- 3 months ago
The HBO Replay of Sugar Ray Leonard coming back to challenge Donny Lalonde for the WBC Super Middleweight and Light Heavyweight Titles from the PPV the week before.
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00:00:00165 pounds.
00:00:18Nice that Ray weighed in at 65.
00:00:20Now I'm not only fighting an old welterweight, but an old fat welterweight.
00:00:30Good right hand by Leonard.
00:00:31Lalonde is hurt.
00:00:34Lalonde backs up against the ropes.
00:00:36Leonard landing at will.
00:00:37Thank you very much.
00:02:46A mild, breezy night in the desert, a wonderful setting for a little piece of history.
00:02:52Tonight, from Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada, HBO Sports presents World Championship
00:02:59Boxing.
00:03:00The WBC super middleweight and light heavyweight titles are on the line as WBC light heavyweight
00:03:08champion Donnie Lalonde takes on the former welterweight, junior middleweight, and middleweight
00:03:14world champion Sugar Ray Leonard.
00:03:16Here in the desert, an early evening glow settles over the parking lot arena in which so many
00:03:24of this decade's greatest fights have taken place.
00:03:27Here, where Ray Leonard once rallied to stop Thomas Hearns, and where 19 months ago he shocked
00:03:32the world by outpointing marvelous Marvin Hagler, the man many regard as the greatest fighter
00:03:37of his generation, readies to face his most unlikely opponent, a heretofore largely unknown
00:03:43light heavyweight champion from Canada named Donnie Golden Boy Lalonde.
00:03:48And now, accompanied by most of the men who have been with him since the beginning of his professional
00:04:00career, back in 1977, Sugar Ray Leonard begins to enter the ring.
00:04:18Only two fights in the last six years and nine months, one of them the nine-round technical
00:04:25knockout of Kevin Howard in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1984, and then in 1987 on April 6th, the victory
00:04:34many regarded as the greatest, certainly one of the most unexpected of his or anyone else's
00:04:40career, the 12-round decision over marvelous Marvin Hagler.
00:04:44And it's because of his inactivity, as well as his age, and the fact that he's moving
00:04:48up in weight, that there have been declining odds in Las Vegas.
00:04:53What started out as a 4-1, tried in favor of Leonard, is now 2.5-1.
00:05:0234 wins, the only loss to Roberto Duran was avenged, 24 knockouts, and of course, world championships
00:05:13in three separate weight classes coming into tonight.
00:05:18He has the chance tonight to win titles awarded by the WBC in two more weight classes, which
00:05:25would give him an unprecedented total of five.
00:05:28And there is Donnie Lalonde, as he prepares to make his second defense of the title he won
00:05:34from Eddie Davis when the two were matched for the title, which had been vacated by Thomas
00:05:40Ernst, and which he later defended in Trinidad against Leslie Stewart.
00:05:45A lot of perseverance and a little luck have launched him in to a $5 million payday.
00:05:5731 wins, two losses, 26 knockouts.
00:06:01The losses, a six-round decision to Wilbur Vampire Johnson in Winnipeg back in 1981.
00:06:09And he was knocked out by a fighter named Willie Edwards in May of 1985.
00:06:19Tail of the tape, the number to which most people pay a lot of attention is the age of
00:06:23Ray Leonard, 32 years old.
00:06:25Perhaps more significant, though, is weight.
00:06:27He weighs 165 pounds.
00:06:29He was 158 for Hagler in April of 1987, so he enters here seven pounds heavier than ever
00:06:36before.
00:06:37Lalonde has usually weighed closer to 175 in his bouts, but he says this weight of 167 is
00:06:45more natural for him.
00:06:46And here is our punch stat profile of the fighters, how many punches they throw,
00:06:55how busy they are.
00:06:56As you can see, Leonard much more the active or accurate puncher.
00:07:01Lalonde presumably the heavier puncher.
00:07:06Obviously not much of a jab for Lalonde landing two out of 35 in that particular fight.
00:07:12He uses it for radar so that he can throw his right behind it.
00:07:16In fact, because he doesn't have a left, he had to develop that devastating right that got him here.
00:07:23The rules for the bout are those of the World Boxing Council.
00:07:26Most significant, there is no three-knockdown rule in effect.
00:07:30Only the referee can stop the fight.
00:07:32And now, let's go to ring announcer Chuck Hall for free fight introductions.
00:07:36For the next bout of the evening is Dr. Elias Gunnam of the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
00:07:40The officials assigned for the next bout of the night, the judges are Chuck Chiampa of Las Vegas,
00:07:46Nevada, Stuart Kirschbaum of Detroit, Michigan, and Franz Marty of Oftrichen, Switzerland.
00:07:52The timekeeper is Mike Lachella.
00:07:55Counting in the knockdowns, Al Bysik, the attending physician ringside,
00:07:59Drs. Flip Omansky, Donald Romeo, and James Game.
00:08:02And your referee is Richard Steele.
00:08:06This is the main event of the evening, 12 rounds of boxing for the WBC Super Middleweight
00:08:15and Light Heavyweight Championships of the World.
