Ray Charles Leonard (born May 17, 1956), better known as Sugar Ray Leonard, is an American former professional boxer. Often regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time, he competed professionally between 1976 and 1997, winning world titles in five weight classes; the lineal championship in three weight classes; as well as the undisputed welterweight championship. Leonard was part of the "Four Kings", a group of boxers who all fought each other throughout the 1980s, consisting of Leonard, Roberto Durán, Thomas Hearns, and Marvin Hagler. Leonard was the only one of them to beat the other three. As an amateur, Leonard won a light welterweight gold medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics.
The "Four Kings" created a wave of popularity in the lower weight classes that kept boxing relevant in the post-Muhammad Ali era, during which Leonard defeated future fellow International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees Hearns, Durán, Hagler, and Wilfred Benítez. Leonard was also the first boxer to earn more than $100 million in purses, and was named "Boxer of the Decade" in the 1980s. The Ring magazine named him Fighter of the Year in 1979 and 1981, while the Boxing Writers Association of America named him Fighter of the Year in 1976, 1979, and 1981. He was honored as the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year in 1981. In 2002, Leonard was voted by The Ring as the ninth greatest fighter of the last 80 years. In 2016, he was voted by The Ring to be the greatest living fighter.
BoxRec-style profile
- Birth name: Ray Charles Leonard
- Born: May 17, 1956 — Wilmington, North Carolina, U.S.
- Nationality: American
- Height: 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
- Reach: 74 in (188 cm)
- Stance: Orthodox
- Pro debut: Feb 5, 1977 (Win by UD vs Luis Vega)
- Last bout: Mar 1, 1997 (Loss by TKO vs Héctor Camacho)
- Total rounds boxed: 306 (summed from the bout table below)
- Divisions: Welterweight, Light middleweight, Middleweight, Super middleweight, Light heavyweight
- KO percentage: 69.4% (25 KO wins in 36 wins)
- Titles held (major, with reign dates): WBC and The Ring welterweight titles November 30, 1979 – June 20, 1980 (won from Wilfred Benítez; defended against Dave Boy Green; lost to Roberto Durán); WBC and The Ring welterweight titles (second reign) November 25, 1980 – 1982 (regained from Durán; added the WBA welterweight title on September 16, 1981 against Thomas Hearns; final defense February 15, 1982 against Bruce Finch, per the bout table); WBA and The Ring light middleweight titles June 25, 1981 (won from Ayub Kalule, per the bout table); WBC and The Ring middleweight titles April 6, 1987 (won from Marvin Hagler, per the bout table); WBC super middleweight and WBC light heavyweight titles November 7, 1988 (won both from Donny Lalonde in one bout; super middleweight defended against Hearns (draw) and Durán through December 7, 1989, per the bout table) — all dates per the bout table
Record at a glance
- Total bouts: 40
- Wins: 36
- Wins by KO: 25
- Losses: 3
- Losses by KO: 1
- Draws: 1
- No contests: 0
- Born: May 17, 1956 — Wilmington, North Carolina, U.S.
