When Sugar Ray Leonard officially retired in November of 1982 because of his detached retina, no one knew if he would eventually return, especially since he was only 26 years old. After his bout with Keven Howard on 11, 1984, a win in a disappointing performance, Ray said he would never fight again. He announced “It’s just not there anymore.” When in attendance for the Marvin Hagler-John Mugabi bout on March 10, 1986, Leonard saw a slower Hagler, who he figured was vulnerable and beatable. Negotiations began a few months later when Ray let Marvin know he was interested, and the fight date was set for April 6, 1987 in Vegas.
I had just moved back to New Jersey from Las Vegas in November of 1986, and was thrilled to find out about the ‘Super-Fight’. In the months leading up the the bout, I devoured every newspaper clipping and video preview I could see. A really cool thing happened when I traveled to Hilton Head, South Carolina in mid-March, and got a chance to see Sugar Ray train in person at the Hotel Intercontinental for a few days. He looked much more muscular at 160 lbs., and I really believed he could pull off the upset.
Monday, April 6, 1987 was a beautiful early Spring evening in South Jersey where I lived, and I hopped in my 1985 white Pontiac Firebird to make the 12 mile trek to the Spectrum in South Philadelphia to catch the action on closed-circuit. After buying a program, I made my way to my $25 seat to sit through the undercard in anticipation of the main event. When the first bell rang, I was as nervous as if I was fighting, and shocked how good Ray looked in his white trunks and boxing shoes. It was as if he turned the clock back 5 years, and it was 1982, not 1987.
Ray was boxing brilliantly, and hitting Hagler with sharp right hands as well. I saw him winning 5 of the first 6 rounds, Marvin taking over in rounds in rounds 7 thru 9, leaving the fight in the balance for either man to take in the last 3 rounds. To me, Leonard did enough to win after 12 rounds, and when he was awarded a close split-decision victory, it seemed fair. Hagler was upset of course, but the decision was final, and Sugar Ray Leonard had done the impossible to many by defeating the great champion, Marvin Hagler.
I was on a high for weeks after the fight, and it seemed unreal that Ray was the champion after 1 bout in 5 years. Whenever April 6 rolls around every year, the first thing that comes to my mind is that historic bout from Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas in 1987.
FOLLOW ME ON TIKTOK AT kensoldtimeboxingchat
LISTEN TO MY PODCAST ON SPOTIFY AT kensoldtimeboxingchat
FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM AT kensoldtimeboxingchat
