Sugar Ray Leonard Spills the Truth Behind the Robert Duran Fight | Undeniable with Joe Buck

Legendary boxer Sugar Ray Leonard talks with Joe Buck about the epic battle that cemented his legacy against Roberto Duran.
#boxing

[@paulheads8101]

These guys were both legends and good fighters.

[@JrJVintage1956]

Hearns and Hagler was the greatest slug fest in history!

[@ishcaby1231]

Leonard knows what happened. In previous interview Leonard set it up to fight him while he knew Duran had gone up to 190+ pounds and wasn’t in shape for that fight. They forced the money on Duran to take the fight o. Short notice. That’s the fact. Plus Duran wanted ask for a rematch right after the fight and Leonard didn’t accept until they were both done.

[@russellservice182]

His assessment is spot on

[@Claus-dx2qy]

Mueller, Pele, Best ... Hearns, Hagler, Leonard ... Frazier, Foreman, Ali.

[@27rykou]

Sugar Ray is my all time favorite fighter but let the record show that Sugar Ray was in tip top shape and ready knowing that Duran was eating like a pig and drinking like a fish. So they set a trap and this fight was won before the fight started. If Duran actually came into the fight in shape he would’ve had a much different outcome.

[@kelvinbrown8131]

Yeah right! He quit

[@bamxbam6943]

😊 he forgot what Start At.✅👌🏾

[@twalrus1]

The fix was in. Duran was supposed to go down. I don't know if Sugar Ray was told Duran was supposed to go down, but that was the way it was supposed to go down. Duran was fresh enough to go the whole distance, all you have to do is watch that round. Duran was paid to go down but he was so angry at Ray that he just could not allow himself to be demeaned by going down...so Duran said "No Mas." (I give up, but HELL if I will lay down on the floor when I could end this fight at any time I wanted to.) This was Duran's "compromise". I'll take the money for a loss, But I will only do it walking myself out of this ring. Duran knew the bets were in and the "bad guys" here and back home would not let him live if he didn't let Ray win. I don't know if Duran got his full amount (he was paid for dropping to the floor after all) but he was allowed to live and didn't get beat up. Look at Duran during that round and look at Sugar Ray in that same round. Sugar Ray didn't hurt Duran in the least...but Sugar Ray did look more tired than Duran. Of the two, at that point in the fight, only Duran looked fresh enough to go the rest of the fight. "I could knock Ray out so easily but then the "bad guys" would be looking for me, so...."NO MAS!"....that's is still a loss so the "bad guys" will just have to accept that...or kill me. Trained professional boxers control everything they eat starting from the day before the fight. Do you really think Duran would have stomach cramps? Do you think Sugar Ray could do what no other boxer had ever done and created those stomach cramps in "a tough piece of meat" like Duran? Now that you have heard this, watch that round again and see if you don't agree.

[@Bruins-vq5ey]

That's a hilarious take

[@twalrus1]

@@Bruins-vq5ey It's the only take that makes sense.

[@kelvinbrown8131]

He quit!

[@twalrus1]

@@kelvinbrown8131 Yes, EVERYONE agrees that he quit....what we are debating is WHY? Duran looks very fresh at that point. He had enough strength to go the whole distance plus 2 extra rounds if you want. Watch the video if you don't believe me. Duran looked twice as fresh as Sugar Ray at that point.

[@kelvinbrown8131]

I never seen so many so called boxing fans defend a quitter and make so many excuses 4 a dude who got destroyed by M Hagler Sugar Ray and let’s not forget The Hitman Hearns almost killed him in the ring Facts💯

[@JL-ec1by]

Duran wasn't in good shape. He thought there would be an immediate tiebreaker. Sugar Ray waited 9 years and then ran like a thief again.

[@kelvinbrown8131]

He quit!👎

[@anz2441]

Well Ray, u didnt kick his ass 2nd fight nor did u make him quick. You knew duran was close to 200lbs and partying, so you forced a quick rematch. Durans handlers accepted without talking to duran. He took diuretics and had nothing left. So dont act like u made the same Duran from the 1st fight quit ! You only rematches Hearns when u thought he was shot. You agreed to fight hagler only when you thought he lost a step and had to have conditions in ur favor. Afyer u beat hearns in 81, you went 5-2 and 1, a draw that shoulda made u 5-3 post 81. Pathetic!!!