00:08:18Introducing In the Red Corner, fighting out of Potomac, Maryland, weighing in at 165 pounds,
00:08:27with a professional record of 34 wins, one defeat with 24 KOs.
00:08:33He is the holder of three different world titles in three weight divisions.
00:08:39Ladies and gentlemen, here is Sugar Rick Leonard.
00:08:43And the Looper, fighting out of Winnipeg, Manicoba, Canada, weighing in at 167 pounds,
00:09:00takes the best of the record, suggests the 31 wins, two defeats with 26 KOs.
00:09:07He is the WBC Light Heavyweight Champion of the World, Donnie, the Golden Boy, Lavon.
00:09:16All right, Donnie.
00:09:23Great.
00:09:25Okay, I gave both of you guys a special interest.
00:09:28Let's toss you a wrap now.
00:09:30Obey Michael Banff at all times.
00:09:32Shake hands, good luck.
00:09:33There are two scenarios that this fight might follow.
00:09:38One was the recent Spinks-Cooney fight in which the smaller man just hit the bigger,
00:09:43slower man from every angle, wore him down, and finally stopped him as much from exhaustion
00:09:49as from concussion.
00:09:50The other fight was the famous first fight between Johansson and Patterson,
00:09:55in which the right hand of Johansson just went splat and knocked Patterson out.
00:10:01Early action finds Lalonde, throwing three.
00:10:05Left jabs make it four.
00:10:07He has yet to land.
00:10:08He tried a right to the body.
00:10:10So far, Leonard is looking and waiting.
00:10:13That right landed to the body, and that's the right idea.
00:10:15They kicked down to that body.
00:10:20That's the chopping overhand right that Lalonde hopes to do damage with,
00:10:24and he's trying to prove right now that he can, in fact, make the left jab effective.
00:10:28He's not doing bad with it.
00:10:32Keeps letting on the move with that.
00:10:35He's snapping it out a little better than we anticipated.
00:10:41Lalonde separated his shoulder years ago as a result of a hockey accident.
00:10:46It came out of place supposedly as many as 30 times, and he has a Teflon pin in it,
00:10:51which limits his left arm's mobility.
00:10:55Do you know what you're doing?
00:10:57Do you know what you're doing?
00:10:59Do you know what you're doing?
00:11:03Stop making something to do!
00:11:09And with that, it's a good right hand by Ray Leonard.
00:11:11Right now, Leonard is staying away from him, and he said that he wouldn't.
00:11:16He said that he wanted to get inside to take away the leverage
00:11:19that Lalonde would need to land that overhand right.
00:11:22Well, most fighters lie.
00:11:27You should know, Kevin.
00:11:29Lalonde was very cool when he came in.
00:11:31And he came in right after Leonard, which I'd like to see.
00:11:35That was a good left hook to the body.
00:11:37He said this man ain't got a left hand.
00:11:40The right hand slipped just a little bit by Leonard.
00:11:43And he came right back with the right hand, which is good.
00:11:45So far, Lalonde has been far and away the busier fight.
00:11:48His plan is to try to pressure Leonard and make him fight every second of every round,
00:11:52which he says Hagler didn't do.
00:11:55That's a good plan.
00:11:58If he can keep it up, we'll find out.
00:12:00Managed to land a short left as Leonard came in.
00:12:03He's landed two jams this round.
00:12:06Ray has landed only one right hand in the round.
00:12:18Leonard appears content so far just to size Lalonde up.
00:12:21Get a feel for what he might do.
00:12:23The left jab considerably more effective than we have been given reason to believe.
00:12:27He told to fight his life.
00:12:32Leonard going to the body, but it was a lunge.
00:12:34So I got to say, it wasn't the fighter saying he wasn't going to use the left hand.
00:12:37All the so-called experts would say he doesn't have a left hand at all.
00:12:41Leonard lands the left hand to the cheek of Lalonde.
00:12:47Now they begin to mix it up inside for the first time.
00:12:49And Leonard landed a jab as the round came to a close.
00:12:57But so far, it was Donnie Lalonde who was the initiator of the action.
00:13:03As he promised.
00:13:05He feels that if he can keep Ray busy, he'll tire in the late stages of the fight.
00:13:10A little bit more often.
00:13:10Just keep pumping it now.
00:13:12Slide away from him and let him know.
00:13:13Don't line him up real good now.
00:13:15Stay your ground one time and nail him with that right hand real good when he's coming at you.
00:13:19See how he's jabbed at you, he's off balance.
00:13:21Catch him, off balance, catch him in the middle.
00:13:22Hey, when you make a mistake, you got to come at him every time.
00:13:25Okay?
00:13:25Real good first round.
00:13:26Real good first round.
00:13:27Okay?
00:13:28Come out, please.
00:13:29Okay, and fight this guy.
00:13:32Calm down.
00:13:34And you did fine.
00:13:35When he does that, wait for him and throw your punches.
00:13:37Very nice.
00:13:38Handle it good.
00:13:39Step with the jab.
00:13:39Step with the jab.
00:13:40Get closer to him.
00:13:41Okay.
