Sugar Ray Leonard is widely considered to be one of the greatest fighters in boxing history.
The American great captured an Olympic gold medal at the 1976 Summer Games in Montreal before entering the professional ranks less than a year later.
His career would span across two decades, where he would capture world titles in five weight classes as well as the undisputed championship at welterweight, which he won back in 1981 when he stopped Thomas Hearns in the 14th round of their battle at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
Leonard was one of the ‘Four Kings’, which was made up of himself, Hearns, Roberto Duran and Marvelous Marvin Hagler, all of whom faced each other on at least one occasion during their respective careers.
In a resurfaced YouTube interview, ‘Sugar’ Ray spoke of his 1980 showdown with Duran, where he claims the Panamanian great was the hardest puncher he ever faced.
“I stood toe-to-toe with this guy but I knew by the end of 12-rounds this is not smart, because Duran, they call him manos de piedra or hands of stone. He hit me so hard I said ‘Who else is in here with me?, but I knew because fighters know when they lost, so when they was calling the decision I knew I lost.”
Leonard and Duran went on to face each other a further two times during their careers. They fought for the second time just five months after their first encounter, with Duran sensationally turning his back on Leonard and quitting towards the end of round eight, in what is perhaps best known as the ‘No Mas’ fight.
Their third and final bout took place in December 1989, as Leonard successfully defended his WBC super-middleweight title in a comprehensive unanimous decision victory over ‘Hands of Stone’ to put their bitter rivalry to bed.
