NO. 9 SUGAR RAY LEONARD
Record: 36-3-1 (25 KOs)
Years active: 1977-84; 87-91; 97
Titles won: World welterweight (twice), world junior middleweight, world middleweight, world super middleweight, world light heavyweight
Among his victims: Floyd Mayweather Sr., Randy Shields, Armando Muniz, Wilfredo Benitez, Roberto Duran, Ayube Kalule, Thomas Hearns, Marvin Hagler
Background: Leonard burst upon the boxing scene when he won a gold medal in the 1976 Olympics. And he was only getting started. He had charisma and a smile that could light up an arena but make no mistake: He was all fighter. His off-the-charts quickness, skills, power and toughness combined to make him an all-time great in spite of a detached retina that truncated his career. And he was a clutch performer, meaning he won all but one of his biggest fights. Leonard split two meetings with the great Roberto Duran in 1980, winning the second – the “No Mas” fight – by using his speed and movement to embarrass Duran and force him to quit. He went on to beat another great in Thomas Hearns, stopping him the 14th round of a classic showdown he was losing on the cards. And, returning from a three-year layoff, Leonard stunned the boxing world by moving up to middleweight and outpointed yet another superstar in Marvin Hagler. That was Leonard – master of the ring, master of the dramatic. The fans loved him.