Ray Leonard had signed to fight the WBC super-welterweight champ Terry Norris on February 9. 1991 at Madison Square Garden in New York. It would be Leonard’s first fight at the Garden, and it also meant he was fighting at 154 pounds, the first time at that weight in almost 10 years.
I personally didn’t like the fact that Sugar Ray had dropped down in weight at 34 years old, and was not optimistic about his chances against a strong, young fighter like Norris. I went to my younger sister’s house to see it, paid her for the fight of the pay per view card, and settled in nervously for the action.
It was obvious from the opening bell that Norris was too fast and strong for Ray. He dropped Leonard late in the second round, and was aggressive throughout. While Ray displayed the courage of a champion, he was never really in the fight, and was dropped again in the seventh. It was an obvious unanimous decision for Norris at the end of the 12th, and it was quite frankly depressing.
Ray announced to the crowd afterwards that he was retiring and, it was the end of the career of one of the sport’s great stars and one of my all time favorites. He would leave a hole that no one could fill.
FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM AT kensoldtimeboxingchat
