As boxing icon Sugar Ray Leonard celebrates his 69th birthday today, discussions about his illustrious career continue to resonate. Boxing enthusiasts often debate his pivotal 1987 middleweight championship victory over Marvin Hagler, ponder a dream welterweight matchup against Aaron Pryor from 1980, and analyze his standing among the sport`s all-time greats.
While Leonard, a five-division world champion, is frequently imagined in hypothetical bouts, fellow legend Roy Jones Jr. seldom features in these fantasy pairings. This is largely due to their initial weight classes; Leonard began his pro career at welterweight, while Jones Jr. started 13 pounds heavier at middleweight. However, Leonard`s successful leap to claim middleweight glory against Hagler naturally prompts curiosity: how would these two highly decorated Olympic medalists have fared against each other in the ring?
Though a professional contest between them never materialized, Leonard did share the ring with Jones Jr. in an unexpected sparring session years ago. In a 2017 interview featured in the Boxing News Annual, Leonard was asked to name the best fighter he had ever sparred.
He first credited Howard Davis, stating, “It had to be Howard Davis. His handspeed was super, super fast – and I thought I had quick hands. He came within a whisker of winning the world title, it was a surprise that he didn’t.” Leonard then added a memorable anecdote: “And also I must add that I sparred with Roy Jones one time. I sparred with Roy Jones and I had just come back from having a few beers [laughs]. I did! I went to lunch with a friend of mine, then I heard that Roy was in the gym so I went to the gym and Roy didn’t have a sparring partner. So I said, ‘Hey man! I’ll spar you’. I had a suit on, I took that off, took my shirt off and I put my gloves on. I took those gloves off pretty fast…”
As Sugar Ray marks his 69th year, this amusing and candid recollection serves as a perfect reminder of the charisma and exceptional skill that solidified his enduring legacy in boxing history. Happy birthday, Sugar Ray!
