As boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard celebrates his 69th birthday today, discussions about his illustrious career continue to circulate among fans. Debates often highlight his debated 1987 middleweight championship victory against Marvin Hagler, a hypothetical 1980 encounter with Aaron Pryor at welterweight, and his overall standing among the sport`s greatest.
Leonard is frequently imagined in fantasy matchups, yet Roy Jones Jr. rarely appears in these scenarios. Leonard began his career at welterweight, while Jones Jr. started 13 pounds heavier at middleweight. Nevertheless, Leonard`s successful leap to middleweight against Hagler prompts the intriguing question: who would have prevailed between these two esteemed Olympic medalists?
Though a professional fight never materialized, Leonard and Jones Jr. did share the ring for a spontaneous sparring session. During a 2017 interview featured in the Boxing News Annual, Leonard was asked to name the best fighter he had ever sparred.
“It had to be Howard Davis,” he initially replied, praising Davis`s “super, super fast” handspeed, which he felt even surpassed his own quickness. Leonard noted Davis`s near miss at a world title was surprising. He then added a memorable detail: “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 commemorates his 69th year, this lighthearted story serves as a perfect reminder of the charisma and exceptional talent that have cemented his enduring legacy in boxing. Happy birthday, Sugar Ray!
