Feb. 15, 1982: Leonard vs Finch

It’s 1982 and Sugar Ray Leonard is the king of not solely the welterweight division, however of all the sport of boxing. No different fighter is as revered or celebrated by the media; most significantly, no different boxer is as huge an attraction and price as a lot cash. Having vanquished his most daunting opponents in Roberto Duran and Thomas Hearns, Leonard stood alone on the pinnacle. Now was the time to money in.

Thus, it didn’t actually matter who Leonard confronted in his first match since his historic win over Hearns six months earlier; Bruce Finch, rated quantity 4 on the earth by the WBC sufficed, whereas on the identical time posing little menace. It additionally didn’t matter the place the bout occurred. Reno, Nevada? A metropolis that hadn’t seen a championship combat in some 80 years? Certain, why not. So long as somebody got here up with a cool $1.3 million for the champion, the combat was on.

This was, everybody knew, a “tune-up” bout, a title protection to maintain Leonard busy and sharp whereas everybody waited for an additional large cash ‘superfight’ to materialize with Hearns. Or, perhaps with Marvin Hagler. Or Aaron Pryor. “I need to hold busy,” mentioned Ray. Little did anybody know that as an alternative of a prelude to larger and higher issues, Leonard vs Finch can be Ray’s final combat for a very long time to come back.

There was no suspense about this match-up and Leonard didn’t even attempt to dignify any makes an attempt at constructing any. The catch-phrase for the match was “Reno’s Bought It,” and on the pre-fight press conferences Ray couldn’t resist including, “And Bruce goes to get it.”

“That is your probability to combat for the title,” he informed Finch to his face. “However you’re not going to win it.”

One imagines the challenger himself possible had issue disagreeing with Leonard, particularly when he mirrored on the truth that he had three losses on his report, to Hearns, Pete Ranzany and Larry Bonds. All three had suffered defeat to Sugar Ray.

However give Finch credit score: he tried to make a combat of it and actually gained the opening spherical. Urgent ahead, the challenger threw and landed some heavy photographs to Ray’s midsection because the champion took his time and didn’t actually get going till the ultimate minute of the spherical. Simply earlier than the bell Leonard linked with a pointy left hook to the top. “He got here out quick and I used to be shocked,” mentioned Leonard afterwards. “Few guys begin that quick in opposition to me.”

Within the second the challenger continued to press and for the primary half of the spherical he was the simpler of the 2, touchdown a strong counter proper hand after which forcing Leonard to the ropes. However then, suitably warmed up, the champion introduced his wonderful hand-speed to the fore, unleashing some vicious left hooks and a clear left-right mixture that despatched Finch to the canvas. The challenger beat the rely however, clearly dazed, collapsed a second time. He once more climbed to his ft and barely survived the ultimate half minute of the spherical to stagger to his nook. The match, for all intents and functions, was over.

Once more, give Finch credit score: he did his greatest to make it a combat within the third, exchanging heavy punches with a boxer who was clearly ranges above him. However then three arduous rights adopted by a left uppercut put the challenger on the canvas a 3rd time. Referee Mills Lane had seen sufficient and the mismatch was stopped at 1:50 of the spherical. Reno’s first title match since Jack Johnson humiliated James J. Jeffries again in 1910 had been nothing greater than a quite transient exhibition of Leonard’s pugilistic items, a contest akin to a race between a Ford Pinto and a Ferrari.

“As soon as I damage a man,” commented Leonard, “the remaining is historical past.”

However what Ray didn’t know was that his profession was virtually historical past as properly. Three months later he underwent surgical procedure to restore {a partially} indifferent retina in his left eye, the identical eye which had been severely broken in his battle with Thomas Hearns. For the subsequent 5 months he contemplated whether or not or not he ought to proceed his boxing profession and in November he introduced the primary of a number of retirements. Sugar Ray Leonard’s time on the very pinnacle of his career proved a lot shorter than anybody had anticipated.             — Robert Portis