This writer once wrote an article, “‘Sugar’ Ray Leonard Knocked Out Floyd Mayweather!” The first line said it was Sr., 15-1, not Jr. not, in September 1978. Ray was 13-0.
Looking at both ‘Sugar’ and ‘Money’ starting in the Olympics, Ray won gold in Montreal in 1976, defeating all six opponents. His amateur record was 145-5 with 75 shutouts. ‘Money’ lost a contested decision in the bronze medal semifinals, losing to Serafim Todorov of Bulgaria, 94-14, by a score of 10-9 in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. His amateur record was 84-9.
Ray’s opponents stopped Pete Ranzany, 45-3-1, in 4 rounds for his first title in the NABF, and two fights later for the WBC World title, which champion Wilfred Benitez, 38-0-1, in the fifteenth and last round time. , was a first big name. Ray was 25-0.
In his second defense, he decided to fight 71-1 Roberto ‘Hands of Stone’ Duran. win by one point, and third by two points.
Just five months later, in a rematch with Duran, Leonard gave him an embarrassing ‘boxing lesson’ by cruising in the final round, while Duran sat on his chair after eight rounds and refused to continue, Leonard with two points on two judges’ scores and by one point on another.
After two defenses, Leonard won the WBA World Super Welterweight title, stopping Ayub Kalue 36-0. After thirteen rounds, he then faced WBA Welterweight Champion Thomas ‘Hit Man’ Hearns, trailing 32-0 on all judges’ cards. He stopped Hearns in the fourteenth round for a unification victory in September 1981 for the Ring Magazine’s “Fight of the Year”!
In Leonard’s next fight, a title defense, he stopped Bruce Finch, 28-3-1, in three rounds in February 1982. While preparing for his next defense against Roger Stafford on May 14, 1982, he learned he had a detached retina in his left eye. On May 9, he had a successful operation. On November 8, he announced his retirement. He was 32-1.
In May 1984, he returned to the ring against Kevin Howard, 20-4-1, who came off the canvas and won in nine rounds by stoppage. It would be three years before he faced WBC World Middleweight Champion ‘Marvelous’ Marvin Hagler, 62-2-2, winning a split decision in April 1987.
Some nineteen months later, he won the WBC World Super Welter and WBC Light Heavy titles, stopping Donny Lalonde, 31-2, in nine rounds. Seven months later, in a rematch with Hearns, 46-3, then WBO champion, it ended in a split draw, coming off the canvas twice. Then, in a third fight with Duran, 85-7, he won a lopsided decision.
It would be fourteen months before he returned to the ring against WBC World Super Welter Champion “Terrible” Terry Norris, 26-3, losing by a lopsided decision, twice knocked down, in February 1991.
He would return to the ring in March 1997, some six years later, in what would be his final career fight, losing to IBC Middleweight Champion Hector ‘Macho’ Camacho, 62-3-1, in five rounds and with ‘ a 36-3-1 record with 25 shutouts.
If you look at Mayweather’s pro record, he was 17-0 when he won the WBC World Super Feather title and stopped Genaro Hernandez, 36-1-1, in eight rounds.
He made nine winning defenses and one non-title victory. He defeated opponents such as Carlos Ruiz, 44-2-1, Gregorio Vargas, 40-6-1, and Diego Corrales, 33-0.
Then he won the WBC World Lightweight title by a disputed decision over Jose Luis Castillo, 45-4-1, in April 2002. Eight months later he won a rematch, he won the rematch without a doubt. After two more defenses, he won the WBC World Light Welterweight title, defeating DeMarcus Corley, 28-2-1, in May 2004.
In his third defense, he defeated Shamba Mitchell, 56-4, in a non-title bout. Then he won the IBF World Welterweight title, defeating Zab Judah 34-3.
Then, in a WBC Super Welterweight title fight, he defeated champion and former Olympic Gold Medalist Oscar “Golden Boy” De La Hoya 38-4. After seven rounds, De La Hoya was ahead with an effective jab. Suddenly he stopped using the jab, fell behind and lost a split decision to Mayweather.
In the ring, commentator Larry Merchant questioned De La Hoya’s stop using the jab, saying, “That sure worked, didn’t it, Larry?” At first, the top trainer of the ring commentator Emmanuel Steward said: “That was not a good answer from Oscar!”
In his first defense he stopped Ricky Hatton 43-0. He then followed with wins over Juan Manuel Marquez, 50-4-1, and “Sugar” Shane Mosley, 46-5. Then he moved up to capture the WBA Super Welterweight title, defeating Miguel Cotto 37-2.
He returned to defend his WBC Welterweight title defeating Roberto ‘The Ghost’ Guerrero 31-1-1. Then he defeated WBA champion Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, 42-0-1, by majority decision. This writer felt he won every round in September 2013.
Next, he won a majority decision over Marcos Maidana 35-3, which I felt was a tie. Close enough, it demanded a rematch and won by more decisive scores.
In May 2015, he defended against Manny “Pac Man” Pacquiao, 57-5-2. After the fight, Pacquiao claimed that he injured his shoulder during training, but never mentioned it due to the possible cancellation of the fight.
He easily defeated former champion Andre Berto 30-3, who was 2-2 in his previous four fights. This improved his record to 49-0, which equaled heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano’s record since 1955. Mayweather was 49-0 with 26 stoppages.
For some reason, it would be two years before he returned in a non-title fight, defeating MMA champion Connor McGregor 0-0 by stopping him in ten rounds. It seemed to this writer that he carried him and after nine rounds threw a few punches well in front of him before opening up in the tenth round. Why is someone without pro fights fighting to break Marciano’s record?
Leonard’s losses to Hearns, Duran and Hagler are opponents that one wonders if Mayweather would have beaten. His biggest win was over Alvarez, 42-0-1, now 61-2-2, and Super Welterweight Champion. He also defeated Pacquiao 57-5-2 and finished with a record of 62-8-2.
