Sugar Ray Leonard has commented on some of the most famous words supposedly spoken in boxing, claiming he never heard them.
Legend of the sport, and one of the greatest middleweight boxers of all time, Sugar Ray Leonard has reflected on one of his fiercest rivalries in his career.
Before modern monstrous punchers such as Canelo Alvarez, the likes of Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran were the must-sees of the middleweight division.
Meeting Roberto Duran for the first of three times in May of 1980, Leonard was handed the first defeat of his career by the Panama native.
Eager to redeem his loss, Leonard wanted to get his rematch for the WBC world welterweight belt as soon as possible. With the pair scheduled to fight in November of the same year, their second meeting would be their most infamous.
Sugar Ray Leonard never heard Roberto Duran say ‘no mas’
When the pair met for the second time in November of 1980, Leonard put on a much-improved performance in the sequel. Showcasing the best of his abilities, ‘Sugar’ was seemingly in complete control over the bout for the opening seven rounds, leaving his rival with little response.
However, the fight’s defining round was its eighth. As Leonard “heard the crowd laughing”, he saw a “puzzled” look on the face of his opponent. “He didn’t really know what the hell was going on. It really, really bothered him,” Leonard said while recalling the fight on Boxing with Chris Mannix in 2020.
As the fight entered its final moments, a break from the clinch would see Duran wave in Leonard’s direction before turning his back to his opponent and walking away. Following these actions, the referee ended the fight, resulting in Leonard’s victory.
It was understood that Duran spoke the words ‘No mas’, Spanish for no more, which resulted in the end of the bout. However, Leonard claims he never heard his opponent say these words.
“In all due respect to Roberto, I never heard him say ‘No mas’… He never said ‘No mas’ to me, but he told the referee ‘no more,’” said Leonard.
Duran has also stated that he never said this, however, the bout is still known for the famous words; ‘No mas’.
Sugar Ray Leonard says Roberto Duran almost retired him
Speaking on their first bout, Leonard discussed how surprised he was with Duran’s power.
“I’ve never been so hurt in my career… His fists felt like rocks.”
During the fight itself, Leonard even said that he considered that this may be his final outing in a boxing ring. “He hit me so hard so many times in so many places that I looked at him and said, ‘You know what? This is it.’ I contemplated in the ring that this would be my last fight.”
However, not only would Leonard get his revenge in the rematch, but he would also be the winner of the series. When the pair met for the third time in 1989, the American would earn his second victory over rival Duran.