Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Roberto Durán III explained

Fight Date:December 7, 1989
Fight Name:Uno Mas
Location:The Mirage, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
Fighter1:Ray Leonard
Nickname1:Sugar
Record1:35–1–1 (25 KO)
Height1:5 ft 10 in
Weight1:160 lb
Style1:Orthodox
Hometown1:Palmer Park, Maryland, U.S.
Recognition1:WBC super middleweight champion
5-division world champion
Fighter2:Roberto Durán
Nickname2:Manos de Piedra
("Hands of Stone")
Record2:85–7 (61 KO)
Hometown2:Panama City, Panama
Height2:5 ft 7+1/2 in
Weight2:158 lb
Style2:Orthodox
Recognition2:WBC middleweight champion
4-division world champion
Titles:WBC super middleweight title
Result:Leonard wins via 12-round unanimous decision (119-109, 116-111, 120-110)

Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Roberto Durán III, billed as Uno Mas, was a professional boxing match contested on December 7, 1989 for the WBC super middleweight title.

Background

Reigning WBC super middleweight champion "Sugar" Ray Leonard had made the first successful defense of his title after fighting Thomas Hearns to a draw. After the Hearns fight, Leonard began negotiations for both a third fight with rival Roberto Durán and a potential third fight with Hearns.[1] Whilst a third Hearns fight never came into fruition, Leonard and Duran would reach an agreement to face one another and the fight was announced at a press conference on July 26, 1989, though the venue in which the fight would take place was still in question.[2] Five days later, the then-yet-to-be-opened Mirage was announced as the venue for the fight.[3] Durán had won the WBC middleweight title after upsetting Iran Barkley in his previous fight, though only Leonard's super middleweight was on the line. Leonard and Durán agreed to a catch-weight of 162 pounds, between the middleweight limit of 160 pounds and the super middleweight limit of 168 pounds. Initial plans called for both Leonard and Duran's titles to be at stake, but Duran's mandatory challenger Lindell Holmes refused to step aside and insisted on Duran making his next defense against him, resulting in Durán's title not being defended.[4]

The fight was billed as "Uno Mas" (one more in Spanish) in reference to Leonard and Duran's second fight against each other in which Duran quit in round eight after apparently telling the referee "No Mas" (no more in Spanish).

The fight

In contrast to their first two fights, this was entirely lopsided in Leonard's favor. Using constant movement and counter-punching, Leonard dominated Duran, completely neutralizing Duran's offensive attack. Leonard landed 227 punches, good for 52% of his total thrown punches compared to Duran, who landed a dismal 84 punches at a 14% rate. The fight went the full 12-round distance, with all three judges scoring the fight for Leonard with scores of 120–110, 119–109 and 116–111.[5]

Fight card

Weight ClassWeightvs.MethodRoundNotes
Super Middleweight164 lbRay Leonard (c)def.UD12/12
Heavyweight190+ lbRay Mercer def.Ossie OcasioSD8/8
Light heavyweight175 lbAndrew Maynarddef.Mike DeVitoUD8/8
Heavyweight190+ lbTommy MorrisondefKen LakustaUD6/6

See also

Notes and References

  1. https://www.upi.com/Archives/1989/07/20/Leonard-negotiating-with-Hearns-Duran/4101649665004/ Leonard negotiating with Hearns, Duran
  2. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-07-26-sp-353-story.html Leonard, Duran: They'll Fight but When? Where?
  3. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-07-31-sp-527-story.html Leonard, Duran: They'll Fight but When? Where?
  4. https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2519&dat=19890727&id=DKNdAAAAIBAJ&sjid=AF0NAAAAIBAJ&pg=1388,3946398&hl=en Uno Mas
  5. https://www.si.com/vault/1989/12/18/121271/one-for-the-ages-sugar-ray-leonard-33-beat-roberto-duran-38-in-a-fight-dedicated-to-posterity One for the Ages