It was of particular importance to Leonard, as he wanted the public to see that although he had all the trappings of success, such as wealth & glory, the road to the top was filled with setbacks and problems, both physically & emotionally, which he himself had to overcome in his boxing days. PURE HEARTS AARON LEONARD MOVIEWith movie star Sylvester Stallone also on board, "The Contender" gives an insight to the hopes & fears of young professional prize-fighters as they compete for a $1 million prize and a headline-grabbing main event in Las Vegas. PURE HEARTS AARON LEONARD TVAfter some years establishing himself as a top promoter, he joined forces with ex-British paratrooper & reality TV mogul Mark Burnett to create The Contender (2005). Six years later, a non-title contest against Hector Camacho (aka Hector "Macho" Camacho) finally persuaded Sugar Ray Leonard that his time was up. A hollow rubber match victory against Duran and a draw with Hearns carried little weight, and he took a beating in a WBC light-middleweight title against "Terrible" Terry Norris in 1991, getting knocked down twice and sustaining a nasty beating. Although he won the WBC super-middleweight & light-heavyweight titles, it was clear that Sugar Ray's best days were behind him. Many dispute Leonard's victory, and opinion is divided, even to this day. Despite being a heavy underdog, Leonard confounded the critics by beating Hagler for the first time since 1980, and taking his beloved world title. However, the pull of the limelight was too much and, in 1987, returned to the ring with an audacious challenge for the WBC world middleweight crown against the fearsome champion Marvelous Marvin Hagler in Las Vegas. Clearly, he wasn't the same fighter as in his hey-day. Retirement followed but, in 1984, returned at light-middleweight, although he retired again soon after. Victory came in the fourteenth round after a see-saw fight that saw both fighters hurt before Sugar Ray prevailed. Duran was out-boxed, out-sped and humiliated and, in the eighth round, surrendered with the words "No Mas - No More".ġ981 saw the WBA/WBC welterweight unification bout with Hearns. However, honor was restored later that same year, with the famous "No Mas" victory. Duran was the victor in early 1980, taking the WBC crown after a brutal contest. The next seven years saw Leonard engage in some of the most famous battles in ring history with his three most famous rivals Thomas Hearns (aka Thomas "The Hitman" Hearns), Roberto Durán (aka Roberto "Hands of Stone" Duran) and Marvelous Marvin Hagler. Puerto Rican Wilfredo Benitez, himself a world champion since the age of 17, surrendered the WBC welterweight title in 1979, and Sugar Ray was on his way. Dundee's success with Muhammad Ali and Trainer's business savvy ensured that three years later, Sugar Ray Leonard was not only a millionaire, but ready for his first world title. He turned professional with a lawyer, Mike Trainer, handling the business side of his career whilst hiring the legendary trainer Angelo Dundee to guide him towards the top. Considered one of the best fighters of all time, Ray Leonard burst onto the international scene by winning the light-welterweight gold medal at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal.
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