- Nationality: American
- Height: 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
- Reach: 74 in (188 cm)
- Stance: Orthodox
- Divisions: Welterweight, Light middleweight, Middleweight, Super middleweight, Light heavyweight
Fight-by-fight record
| No. | Date | Opponent | Result | Method | Round/Time | Venue / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Feb 5, 1977 | Luis Vega | Win | UD | 6 | Civic Center, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| 2 | May 14, 1977 | Willie Rodriguez | Win | UD | 6 | Civic Center, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| 3 | Jun 10, 1977 | Vinnie DeBarros | Win | TKO | 3 (6), 1:59 | Civic Center, Hartford, Connecticut, U.S. |
| 4 | Sep 24, 1977 | Frank Santore | Win | KO | 5 (8), 2:55 | Civic Center, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| 5 | Nov 5, 1977 | Augustin Estrada | Win | KO | 6 (8), 1:54 | Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. |
| 6 | Dec 17, 1977 | Hector Diaz | Win | KO | 2 (8), 2:20 | D.C. Armory, Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| 7 | Feb 4, 1978 | Rocky Ramon | Win | UD | 8 | Civic Center, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| 8 | Mar 1, 1978 | Art McKnight | Win | TKO | 7 (8), 1:52 | Hara Arena, Dayton, Ohio, U.S. |
| 9 | Mar 19, 1978 | Javier Muniz | Win | KO | 1 (8), 2:45 | Veterans Memorial Coliseum, New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. |
| 10 | Apr 13, 1978 | Bobby Haymon | Win | RTD | 3 (10) | Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland, U.S. |
| 11 | May 13, 1978 | Randy Milton | Win | TKO | 8 (10), 2:55 | Memorial Auditorium, Utica, New York, U.S. |
| 12 | Jun 3, 1978 | Rafael Rodriguez | Win | UD | 10 | Civic Center, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| 13 | Jul 18, 1978 | Dicky Eklund | Win | UD | 10 | John B. Hynes Memorial Auditorium, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| 14 | Sep 9, 1978 | Floyd Mayweather Sr. | Win | TKO | 10 (10), 2:16 | Civic Center, Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. |
| 15 | Oct 6, 1978 | Randy Shields | Win | UD | 10 | Civic Center, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| 16 | Nov 3, 1978 | Bernardo Prada | Win | UD | 10 | Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland, Maine, U.S. |
| 17 | Dec 9, 1978 | Armando Muniz | Win | RTD | 6 (10), 3:00 | Civic Center, Springfield, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| 18 | Jan 11, 1979 | Johnny Gant | Win | TKO | 8 (12), 2:57 | Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland, U.S. |
| 19 | Feb 11, 1979 | Fernand Marcotte | Win | TKO | 8 (10), 2:33 | Convention Center, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. |
| 20 | Mar 24, 1979 | Daniel Aldo Gonzalez | Win | TKO | 1 (10), 2:03 | Community Center, Tucson, Arizona, U.S. |
| 21 | Apr 21, 1979 | Adolfo Viruet | Win | UD | 10 | Dunes, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. |
| 22 | May 20, 1979 | Marcos Geraldo | Win | UD | 10 | Riverside Centroplex, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S. |
| 23 | Jun 24, 1979 | Tony Chiaverini | Win | RTD | 4 (10) | Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. |
| 24 | Aug 12, 1979 | Pete Ranzany | Win | TKO | 4 (12), 2:41 | Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Won NABF welterweight title |
| 25 | Sep 28, 1979 | Andy Price | Win | KO | 1 (12), 2:52 | Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained NABF welterweight title |
| 26 | Nov 30, 1979 | Wilfred Benítez | Win | TKO | 15 (15), 2:54 | Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Won WBC and The Ring welterweight titles |
| 27 | Mar 31, 1980 | Dave Boy Green | Win | KO | 4 (15), 2:27 | Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained WBC and The Ring welterweight titles |
| 28 | Jun 20, 1980 | Roberto Durán | Loss | UD | 15 | Olympic Stadium, Montreal, Quebec, Canada — ★ Title fight — Lost WBC and The Ring welterweight titles |
| 29 | Nov 25, 1980 | Roberto Durán | Win | TKO | 8 (15), 2:44 | Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Won WBC and The Ring welterweight titles |
| 30 | Mar 28, 1981 | Larry Bonds | Win | TKO | 10 (15), 2:22 | Carrier Dome, Syracuse, New York, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained WBC and The Ring welterweight titles |
