Sugar Ray Leonard is undoubtedly a legend of the sport, but one controversial incident in 1978 nearly tanked his reputation.
Sugar Ray Leonard turned pro in 1977, fighting six times in his first year. However, it was just 14 months since his pro debut that Leonard met his first instance of controversy in the ring.
Leonard, in his tenth fight, faced a 21-7-1 fighter in front of 15,000 fans, and put his career on the line with a brutal finish that some onlookers deemed to be a foul.
Sugar Ray Leonard defeated Bobby Haymon with alleged after-the-bell blow
In 1978, Leonard, who beat Wilfred Benitez, faced 21-7-1 Bobby Haymon, the brother of famous promoter Al Haymon.
After dropping Haymon twice, Leonard secured a third-round TKO victory in front of the largest ever indoor crowd in Maryland, USA, but controversy ensued soon after.
Haymon’s team claimed Leonard landed on their man after the bell sounded. A replay showed that Leonard landed one punch as the bell was sounding and then another as the ref stepped in.
Leonard, who retired Marvin Hagler, maintained his innocence, stating: “I hit him before the bell. He was on his way down.”
Although Haymon’s manager, according to BoxRec, disagreed: “Leonard hit him three times after the bell. I talked to the officials, and they said they couldn’t do anything about it. That’s because they had 15,000 people here, and they didn’t have the guts to do anything about it.”
Ultimately, the referee sided with Leonard, suggesting Haymon’s team were clinging to any chance they had to fight off a loss for their man.
Sugar Ray Leonard was knocked out by one man
In his final fight, six years after the fight before, Leonard took on Hector Camacho, who became the first man to stop Leonard as he finished him off in round five of their bout.
Camacho also retired Roberto Duran, Leonard’s biggest rival.