Sugar Ray Leonard Called One of the Four Kings More Menacing Than Mike Tyson

Sugar Ray Leonard has said that one of his fellow Four Kings was even more intimidating than Mike Tyson, the heavyweight champion who dominated the division in his early twenties.

The most imposing of the Four Kings was Thomas ‘The Hitman’ Hearns, who managed to weigh just 147 lb despite his 6 ft 1 in frame when he faced Leonard in 1981.

In their 1981 encounter Leonard won a hard‑fought 14th‑round stoppage, and the pair later produced a controversial draw in their 1989 super‑middleweight rematch.

Just over two years earlier, Leonard had faced a contentious result against Marvin Hagler, securing a split‑decision win in their middleweight bout.

However, despite the threats posed by Hearns and Hagler, it was against Roberto Duran in 1980 that Leonard felt the greatest intimidation.

After winning a world title at 135 lb, Duran moved up to welterweight, where he dethroned Ken Buchanan via a controversial 13th‑round stoppage in 1972.

Even though he weighed only 147 lb and was considered undersized, Duran was known as a powerful puncher but entered the fight as an underdog against Leonard, who had just won consecutive stoppages over Wilfred Benitez and Dave ‘Boy’ Green.

The bout turned into a major upset when the typically skilled technician suffered a unanimous loss to ‘Hands of Stone’, whose tenacity proved decisive.

Reflecting on their rivalry, Leonard later acknowledged in a resurfaced interview that he had felt fear during his WBC title defence.

“Roberto Duran – he was more intimidating than Mike Tyson. I hate that motherf**ker.”

Despite how the first fight went, Leonard made the necessary adjustments and won their immediate rematch by eighth‑round stoppage.

Source link