Sugar Ray Leonard celebrates his middleweight boxing championship title after winning a 12-round split decision over middleweight champion "Marvelous" Marvin Hagler in Las Vegas, Nevada, April 6, 1987. Leonard, who fought one bout since retiring in 1982 because of a detached retina, announced his retirement shortly after the victory. (AP Photo/Leonard Ignelzi)
DOG ASIDE:
This video is an excerpt of the 1984 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year Award Show….in which host Merlin Olsen introduces 1981 winner of the coveted Sports Illustrated award….who speaks about his career….and specifically about the challenges of retiring from the ring and then returning to the ring.
Sugar Ray Leonard is without question, one of the legends of boxing who came out of the Golden Age of Boxing from 1964 to 1995…..as he fought the best and beat the best (most of the time) throughout his illustrious career….having beaten the likes of Wilfred Benetiz, Thomas Hearns, Roberto Duran and Marvin Hagler….of whom each of these also achieved legendary status in our opinion here at ImaSportsphile.
After Sugar Ray talked about his career….he finishes off this segment with highlights of potentially the next Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year of Marvelous Marvin Hagler…..with a review of Thomas Hearns knocking out Roberto Duran….and highlights of Hagler defeating Mustafa Hamsho…..setting up the highly anticipated middleweight title fight between Hitman Hearns and Marvelous Marvin later on in 1984.
