Sugar Ray Leonard's Most Extraordinary Performance at Welterweight

[elmersalsa]

The first time ever that I saw the great Sugar Ray Leonard fight on live TV was in September 28, 1979 against top ranked contender Andy "The Hawk" Price of Los Angeles, CA. It was one of the fights of the undercard of Larry Holmes defending his WBC World Heavyweight Title against fearsome puncher Earnie Shavers. The fight was broadcast live on ABC with Howard Cossell as the announcer. It wasn't the best fight of the evening, but, it was perhaps the best performance of the fight bill. And what a performance! This Price was supposed to give Leonard, the former Olympic gold champion and current NABF Welterweight champion, a tough fight. Why? Because legend had that he beat two Welterweight world champions in Mexicans Carlos Palomino and Pipino Cuevas. It was supposed to be Sugar Ray's biggest test of his 24-fight young and undefeated career.

It wasn't even a match! Leonard broke lose in the very first round and opened up with two straight right leads. Price felt them and went to play possum on the ropes. Sugar Ray set him up with jabs and then, BOOM!, another right hand put The Hawk in trouble. Next thing I saw, a barrage of left and rights to Price's face with accurate and fast combinations. About 14 unanswered blows, and Price fell on the canvas. He tried to get up. Useless, the referee had to stop the fight. Leonard won by a first round knockout in a breathtaking performance. It got my mouth opened!

I said right there that whoever is champion by the WBC or WBA, is in deep trouble. No way that the two champions, either the great Wilfred Benitez of Puerto Rico or Cuevas will beat this guy Leonard. He was too fast.

The other fights on the fight bill we're followed by the great Puerto Rican Wilfredo Gomez defending his WBC World Super Bantamweight crown for the tenth time against tough Panamanian challenger Carlos Mendoza and the great Roberto Duran of Panama was trying to make a mark in his fourth fight at Welterweight against an unknown contender named Zeferino Gonzalez. Gomez ahniliated Mendoza in ten rounds in an entertaining bout. Duran? He didn't looked impressive what so ever against the tall Gonzalez and had to comfort himself with a ten round decision win. Duran looked slow and lethargic. Like if he didn't belong with the WELTERWEIGHTS.

Holmes? Almost lost his crown against hard hitting Shavers. The bald headed heavyweight contender that destroyed former champ Ken Norton in one round three months earlier, almost becomes heavyweight champion when he decked the champion with a vicious punch. Holmes went down fast like a big tree. He had to get up and took care of business. I don't remember in what round Holmes went down. (You guys can help me out on that one). Holmes finished Shavers in 11 rounds by TKO in the main fight of the evening.

But it was Leonard that stole the show for me and to many people that night. By no question, it was the best performance of the evening. Maybe of his whole career. Rating the performances of the four fights of that evening, I rated them like these:
1. Leonard
2. Gomez
3. Holmes
4. Duran

Leonard was one step for the Welterweight crown. He really took me by a storm and became one of my favorite fighters.

[Duran1970]

His most extraordinary fight at welterweight was against Hearns...and to some extent the first Duran fight.....just my opinion

[Onetimeonly]

His most extraordinary fight at welterweight was against Hearns...and to some extent the first Duran fight.....just my opinion

Totally agree with both.

[SenorPipino]

Leonard's quick destruction of Price didn't really surprise me.

Price was a quick, nice boxer with limited power. He did win close ones over a young Palomino and Pipino, so the guy had talent.

But I had seen Price pretty much from the beginning of his career when he was being groomed at the Olympic Auditorium. His chin, even in winning efforts, often looked shaky against ordinary competition.

He eventually was matched with a Filipino journeyman named Rudy Barro. After completely outboxing and battering Barro in the first round, Price was hit with a right hand and was knocked cold, ending his unbeaten streak.

Price regrouped, managed to stay unbeaten for another 2 years or so (including those upsets over Palomino and Cuevas) before he was matched with a hard punching Mexican journeyman named Joe Baquedano.

Baquedano pounded Price, taking advantage of that shaky chin and stopping him in the 6th round.

So it wasn't too unexpected, at least to me, that rising superstar Leonard was able to catch Price early and viciously take him out.

If your chin was a bit on the suspect side, you didn't want to be in there with Leonard's blazing fists coming your way.

My personal favorite Leonard performance was his 1980 championship destruction of Dave "Boy" Green via KO in the 4th round.

What a terrific, lightening fast combination punctuated by a left hook that had Green out cold long before he hit the canvas.

It was sweet as sugar.

[Nile4000]

Davey Boy Green.

[oogiebe]

To me it will always be the first Hearns fight. He showed his greatness in all aspects of the game in that one.

[Caractacus]

Sugar Ray Leonards 22nd professional fight-May 1979.
I don't think Sugar Ray Leonards team ever quite forgave Angelo Dundee for making this match for him.
not scouting Marcos Geraldo properly before making the match.( reportedly Geraldo had a 'China Chin")
They was at least a 10 pound weight difference it looks like.
Sugar Ray Leonard said in the first round thinking his power was 'unreal".

[sweetsci]

Those prime-time free TV cards of the late 70s were amazing. It seems kind of extraordinary that Roberto Duran and his first professional opponent, Carlos Mendoza, were on the same prime-time tv card. I haven't watched the whole telecast since it aired... was that fact mentioned?

