Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Larry Bonds
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Ray Leonard 145 lbs beat Larry Bonds 144 lbs by TKO at 2:22 in round 10 of 15
- Date: 1981-03-28
- Location: Carrier Dome, Syracuse, New York, USA
- Referee: Arthur Mercante
- Judge: Harold Lederman 90-80
- Judge: Carol Castellano 88-85
- Judge: Vincent Rainone 90-80
- WBC World Welterweight Title (1st defense by Leonard)
- Promoters: Bob Arum (Top Rank), Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce
- Ring Announcer: Dick Tobin
- Aired On: HBO World Championship Boxing (Main Event)
- Photo 1, Photo 2, Photo 3, Photo 4, Photo 5
Notes
- The credentials of Bonds, ranked sixth at welterweight by the World Boxing Council, were questioned by some. "We wanted to fight Clint Jackson, which would be a better fight, but he isn't ranked," said Mike Trainer, Leonard's attorney. "And the WBC says a champion has to fight every four months against a rated fighter."
- The WBC's top five welterweight contenders were Wilfred Benitez, Pipino Cuevas, Alfredo Lucero, Randy Shields and Joergen Hansen. Benitez, Lucero, and Shields turned down offers. Hansen, at age 38, was considered too old to be credible, and Trainer was saving Cuevas as a fall alternative. Finally, a call was made to Bobby Lewis, one of Bonds' co-managers.
- Bonds said, "My manager called me March 2. I was at home shooting eight-ball pool with my wife, Gloria. I didn't get too excited . . . although I did lose the game to her."
- Leonard's purse was $750,000, and Bonds got $100,000. Prior to fighting Leonard, Bonds' biggest purse was $1,500.
- When Leonard fought Bonds, he was already signed to challenge WBA Junior Middleweight Champion Ayub Kalule on June 25, 1981. Since both Bonds and Kalule were southpaws, the Bonds fight was viewed as a tune-up for Leonard.
- Leonard had fought southpaws only twice as a professional: In 1979, he outpointed Adolfo Viruet over ten rounds and stopped Tony Chiaverini in four rounds.
- Tickets were priced from $60 for ringside seats down to $10.
- More than 21,000 fans attended the fight.
- Leonard was the aggressor against the slick boxing southpaw. "I saw early there wasn't any use dancing with him," Leonard said after the bout. "Then we'd both be dancing and nobody would be punching much. To stop him I had to be a bully."
- Bonds was knocked down once in the 4th and once in the 10th. He got up and was battered by Leonard until the fight was stopped by the referee.