06.03.06 – By James Slater: In my previous East Side Boxing article, entitled – As Sugar Ray Approaches His Fiftieth, A Look Back At His Greatest Fight…. – I included in the text the following words regarding the number of unsuccessful comeback attempts Sugar Ray made: and though Ray tried to fight off the advances of father time on (at least) two occasions, he met only defeat. So what, you may ask?
Well, as soon as this piece was posted I fully expected a comment or two from the always astute readers of ESB on the fact that Sugar Ray only had TWO failed comeback fights – vs. Terry Norris and then Hector Camacho. The way my words read, they led one to believe that Ray had at least three attempts at defeating father time. And as we know he only lost two such fights, to the two aforementioned boxers, therefore (according to my words) he must have lost one more bout. Is this the case?
There is a bout that took place in the spring of 1997 that is unrecorded and indeed unknown to practically all boxing fans. This bout took place away from unwanted eyes and quickly disappeared into the confines of myth itself. The bout, between a legend in need of an ego boost and an unknown opponent, took place in a boxing gym somewhere in America and those who were there were sworn to secrecy.
Ray Leonard had just been humbled by Hector Camacho. The whole world saw his embarrassing and failed comeback on television. Sugar Ray was devastated by the loss yet refused to accept that he couldn’t fight anymore. He wanted another bout to prove to himself that he could still do it. This time however, he didn’t want a big audience, just in case he was beaten again.
So, in a ring inside an unknown gymnasium, against a never to be named opponent, Ray Leonard had his last fight. The fight was scheduled for six three minute rounds and in it both contestants would wear eight ounce gloves and no headgear. There would also be a referee. It would be fought before an audience of only people absolutely necessary, such as corner- men , judges and the ref. The bout was therefore as close to a real fight as possible.
Of course, I wasn’t there and only rumour and speculation have ever leaked from those who claim they were present. But, according to legend, Ray Leonard was badly beaten yet again. Some claims( which I’m sure I’m not alone in having come across in various places) have him being knocked out in the bout. If this is the case then Leonard’s cautious plan of receiving private confirmation, one way or the other, as to whether or not he could still perform , was a wise move.
He finally faced facts and realised that his fighting days were truly over. The rest of the world however, was led to believe he had come to this conclusion after the Camacho fight.
No doubt, this story will have its many disbelievers. And yes, it does sound far-fetched. But sometimes the more unbelievable claim is the truthful one. The notion of a secretly staged Sugar Ray Leonard bout – ludicrous, nonsense, unprecedented? What then, about a similar case involving Gerry Cooney? As we know, Cooney came out of retirement to tackle George Foreman back in 1990. His then trainer, Gil Clancy, wanted Gerry to have a tune-up before going in with Big George and arranged for him to square off with Wesley Watson. The two fighters would wear eight ounce gloves and no headgear and the bout would be as close to the real thing as possible. Sound familiar? We know for a fact that this did happen and Cooney won a decision over Watson. And this was before the huge promotion that was Foreman v Cooney, a big pay-per-view event. I remember various boxing magazines commenting at the time on how crazy the idea was, putting into jeopardy such a big fight and all. Yet it did happen.
Is it such a stretch to imagine an ego bruised Ray Leonard wanting to take part in the very same thing? He simply wanted to know whether or not he could still fight. The whole scenario of a surreptitious fight involving such a big name from the sport will possibly make some readers think of the end scene from Rocky III, where the champ and his former rival meet up to box in privacy. But maybe what happened with Sugar Ray was a case of real life imitating reel life. I believe this one is destined to be filed under the ‘believe it or not’ section. Or maybe, as the saying goes – “The truth will out.”
Sugar Ray Leonard – final record -36 wins 3 (4?) losses 1 draw with 25 KO’s.