hook. The Guardian reports that Leonard thought Mayweather Sr hurt his right hand in round 1. Leonard has said of the son, “He reminds me so much of his father.”

Benítez 30 November 1979

On 30 November 1979 he fought the WBC welterweight champion Wilfred Benítez at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Benítez went down in rounds 3 and 15, and the referee, Carlos Padilla, stopped it with six seconds left in round 15. It was Leonard’s first world title. Mike Trainer later said that promoters including Don King, Who’s Who number 18 (story coming soon), who promoted Benítez, and Bob Arum tried to freeze Leonard out until public pressure forced the title shot. That is Trainer’s account.

Durán I and II 1980

On 20 June 1980 he fought Roberto Durán, Who’s Who number 13 at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal, and lost a unanimous decision over 15 rounds. Carlos Padilla was again the referee, and the judges were Baldeyrou 146 to 144, Gibbs 145 to 144 and Poletti 148 to 147, all for Durán. The result was announced first as 147 to 147 and a majority decision. About an hour later the WBC’s Bob Lee corrected an addition error, which made it unanimous.

The rematch was on 25 November 1980 at the Superdome in New Orleans. In round 8, with 16 seconds left, Durán turned away and raised a hand, and the referee, Octavio Meyran, stopped the fight at 2:44. What Durán said is disputed. Durán wrote in his 2016 autobiography that he never said “no mas” and that all he said was “no sigo”. Leonard says he never heard “no más” himself. He said afterwards, “To make a man quit, to make a Roberto Durán quit, was better than knocking him out.”

Kalule and Hearns I 1981

On 25 June 1981 he stopped Ayub Kalule in round 9 at the Astrodome in Houston to win the WBA light middleweight title, and somersaulted in celebration.

On 16 September 1981 he fought Thomas Hearns, Who’s Who number 27 at the Caesars Palace outdoor arena in a WBC and WBA welterweight unification. Going into round 14, Hearns led 125 to 122, 125 to 121 and 124 to 122. Before round 13 Dundee told Leonard, “You’re blowing it, son,” and in round 14 the referee, Davey Pearl, stopped it at 1:45. Pearl said Hearns had taken 25 punches without blocking one. The judges were Ford, Minker and Tabat.

ESPN reports that a left hook in round 6 staggered Hearns. Leonard told The Fight City, “I hit him with a hook. That changed everything.”

The retirement 9 November 1982

After a defence against Bruce Finch in February 1982 he had retina surgery. On 9 November 1982 he retired at a fundraiser at the Baltimore Civic Center, in front of about 10,000 people, with Hagler invited. Asked about a fight with Hagler, he said, “Unfortunately, it’ll never happen.”

On 11 May 1984 in Worcester, Massachusetts, Kevin Howard knocked him down in round 4, the first knockdown of his professional career. He stopped Howard in round 9, at 2:28, and retired again.

Hagler 6 April 1987

On 6 April 1987 he came back after nearly three years away to fight the long reigning champion Marvin Hagler, Who’s Who number 5 for the WBC middleweight title, at the Caesars Palace outdoor arena. It was a split decision over 12 rounds. Dave Moretti scored it 115 to 113 for Leonard, Lou Filippo 115 to 113 for Hagler and Jo Jo Guerra 118 to 110 for Leonard, with Richard Steele the referee. The scoring is still debated.

Leonard says he took the centre of the ring first, and that he had sent a friend, J.D. Brown, to watch Hagler’s sparring (“that was spying”, in his words). The BBC reports that Dundee studied tapes and spotted that Hagler shuffled slightly before throwing. Leonard says five days before the fight a sparring partner nearly knocked him out and Dundee stayed calm. He has also said Hagler still feels he won.

Lalonde 7 November 1988

On 7 November 1988 he fought Donny Lalonde at Caesars Palace for two titles, the WBC light heavyweight title and the new WBC super middleweight title, in front of 13,246 people. Lalonde dropped him in round 4. After eight rounds the cards read 76 to 75 for Lalonde, and 77 to 74 and 77 to 75 for Leonard. Leonard stopped Lalonde in round 9, with Richard Steele stepping in at 2:30, 30 seconds from the end of the round. It gave him world titles in five weight classes. Lalonde said afterwards that Leonard was “great at fighting when he’s hurt.”

On the undercard Roger Mayweather beat Vinny Pazienza, Who’s Who number 15 (story coming soon).

