On at the present time in 1979, a brand new name ascended to the highest of the game with the twenty sixth win of his profession.
Sugar Ray Leonard’s iconic wars with the likes of Thomas Hearns, Roberto Duran, and Marvin Hagler helped define his legacy.
The North Carolina native was the one certainly one of the ‘4 kings’ to beat the opposite three men, but they definitely weren’t the one competitors that he faced in pivotal matchups.
While Leonard’s final knockout win saw him win the inaugural WBC super middleweight title, the most effective years of his profession were spent at the load class below.
Lower than ten years before this, he claimed his first world title by stopping a history-making opponent within the dying moments of their bout.
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Who’s your favorite of boxing’s legendary ‘4 kings’?
Sugar Ray Leonard dethroned Wilfred Benitez with a stoppage within the fifteenth round
On November 30 of 1979, Sugar Ray Leonard challenged for his first world title at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
The Olympic gold medalist had quickly turn into certainly one of boxing’s top stars, producing an ideal pro record of 25-0 heading into his bout for the WBC and The Ring welterweight titles.
Standing in the alternative corner to him was one other man who had been tipped for large things from an early stage in his profession.
Wilfred Benitez still holds the record as boxing’s youngest-ever champion, having won the WBA super lightweight title in 1976 when he was just 17 years old.
Despite Benitez becoming a two-division champion by the point he was 21, he was still unable to halt Leonard’s rise, who was two years older than him after they collided contained in the ring.
The challenger finished Benitez with just six seconds left on the clock within the fifteenth round, having dropped the champion twice throughout the fight to offer him the lead on all three scorecards before the stoppage got here.
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Sugar Ray Leonard’s first loss would come just two fights later
While many opponents got here up short when attempting to end Sugar Ray Leonard’s undefeated streak, he was just too good for the primary 27 fights of his pro profession.
Nonetheless, this modified when he got here up against a person that many believed could counter the American’s slick style with raw power, determination, and aggression.
Roberto Duran became the primary man to beat Leonard the next 12 months after the Olympic star’s first title win, securing a unanimous decision victory following an all-time classic in Montreal.
Leonard’s decision to go toe-to-toe with Duran to attempt to prove a degree for the vast majority of the fight did him no favors on the scorecards, though it earned him a whole lot of respect.
The American would go on to beat his fierce rival of their following bouts, including their infamous “no mas” rematch that took place the identical 12 months as their first encounter.