Sugar Ray Leonard believes there is just one fighter in boxing history that was capable of defeating him during his prime years.
Leonard made his way into the paid ranks back in 1977 after his success at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, where he successfully won a light-welterweight gold medal.
He would go on to capture world titles in five weight classes throughout the course of his glittering professional career, as well as winning the undisputed welterweight championship with a victory over Thomas Hearns in 1981.
Leonard became a member of ‘The Four Kings’ at the height of his career, alongside Hearns, Roberto Duran and Marvelous Marvin Hagler, a legendary quarter of fighters who took the sport by storm during that golden era.
None of his fellow ‘Four Kings’ came to mind though when Leonard was naming the only man he feels could beat him at his best, as in a resurfaced feature with ESPN, Leonard made no mistake in revealing his namesake Sugar Ray Robinson as the best fighter ever.
“Someone once said there was a comparison between Sugar Ray Leonard and Sugar Ray Robinson. Believe me, there’s no comparison. Sugar Ray Robinson was the greatest.”
Robinson, who became a world champion no less than six times during his career, is widely considered to be one of the greatest fighters to have ever laced up a pair of gloves by fans and analysts alike.
After he reigned as the world welterweight champion between 1946 and 1951, Robinson eventually made the move up to middleweight where he would capture the world title on five occasions within a nine year period, defeating the likes of Randolph Turpin, Rocky Graziano and Jake LaMotta during his reign.