| 31 | Jun 25, 1981 | Ayub Kalule | Win | TKO | 9 (15), 3:06 | Astrodome, Houston, Texas, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Won WBA and The Ring light middleweight titles |
| 32 | Sep 16, 1981 | Thomas Hearns | Win | TKO | 14 (15), 1:45 | Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained WBC and The Ring welterweight titles; Won WBA welterweight title |
| 33 | Feb 15, 1982 | Bruce Finch | Win | TKO | 3 (15), 1:50 | Centennial Coliseum, Reno, Nevada, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained WBA, WBC, and The Ring welterweight titles |
| 34 | May 11, 1984 | Kevin Howard | Win | TKO | 9 (10), 2:27 | Centrum, Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| 35 | Apr 6, 1987 | Marvin Hagler | Win | SD | 12 | Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Won WBC and The Ring middleweight titles |
| 36 | Nov 7, 1988 | Donny Lalonde | Win | TKO | 9 (12), 2:30 | Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Won WBC light heavyweight and inaugural WBC super middleweight titles |
| 37 | Jun 12, 1989 | Thomas Hearns | Draw | SD | 12 | Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained WBC super middleweight title; For WBO super middleweight title |
| 38 | Dec 7, 1989 | Roberto Durán | Win | UD | 12 | The Mirage, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained WBC super middleweight title |
| 39 | Feb 9, 1991 | Terry Norris | Loss | UD | 12 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. — ★ Title fight — For WBC light middleweight title |
| 40 | Mar 1, 1997 | Héctor Camacho | Loss | TKO | 5 (12), 1:08 | Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. — ★ Title fight — For IBC middleweight title |
Titles & notes
Major title reigns (start–end): WBC and The Ring welterweight titles November 30, 1979 – June 20, 1980 (won from Wilfred Benítez; defended against Dave Boy Green; lost to Roberto Durán); WBC and The Ring welterweight titles (second reign) November 25, 1980 – 1982 (regained from Durán; added the WBA welterweight title on September 16, 1981 against Thomas Hearns; final defense February 15, 1982 against Bruce Finch, per the bout table); WBA and The Ring light middleweight titles June 25, 1981 (won from Ayub Kalule, per the bout table); WBC and The Ring middleweight titles April 6, 1987 (won from Marvin Hagler, per the bout table); WBC super middleweight and WBC light heavyweight titles November 7, 1988 (won both from Donny Lalonde in one bout; super middleweight defended against Hearns (draw) and Durán through December 7, 1989, per the bout table) — all dates per the bout table
- Aug 12, 1979 vs Pete Ranzany: Won NABF welterweight title
- Sep 28, 1979 vs Andy Price: Retained NABF welterweight title
- Nov 30, 1979 vs Wilfred Benítez: Won WBC and The Ring welterweight titles
- Mar 31, 1980 vs Dave Boy Green: Retained WBC and The Ring welterweight titles
- Jun 20, 1980 vs Roberto Durán: Lost WBC and The Ring welterweight titles
- Nov 25, 1980 vs Roberto Durán: Won WBC and The Ring welterweight titles
- Mar 28, 1981 vs Larry Bonds: Retained WBC and The Ring welterweight titles
- Jun 25, 1981 vs Ayub Kalule: Won WBA and The Ring light middleweight titles
- Sep 16, 1981 vs Thomas Hearns: Retained WBC and The Ring welterweight titles; Won WBA welterweight title
- Feb 15, 1982 vs Bruce Finch: Retained WBA, WBC, and The Ring welterweight titles
- Apr 6, 1987 vs Marvin Hagler: Won WBC and The Ring middleweight titles
- Nov 7, 1988 vs Donny Lalonde: Won WBC light heavyweight and inaugural WBC super middleweight titles
- Jun 12, 1989 vs Thomas Hearns: Retained WBC super middleweight title; For WBO super middleweight title
- Dec 7, 1989 vs Roberto Durán: Retained WBC super middleweight title
- Feb 9, 1991 vs Terry Norris: For WBC light middleweight title
- Mar 1, 1997 vs Héctor Camacho: For IBC middleweight title
Photo: Kingkongphoto & www.celebrity-photos.com from Laurel Maryland, USA via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0). Featured image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/Sugar_Ray_Leonard.jpg
Record source: Wikipedia professional boxing record table (cross-checked against the bout list), retrieved 2026-11-04.
