3. Sugar Ray Leonard 36-3-1, 25 KOs
AP Photo
Birthplace: Wilmington, NC
Professional Career: 1977-1997
If your heart was broken Elvis Presley would be able to direct you to a hotel where you may properly sleep it off in 1956. It was the same year the singer had his first television appearance and his songs Don’t Be Cruel and Hound Dog hit the top of the charts for a record 11 weeks. The Wizard of Oz was televised for the first time, Martin Luther King Jr’s house was firebombed and New York Yankee Mickey Mantle homered from both sides of the plate for the third time in his career….and then there is Ray Charles Leonard.
Fighters as special as Sugar Ray Leonard don’t come around very often and he is number three of all time even if this list was not exclusively American.
He was the fifth of seven children who grew up as an ordinary, shy child with both parents working and providing for their family. Like many regular children Leonard enjoyed reading comic books, playing with the family dog and doing ordinary, average kid things.
Perhaps there is a certain wisdom in the saying “still waters run deep” as despite his placid exterior as a youth in his chest beat the heart of a champion.
Leonard’s brother Roger helped start a boxing program at a local recreational center and after winning several trophies antagonized his brother as brothers do, drawing Leonard into a trajectory that would change not only Ray Leonard’s life but the history of welterweight boxing from that time forward.
As an amateur Leonard had no intention of turning professional until life dealt him some unexpected blows as life tends to do.
Shortly before the Olympics his high school girlfriend named Leonard as the father and filed a paternity suit for child support. Leonard immediately determined that he would take responsibility and be a father to his child regardless of sacrificing boxing and college should it be necessary. This had an unfortunate backlash and Leonard was unable to secure substantial endorsement contracts.
Leonard had a stellar amateur career that came to an apex with a gold medal for the United States in the 1976 Olympics. Still, the aforementioned stigma remained.
Adding to his problems his mother suffered a heart attack and as timing would have it his father fell ill and was hospitalized with meningitis. Without a meaningful way to substantially provide for his family outside of the obvious, Leonard turned pro in 1977.
Being a Gold Medal winning, charismatic fighter had its perks and Leonard made $40,044 winning a six round decision in his professional debut. This was a glaring contrast of his opponent Luis Vega who made $650. This would be consistent as Leonard was the first fighter to earn over $100 million dollars.
Interestingly, Leonard has the least professional fights of any on this list yet the spotlight was positioned directly in Leonard’s face as much as any fighter in history. Leonard is a unique case of concentrated greatness; he is a boxer who made more of an impact in 40 fights than most in a lifetime.
At 25-0 Leonard challenged the likewise undefeated and youngest man to win a world championship at just 17 years old, Wilfredo Benitez 38-0-1. It was a competitive fight though Leonard was not in danger of losing at any point, dropping Benitez in the third who rose more embarrassed than hurt in the third round. At the end of the night Benitez had is his first pro loss and Leonard had his first pro world championship.
Leonard defended his title with a highlight reel stoppage of Danny “Boy” Green before accepting the challenge of the most dangerous contender and fellow all-time great and former lightweight world champion Roberto Duran 71-1 (57).
Duran successfully got into Leonard’s head by insulting his wife and disrespecting him at every opportunity, demeaning Leonard with impunity whenever they were within spitting distance.
Despite the pleas from Hall of Fame trainer Angelo Dundee Leonard dug his heels in and was absolutely determined to defeat the Panamanian bully at his own game. Instead of employing his usual slick boxer/puncher style Leonard elected to engage the dangerous Duran at his own game and paid the price losing a close 15 round decision.
Three months later Leonard embarrassed the macho Duran with superior boxing and taunting skills, perhaps because Duran was enjoying an extended celebration when offered the big money rematch.
Duran was thoroughly outboxed and perhaps more than a little humiliated and having his legendary machismo challenged by Leonard’s taunting waived his gloves conceding to Leonard uttering “No mas, no mas” which he denies uttering to this day.
Just two defenses later Leonard accepted the challenge of fellow Hall of Fame and all-time great furthering his highly concentrated legacy against the undefeated, terrifying Thomas “Hit Man” Hearns 32-0 (30).
The lanky 6’1 “Hit Man” surprisingly assumed the role as the matador to Leonard’s bull and did so with great success. Hearns dictated the tempo for the majority of the fight until Leonard made the proper adjustment and hurt Hearns in the 11th.
From that point forward Leonard hunted while his eye swelled shut with an injury that would alter his career from this point forward.
Leonard finally put Hearns in the position that he had invested 13 ½ rounds when he sent the lanky destroyer into a confusing tangle of long limbs and ropes that became ensnared as Leonard finished the fatigued Hearns and referee Davey Pearl called a halt to the 1981 Fight of the Year.
It is here that Leonard’s significant welterweight contributions end though as most reading this article knows his achievements went far deeper in a legendary career.
Greatest rival: Duran is a runner up but as a welterweight there was no more dangerous opponent that Thomas Hearns.
