Sugar Ray Leonard

by Steven Case, 2010.

May 17, 1956 -

The 1976 Olympic Gold Medalist in boxing, Sugar Ray Leonard is a native North Carolinian from Wilmington and was boxing's Fighter of the Decade in the 1980s. During his career Leonard won an astonishing five world titles in five different weight classes facing such well known opponents as Wilfred Benitez, Roberto Duran, Thomas Hearns, Donny Lalonde, and Marvin Hagler.

Leonard's Olympic Gold, his world titles, and his career record of 36-3-1 (including 25 knockouts) led to his inclusion in the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1997.

Additional Resources:

North Carolina Digital Collections

Articles in NC LIVE

WorldCat (Searches numerous library catalogs)

Image Credits:

Reggie Bibbs, "Detail of Sugar Ray Leonard," 2007. http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2135/1636961615_1ffc892cb2.jpg