Ray Leonard had signed to fight contender Kevin Howard on February 25, 1984, but the fight was postponed until May. An exam by Massachusetts doctors discovered that the retina in Ray’s eye was loose and needed surgery. His originally injured left eye passed the examination with flying colors, and the bout was set for May 11th in Worcester, Massachusetts.
I had to work at my airline job, and had my cousin tape the bout on HBO for me. I watched it and was surprised in many respects. I expected Sugar Ray to dominate Howard, but he struggled early and suffered the first knockdown of his career via a right hand in the fourth round.
Leonard battled back and dug deep and started to gain control of the sight soon after. He was landing tremendous left hooks to Howard’s body and Kevin started to feel the effects. In the ninth, Ray staggered him with a whistling hook and landed enough combinations to have the ref halt the action.
The next day, Leonard announced his retirement saying “If I don’t feel it now, I never will. I quit.” I was shocked and disappointed in his decision, and figured this time Ray was done for good.
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