[@kelvinbrown8131]

He quit!

[@davidking596]

Big deal, when they were both tip top Duran beat the shit out of him

[@user-zm3jo1se5y]

And Sugar ray beat him twice after that and knocked out Tommy hit man hearns in his prime 32-0 30kos in the 14th rd and Heat man hearns knocked Duran out flat and the ref didn't bother counting and he beat Binetez by ko and Benitez beat Duran to. Sugar beat all of them. 4 of the great fighters beat Duran.🥊🥊

[@davidking596]

He was a dancer

[@TheBlackAbstract]

Shut up Duran Quit

[@kingtyomama6564]

I have smelled a rat on this 2nd fight from the night it happened. After a tremendous weight cut, Duran ate a ton of food after the weigh in. He was literrally sick to his stomach and could not go on. He was fighting fine in the fight and not hurt in any way. If you have ever gorged on food and then boxed you would know how sick Duran felt. Let's remember Roberto Duran was the best lightweight ever. He was a fun guy and partier, after he went up in weight class to beat Ray there was nothing for him to prove. So he celebrated. A lot. Duran was shafted very badly in the first fight regarding prizemoney. watching the fight, you will notice Duran is fighting and attempting to fight while Ray is running. Regardless of hearsay, neither guy was dominating and Ray didn't make Duran quit. Duran won the championship many years prior at a lower weight class. He would win more titles at much higher weight classes just on guts and skill. But he was a lightweight in the early 1970s and beat SRL to the punch in their first and only real fight in 1980. The second fight ended due to sickness and both fighters were well beyond their years in 1989 when Ray would not stand and fight and Duran was too old to chase him all night.

[@kelvinbrown8131]

Excuse he quit

[@kingtyomama6564]

@@kelvinbrown8131 Watch the fight my friend. Duran was not getting manhandled like the press said. Anytime SRL and Duran would actually engage it's competitive. Duran needs no excuses, he beat SRL coming up 2 weight classes and 12 pounds. Study your history. Duran has a better career, more popular than SRL in his own country, and beat the brakes of Iran Barkley and Davey Moore after this fight. Both guys are legends

[@rayhume1971]

Hagler was robbed!

[@clifford4514]

Agreed.. close decision or tie should go to Belt Holder

[@shalashaska5851]

Hagler is my favorite fighter ever. Absolute stone cold killer in the ring and a warrior.

[@youtoo2233]

All the celebrities were cheering for Leonard, plus Leonard's flurries and showboating and Hagler missing a lot all influenced the judges, one of them even scoring it for Leonard 10 rounds to 2

[@justinfletcher7630]

I agree he def should have won that fight. And the Duran fight was kinda a con job on rays pat

[@seanmoore9878]

Hagler got whooped

[@carlfrye1566]

Well, in the 1st Duran fight he went toe - to - toe and lost, in fight #2 he chickened out from that and won. If he had some class he would give Duran more credit.

[@JrJVintage1956]

in fight 2 Duran , the great hands of stone, showed his miniature heart... he didn't want to be humiliated any longer.

[@Bruins-vq5ey]

​@@JrJVintage1956humiliated? Nice try

[@mountaindew3201]

@@JrJVintage1956if we are playing Pussie. I guess that how u considered a win, who act like a bitch gets to act like a Pussie. Duran wasn’t going to waste his time with a chicken duck

[@kelvinbrown8131]

He quit!

[@mountaindew3201]

@@kelvinbrown8131 he didn’t quit he ain’t no bitch

[@francojordan2413]

I don't remember it as heroic. Duran -his fault- had ballooned to ...200lbs?! Sugar side had a lot of sponsorships at a stake after losing the title and came up with a smart "business" move: let's recover the title ASAP!! They put money on the table and an overweight Duran accepted it. Cramps? No doubt!