Ray Leonard biography:
Ray Leonard, considered one of the best fighters of all time, burst onto the international scene by winning the light-welterweight gold medal at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal. He turned professional with a lawyer, Mike Trainer, handling the business side of his career, while hiring the legendary trainer Angelo Dundee to guide him towards the top. Dundee's success with Muhammad Ali and Trainer's business savvy ensured that three years later, Sugar Ray Leonard was not only a millionaire but ready for his first world title.
Puerto Rican Wilfredo Benitez, himself a world champion since the age of 17, surrendered the WBC welterweight title in 1979, and Sugar Ray was on his way. The next seven years saw Leonard engage in some of the most famous battles in ring history with his three most famous rivals; Thomas Hearns, Roberto Durán, and Marvelous Marvin Hagler. Durán was the victor in early 1980, taking the WBC crown after a brutal contest. However, honor was restored later that same year, with the famous "No Mas" victory. Durán was out-boxed, out-sped, and humiliated, and in the eighth round, surrendered with the words "No Mas - No More".
Leonard's boxing career continued with a victory over Hearns in 1981, followed by a retirement. However, he returned to the ring in 1984 at light-middleweight, although he retired again soon after. The pull of the limelight was too much, and in 1987, he returned to the ring with an audacious challenge for the WBC world middleweight crown against Marvelous Marvin Hagler in Las Vegas. Despite being a heavy underdog, Leonard confounded the critics by beating Hagler for the first time since 1980 and taking his beloved world title. Hagler retired, claiming he was robbed.
Leonard's victory was disputed, and opinion is divided, even to this day. Although he won the WBC super-middleweight and light-heavyweight titles, it was clear that Sugar Ray's best days were behind him. A hollow rubber match victory against Durán and a draw with Hearns carried little weight, and he took a beating in a WBC light-middleweight title against "Terrible" Terry Norris in 1991, getting knocked down twice and sustaining a nasty beating. Six years later, a non-title contest against Hector Camacho finally persuaded Sugar Ray Leonard that his time was up.
After some years establishing himself as a top promoter, Leonard joined forces with ex-British paratrooper and reality TV mogul Mark Burnett to create The Contender (2005). With movie star Sylvester Stallone also onboard, "The Contender" gives an insight to the hopes and fears of young professional prize-fighters as they compete for a $1 million prize and a headline-grabbing main event in Las Vegas. It was of particular importance to Leonard, as he wanted the public to see that although he had all the trappings of success, such as wealth and glory, the road to the top was filled with setbacks and problems, both physically and emotionally, which he himself had to overcome in his boxing days.
Ray Leonard still remains in the public eye to this day, and his legacy as one of the sport's greatest exponents means that his place in boxing history is forever secure.
