Boxing Hall of Famer Sugar Ray Leonard hits the heavy bag arguably better than most amateurs at age 68.
It’s been almost 30 years since Sugar Ray Leonard left the boxing ring for the final time in his Hall of Fame career, but he still looks sharp despite fighting the inevitable battle with Father Time.
Leonard, an International Boxing Hall of Famer, retired after a 1997 loss to Héctor Camacho by TKO. He walked away from professional boxing as an all-time great, defeating the likes of Marvin Hagler, Roberto Duran, and Tommy Hearns during his legendary career.
While Leonard, 68, is far past his physical prime, he still gets regular exercise and is in great shape for his age. But Leonard dropped jaws in recent footage of him hitting the heavy bag, showcasing impressive speed and power given his advanced stage in life.
Boxing fans call for 68-year-old Sugar Ray Leonard to return after heavy bag footage goes viral
After Leonard shared footage of him hitting the heavy bag on Instagram, boxing fans and a fellow legend had a field day in the comments.
“I See You Champ,” boxing legend Antonio Tarver commented.
“Still faster than most top 10 contenders today,” one fan said.
“FAST HANDSSS.”
“Still got the fast hands!”
“Da champ! Excellence.”
“Sugar, you still have it!”
“The greatest of all-time.”
“Champ still sharp! Still goes strong to the body!”
“Sugar Ray Leonard is without question the greatest welterweight of the modern era. Better than Pacquiao or of course Mayweather.”
Leonard began his professional boxing career on a 38-fight unbeaten streak before suffering his first career loss to Terry Norris in 1991. After a six-year absence from boxing, Leonard returned in 1997, falling to Camacho for the IBC middleweight championship.
While Leonard initially teased another comeback in the early 2000s, he’s stayed retired and is focused on ventures outside of the sport.
Sugar Ray Leonard touted youngest-ever champion as his all-time toughest test
Leonard’s toughest test wasn’t what most expect from a legend of his caliber.
In 1979, a then 23-year-old Leonard took on Wilfred Benitez for the WBC and The Ring welterweight belts. Leonard admitted that Benitez was the toughest test of his career, as he acknowledged he ‘had never missed so many punches’ during his time in the ring.
In 1976, Benitez became the youngest-ever boxing world champion (17) when he defeated Antonio Cervantes in front of some of his high school classmates. He retired in 1990 with a 53-8-1 professional record.
As for Leonard, the world championship win paved the way to rivalries with the likes of Duran, Hagler, and other legendary combatants.