After the loss to Duran, Sugar Ray and his wife Juanita took a vacation to Hawaii to relax after the tough fight. It was Ray’s first loss as a professional, and the pounding he took and the sting of losing to someone he disliked so much hurt. Leonard admitted that after a few days in Hawaii, he found himself shadow boxing and jogging lightly and thinking of a rematch with Duran. As a young and possibly great champion, Sugar craved revenge against the Panamanian.
I recall seeing Howard Cosell interview Ray about a month after the fight, and questioning Leonard about his decision to go toe to toe with Duran. Sugar admitted Duran had gotten into his head, and he wanted to prove his toughness and trade blows rather than box. At the close of the show, intermittent with highlights from the bout, Ray said he couldn’t wait for the rematch. Only this time he said, “I’ll fight him my way!”
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