Boxing’s Greats of the States | Maryland: ‘Sugar’ Ray Leonard

Boxers come from every corner of the globe. Sometimes, fighters are products of their environment, favoring styles prevalent in the country or state from which they hail. Various regions of the United States are considered factories for great fighters, though that certainly is not the case with each state. In this weekly Sherdog.com series, the spotlight will shine on the best boxer of all-time from each of the 50 states. Fighters do not necessarily need to be born in a given state to represent it; they simply need to be associated with it.

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Plenty of terrific boxers have come through the “Old Line State,” but one fighter stands above all the rest: “Sugar” Ray Leonard. Named one of the Best Boxers of the 1980s by every reputable media outlet, Leonard did everything inside the squared circle and accomplished the sort of greatness few have ever achieved.

Leonard was born in North Carolina on May 17, 1956, but his family settled in Palmer Park, Maryland, during his formative years. After claiming gold at the 1975 Pan American Games and the 1976 Olympics, he went on to a hall-of-fame career as a professional, capturing world titles in five different weight classes. Leonard took on and defeated virtually every potential rival, most of them still in their physical prime: Robert Duran (three times), Thomas Hearns (twice), Wilfredo Benitez and “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler.

Though his pursuits were temporarily derailed by a detached retina in 1982, he returned to the ring two years later. Leonard retired following his ninth-round technical knockout against Kevin Howard on May 11, 1984, only to make a comeback and earn a split decision over Hagler in 1987. He finished with a 36-3-1 record, losing his final two bouts Terry Norris and Hector Camacho.

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