Sugar Ray Leonard once revealed who he believes to be the greatest fighter to ever grace the sport of boxing.
Leonard burst onto the scene as a professional back in 1977, less than a year after he walked away from the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, Canada with a Gold Medal at Lightweight.
He established himself as a serious contender in no time at all, becoming the WBC Welterweight World Champion in 1979 when he stopped the legendary Wilfred Benitez in the 15th and final round of their bout in Las Vegas.
Leonard suffered the first defeat of his career to Roberto Duran one year later, but got his revenge in their rematch five months on when he forced the Panamanian great to quit during round eight of the bout at the Superdome in New Orleans, now known as the ‘No Mas’ fight.
He was one part of the iconic Four Kings alongside Duran, Thomas Hearns and Marvelous Marvin Hagler, a legendary quartet of fighters that all faced off during their careers. Leonard is the only man to hold a win over all three rivals. He is, by some, considered to be the best ever, but not in his own humble opinion.
In a past feature with ESPN, the now 69-year-old didn’t revealed that he believes the man he was named after, Sugar Ray Robinson, is the greatest fighter of all time in his opinion.
“Someone once said there was a comparison between Sugar Ray Leonard and Sugar Ray Robinson. Believe me, there’s no comparison. Sugar Ray Robinson was the greatest.”
Robinson is widely considered by fans and analysts as such. He proved his outstanding credentials throughout the course of his storied professional career which spanned across 25 years.
He reigned as the world welterweight champion between 1946 and 1951 before he eventually made the move up to middleweight where he would capture the world title at 160lbs on five occasions within a nine year period.