As for the OP's question, I've got to go with the Hearns fight, where Ray really had to dig.

[Duran1970]

Geraldo fight was at middleweight

[Nile4000]

Those prime-time free TV cards of the late 70s were amazing. It seems kind of extraordinary that Roberto Duran and his first professional opponent, Carlos Mendoza, were on the same prime-time tv card. I haven't watched the whole telecast since it aired... was that fact mentioned?

As for the OP's question, I've got to go with the Hearns fight, where Ray really had to dig.

True, but Ray should have had Tommy out by the 8th, if he didn't overextended himself.

[SenorPipino]

Those prime-time free TV cards of the late 70s were amazing. It seems kind of extraordinary that Roberto Duran and his first professional opponent, Carlos Mendoza, were on the same prime-time tv card. I haven't watched the whole telecast since it aired... was that fact mentioned?

As for the OP's question, I've got to go with the Hearns fight, where Ray really had to dig.

True, but Ray should have had Tommy out by the 8th, if he didn't overextended himself.

As Leonard said "I tried my best to get Tommy out of there (in the 7th and eighth rounds) but Tommy just wouldn't cooperate."

[elmersalsa]

Sugar Ray blew me away with the Andy Price fight. He just looked super terrific!

[oogiebe]

Sugar Ray blew me away with the Andy Price fight. He just looked super terrific!

I'm going to watch that again.

[SenorPipino]

Sugar Ray blew me away with the Andy Price fight. He just looked super terrific!

I'm going to watch that again.

Probably Leonard's second most picturesque knockout.

Behind only the combination that put Boy Green to sleep.

[Abradolf Lincler]

The Benitez fight for me. Completely outboxed the master boxer at his own game. Never understood the close cards.

[Caractacus]

[oogiebe]

The Benitez fight for me. Completely outboxed the master boxer at his own game. Never understood the close cards.

Yes! Another great performance.

[SenorPipino]

The Benitez fight for me. Completely outboxed the master boxer at his own game. Never understood the close cards.

Yes! Another great performance.

Leonard did say after the fight that he didn't think there was another boxer on the planet who could make him miss as many punches as Benitez did.

[Nile4000]

The Benitez fight for me. Completely outboxed the master boxer at his own game. Never understood the close cards.

Yes! Another great performance.

Leonard did say after the fight that he didn't think there was another boxer on the planet who could make him miss as many punches as Benitez did.

I know Randy Shields said in an article that Ray telegraphed his punches. So that might have helped. I think Duran hinted this as well.

[Caractacus]

January 1979.

[elmersalsa]

The Benitez fight for me. Completely outboxed the master boxer at his own game. Never understood the close cards.

It was a close fight. I scored it close. What do I remember of that fight vividly that I was crying of why Sugar Ray ain't putting this guy out quick like he did Andy Price? A friend of my father's was rooting for the great Wilfred Benitez. I was crying in the middle of the fight rounds, around the 7th and 8th. It was like to me that Benitez was winning the fight the way my father's friend was rooting for him. If Sugar Ray didn't knock him out but win by decision, it would have been nice to me, but not satisfying. I had to give props to Benitez that night. He really fought well.

[elmersalsa]

The Benitez fight for me. Completely outboxed the master boxer at his own game. Never understood the close cards.

It was a close fight. I scored it close. What do I remember of that fight vividly that I was crying of why Sugar Ray ain't putting this guy out quick like he did Andy Price? A friend of my father's was rooting for the great Wilfred Benitez. I was crying in the middle of the fight rounds, around the 7th and 8th. It was like to me that Benitez was winning the fight the way my father's friend was rooting for him. If Sugar Ray didn't knock him out but win by decision, it would have been nice to me, but not satisfying. I had to give props to Benitez that night. He really fought well.

Also when Ray dropped Benitez in the third round with the jab, I thought that the fight was going to be over right there and then. But, it didn't. It took 12 more rounds.

[Abradolf Lincler]

Sounds like you watched the fight when you were a kid.

[SenorPipino]

Sounds like you watched the fight when you were a kid.

I remember leaving work very early to watch it in a bar. Hagler-Antuofuermo I on the undercard.

I guess that even in 1979, I wasn't a kid. But I wasn't grey.

[Caractacus]

The Benitez fight for me. Completely outboxed the master boxer at his own game. Never understood the close cards.

It was a close fight. I scored it close. What do I remember of that fight vividly that I was crying of why Sugar Ray ain't putting this guy out quick like he did Andy Price? A friend of my father's was rooting for the great Wilfred Benitez. I was crying in the middle of the fight rounds, around the 7th and 8th. It was like to me that Benitez was winning the fight the way my father's friend was rooting for him. If Sugar Ray didn't knock him out but win by decision, it would have been nice to me, but not satisfying. I had to give props to Benitez that night. He really fought well.

Also when Ray dropped Benitez in the third round with the jab, I thought that the fight was going to be over right there and then. But, it didn't. It took 12 more rounds.

It was more like a cross between a jab and a left hook,also Benitez was squared up and off balance when he was hit with it.
You seem to under-estimate Wilfred Benitez defensive skills.He was a master at slipping punches.