Sugar Ray Leonard is best known for his wins over Thomas Hearns, Roberto Duran, and Marvin Hagler, but his career was full of moments that show just how great a fighter he was.
Sugar Ray Leonard holds wins over three of the ‘Four Kings’ with himself being the fourth, and though his career was not as extensive as that of Roberto Duran with 119 fights, and not as packed full of knockouts as that of Thomas Hearns, who KO’d Duran, it was full to the brim of special moments.
From Leonard’s win over Hagler after a three-year layoff, to his incredible knockout win over a lesser-known fighter, backed by an iconic singer, who promised to upset him.
Sugar Ray Leonard knocked out Marvin Gaye’s charge in one round
In 1979, one fight before Leonard’s win over Wilfred Benitez, he faced Andy Price, a 29-5-3 fighter whose managerial contract was partly owned by Marvin Gaye.
Price had promised to be the man to upset Leonard, but the fight was over in the blink of an eye, as Leonard stopped the challenger with an unanswered flurry whilst he was backed on the ropes in the opening round, never allowing him the chance to cause an upset.
According to BoxRec, a Sports Illustrated journalist wrote: “Andy Price, a tough customer out of California . . . was supposed to give Leonard trouble. He never had the chance. Taking the fight to Price in the first round, Leonard mugged him in the middle of the ring, punched him into the ropes and toppled him there with eight seconds left in the round.”
Leonard said after the win: “Andy Price said he was going to upset me […] the only upset was when he got off the canvas.”
Sugar Ray Leonard’s nickname came from one moment in his amateur career
Leonard won a gold medal in the 1976 Montreal Olympic games, and had a highly successful amateur career.
Ahead of his Olympic appearance, Leonard was complimented by the US Olympic Boxing Team’s assistant coach who said of Leonard to his coach: “That kid you got is sweet as sugar.”
The nickname also stuck due to its similarity with Sugar Ray Robinson, who was one of the greatest boxers of all time.
Marvin Hagler was notably upset with Leonard’s nickname, or rather boxing announcers’ willingness to name him ‘Sugar’ in their announcements, but hesitance to call him ‘Marvellous’. Hagler changed his name to Marvellous Marvin Hagler after a win over Caveman Lee.