Sugar Ray Leonard mixed it with the very best, including each of his fellow Four Kings, but admits he should have retired after encountering the ferocious fists of one man.
The American officially called time on his Hall of Fame career in 1997, having returned from a six-year absence and suffered a fifth-round stoppage defeat to Hector Camacho.
Prior to that, Leonard lost a unanimous decision to Terry Norris, but was evidently competing at a time when he no longer possessed his physical attributes of old.
Instead, his prime years lasted between 1979 and 1981, when he established himself as the top dog at 147lbs with iconic wins over Wilfred Benitez, Roberto Duran and Tommy Hearns.
After losing his first encounter with Duran, Leonard won their rematch by eighth-round stoppage, before defending his WBC title with a 14th-round finish over Hearns.
Sugar then entered a rematch with ‘The Hitman’ in 1989, only to suffer two knockdowns and come away with a highly controversial draw.
Speaking with Sky Sports, he admitted this was the night he should have hung up his gloves.
“Tommy should’ve won the decision. Everyone said Tommy [was] shot; even my camp said, ‘One punch, he’s gone’.”
“I said to myself: When Tommy fights me, he’s gonna rise to the occasion. And Tommy did that, and he hurt me so many times.”
“I knew I should’ve retired after the Hearns fight, [or] even after the [Marvin] Hagler fight. Tommy [is] a sweetheart but, when he’s in the ring, he is a killer.”
Leonard’s middleweight clash with Hagler resulted in a controversial split decision, with many believing he was fortunate to emerge victorious in 1987.
