I went to Dallas, Texas for a month in June of 1980 for a residence airline training program I was in. That same month, Sugar Ray Leonard was set to fight Roberto Duran at Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Canada on Friday June 20th.
Since I didn’t have a credit card and couldn’t rent a car, I took a bus to DFW airport, transferred buses, and took another one to Tarrant County Coliseum in Forth Worth. I had bought my $20 ticket at an agency in Dallas and made my way into the arena.
The action from Montreal was furious and rough. Duran continuously trapped Ray on the ropes and raked him to the body. But as the fight progressed, Leonard displayed his toughness and grit, and was holding his own more and more. The action was even paced,and it was far from a one sided affair. Sugar Ray was landing solid punches and as the fight climaxed to the 15th round, Ray had been boxing well for a while and the final decision was still uncertain in my book.
The judges first announced the fight as a split decision win for Duran, and after the fight it was changed to a unanimous one. I was sad but proud of Ray’s gritty effort, and the courage he displayed. In my mind the evenly fought great fight would spawn a rematch, and that left me with a positive feeling as I walked back to the bus station to catch a ride back to Love Field in Dallas, where my hotel was a short walk from.
I vividly recall the bus ride back and the excitement of the whole night. If there was ever a doubt I was a boxing fan for life, it was erased on that special night in Dallas of 1980.
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