Hearns II and Durán III 1989

On 12 June 1989 he fought Hearns again at Caesars Palace and drew, keeping the WBC super middleweight title. Roth scored it 113 to 112 for Hearns, Kaczmarek 113 to 112 for Leonard and Shirley 112 to 112, with Shirley giving Leonard round 12 by 10 to 8. Hearns knocked him down in rounds 3 and 11. Leonard later said, “Tommy, you won this one.”

On 7 December 1989 he beat Durán on a unanimous decision at The Mirage in Las Vegas, 120 to 110, 119 to 109 and 116 to 111, in front of 16,305 people.

Norris 9 February 1991

On 9 February 1991 he fought Terry Norris at Madison Square Garden for the WBC light middleweight title. Leonard was down in round 2, from a left hook, and again in round 7. The judges were Costello 116 to 110, Perez 120 to 104 and Rubinstein 119 to 103, all for Norris, with Arthur Mercante Jr the referee. Leonard told the crowd it was his last fight. It was his only fight with Norris.

Camacho 1 March 1997

On 1 March 1997, aged 40, he fought Héctor Camacho at the Atlantic City Convention Hall. The referee, Joe Cortez, stopped it at 1:08 of round 5. Leonard said afterwards, “My career is definitely over.” He had been elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in January 1997, and he was inducted that June.

Style, technique and the corner

How he fought

He relied on speed and on his head. He told NPR in 2011, “I choreographed my fights in my head before I faced the opponent,” and he said he learned the mind games from Ali. His hands were a problem: he had cortisone shots in the knuckles, which he described as “like someone sticking an ice pick.”

The corner

Angelo Dundee was the trainer and the calm voice in the corner. Mike Trainer was the lawyer and then the manager and promoter. Janks Morton was one of his original trainers at Palmer Park, and Dave Jacobs was his first amateur trainer and later an assistant trainer for many professional fights.

Training

The only training detail in the record is the 5:30 a.m. running at Palmer Park, past Kent Junior High.

Five weight classes

He won world titles at welterweight, light middleweight, middleweight, light heavyweight and super middleweight.

Stories people still tell

1. The mats at Palmer Park.

   A knockdown counted if you fell off the floor mats, and the boxing program started in 1969 with no ring.

2. No más.

   Durán stopped fighting in round 8 in New Orleans. The words he said are disputed. Leonard says he never heard “no más”, only “no more” said to the referee.

3. A boot or a sock.

   At the 1976 Olympics he taped a family photo to his boot or sock.

4. It’ll never happen.

   In 1982 he told a Baltimore crowd that a fight with Hagler would never happen. It happened in 1987.

5. The centre of the ring.

   Leonard says he sent a friend to watch Hagler’s sparring, and took the middle of the ring first.

6. In his own words.

   After beating Durán in New Orleans he said, “To make a man quit, to make a Roberto Durán quit, was better than knocking him out.”

Outside the ring

Court records reported by the Los Angeles Times on 30 March 1991, in his divorce case, show he acknowledged under oath that he had struck his wife during the marriage, after he had been drinking. It was a divorce case, and it ended in a settlement out of court. He married in 1980 and divorced in 1990, then married Bernadette Robi in August 1993. He has four children.

In his 2011 memoir, The Big Fight: My Life In and Out of the Ring, written with Michael Arkush, and in interviews, he wrote openly about cocaine and alcohol use after 1982, said he was a poor husband and father, and has said he has been sober since 2006. He told NPR, “I was just a lousy dad. I didn’t know how to be a father, didn’t know how to be a husband.”

Legacy

He is in the International Boxing Hall of Fame, he won Olympic gold in 1976 and world titles in five weight classes, and he beat Benítez, Durán, Hearns and Hagler. ESPN groups him with Hagler, Hearns and Durán as the Four Kings of the 1980s. After boxing he worked as a broadcaster for ABC, CBS, HBO and NBC.

In November 2021 the World Boxing Council held a “Ray Day” at its convention, with Durán and Pazienza among the guests. Leonard is quoted in the WBC’s report on the event: “Boxing gave me a life.” In a Ring interview reported by Boxing News in May 2026 he named Hearns the best of the Four Kings, saying, “I don’t think anything matches our first fight.” Hearns, for his part, says Leonard was “definitely the best I fought”, and Durán named Leonard the best he faced.