Boxing legend ‘Sugar’ Ray Leonard has faced some of the very best of his time, but no one had an affect on him quite like one man.
With wins over Roberto Duran, Marvin Hagler, and Thomas Hearns, even the very best were not able to get the better of Leonard.
Winning world titles in five weight classes, Leonard has left a lasting legacy on the sport that will always be remembered.
However, there is one fight that Leonard looks back on without fond memories in his career.
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Sugar Ray Leonard reveals the loss that had the biggest impact on him
Only losing three times in his career, Leonard tasted his first professional defeat in 1980, three years after making his debut.
In June of 1980 Leonard would take on Roberto Duran, one of the greatest lightweight fighters of all time. Leonard was aiming to make his second defence of his WBC World Welterweight title as the two met in Canada.
Duran came into the bout with a 71-1 record and was able to edge out a unanimous decision victory over the champion.
The first loss of his Leonard’s career would be a tough pill to swallow for ‘Sugar’, as he discussed how the Duran defeat affected him.
In an interview with The Irish Times, Leonard revealed the hardship he faced following the loss to Duran.
With the defeat lying heavy on the mind of Leonard, he said that he “watched this loss over and over again”, when speaking about his first Duran meeting.
Feeling like he got taken out of his game plan by the Panamanian boxer, Leonard feels that Duran used intimidation tactics to throw him off.
“He pushed me, he kicked, he cursed me. He even cursed my wife… he took me out of my game plan and he won the fight,” Leonard said.
The final scorecards for the meeting between Leonard and Duran were, 114-146, 144-145, and 147-148.
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Sugar Ray Leonard would get revenge in ‘No Mas’ fight
Eager to get revenge for his loss, Leonard would take on Duran for their sequel bout just five months after their 15-round battle.
Meeting for the second time in New Orleans, the two would fight in November of 1980.
Leonard would have a career-best performance as he earned a TKO victory over Duran.
In what would be labelled the ‘No Mas’ fight, due to Duran allegedly uttering the words to the referee to stop the fight, Leonard would reclaim his world title.
However, Leonard debunked the ‘No Mas’ myth, saying that he never heard Duran say the words.
The two would meet for a third time in 1989, with Leonard winning the trilogy with a one-sided unanimous decision win.