00:13:42Very nice.
00:13:42Way to work.
00:13:45Right out.
00:13:46Don't even walk and take the referee stop you.
00:13:48Keep going.
00:13:49This is a fight between a Ferrari and a pickup truck.
00:13:53And the pickup truck is trying to make it a demolition derby, and the Ferrari is trying
00:13:58to make it a foot race.
00:13:59The voice in Ray Leonard's corner was that of Jax Morton, who has been with him from the
00:14:03beginning and has always had primary responsibility for training the fighter.
00:14:07The voice in Lalonde's corner, a New York trainer named Tommy Gallagher, who inherited
00:14:11Lalonde a couple of years ago from another young trainer named Teddy Atlas, with whom Lalonde
00:14:16had a falling out.
00:14:19I got no comment on that one.
00:14:22I'll comment on the advice out of that corner, which was good.
00:14:25He said they put the pressure on him, make him fight.
00:14:28I saw Tommy Gallagher last week.
00:14:29He said his boy was going to knock him out in three rounds.
00:14:31I don't see that happening, but you got to respect the power of Lalonde.
00:14:47Good jab by Leonard.
00:14:51Leonard, so far not showing the finesse or the style which carried him to victory
00:14:57over marvelous Marvin Hagelin.
00:15:03Perhaps he doesn't think he'll need it.
00:15:06Perhaps he's letting his mind get to him.
00:15:08He related to us the other day that he was starting to think, well, maybe he's in with
00:15:11his younger guy now.
00:15:12Maybe the age factor, he was letting it seep into his mind, which is a mistake.
00:15:18That was good body work there.
00:15:20I like that.
00:15:21Leonard is not stepping up inside and releasing his hands quickly.
00:15:24Yeah, Lalonde continues to throw it.
00:15:28And landed.
00:15:30Snapping it.
00:15:34Surprise, surprise.
00:15:35This is a big surprise to many who called him a one-handed fighter.
00:15:40Good left hook by Lalonde.
00:15:42There you go.
00:15:42Some good punches inside by Lalonde.
00:15:45Yeah, I think he heard him.
00:15:46Leonard holding on.
00:15:48Remember, he's never fought a man this big.
00:15:50He wanted to know what the right hand would feel like.
00:15:52Maybe now he knows a little bit.
00:15:53Maybe he does.
00:15:57Good right to the body by Leonard.
00:16:01Maybe woke Leonard up a little.
00:16:13Good jab by Leonard there.
00:16:16Ray thought that he'd be able to counter if Lalonde tried to pressure him a lot.
00:16:20Now he's starting to pick up the tempo a bit.
00:16:25He's starting to stalk him, like he stalked Hearns that first fight.
00:16:28People seem to forget that.
00:16:29I don't forget that.
00:16:30I remember that first Durant fight.
00:16:32He proved he was a fighter then.
00:16:33Good jab by Leonard.
00:16:35A good left hand.
00:16:45You begin to see the difference in hand speed.
00:16:47Lalonde said that he didn't believe Leonard could hurt it.
00:16:49So far he hasn't.
00:16:52He's hitting some good shots.
00:16:55For the first time in the two rounds, we saw some of the quickness of Ray Leonard, which is his great advantage.
00:17:01But he really hasn't done much with it.
00:17:02He seems tentative to me.
00:17:06A little unsure of himself.
00:17:07For what it's worth, I've given the first two rounds to the champion, who is Lalonde.
00:17:17Come on, Dick.
00:17:20Good round for you.
00:17:21Good round for you.
00:17:23Just keep popping in, just like he's popping.
00:17:26Don't let him rough in that role a little bit.
00:17:27Spend him some time.
00:17:28Don't let him just rough back on the ropes, okay?
00:17:30We're trying to lay on that.
00:17:32Let's go.
00:17:33Boom.
00:17:34Step in with the jab.
00:17:35Start early.
00:17:37Very good.
00:17:38Way to work.
00:17:41Give me the water.
00:17:52One thing we know for sure so far is that the big event hasn't intimidated Lalonde.
00:17:57No, it hasn't.
00:17:59That's right.
00:17:59No, it hasn't.
00:18:00And Ray was banking on that.
00:18:02He thought for sure that the crowd, the lights, the scene, the environment
00:18:05would cowl Lalonde just a little bit.
00:18:08Maybe we got a hint this morning at the weigh-in when Lalonde got off a great one-liner after Leonard
00:18:12weighed in.
00:18:13Yes, Leonard refused to shake his hand, and Lalonde went to a microphone and said,
00:18:19referring to his weight, I thought I was fighting an old welterweight.
00:18:23Now I know I'm fighting a fat old welterweight.
00:18:26Lalonde just landed two or three uppercuts in there.
00:18:30It didn't do much damage, but to let Ray know that he knows how to throw it and land it.
00:18:34Interestingly, as he moves away, Leonard is circling to his left.
00:18:40He had told us that he would move to his right to stay away from Lalonde's right hand.
00:18:48Now he goes in that direction, but then backs up in the other way.
00:18:52Well, I think Ray was going to the left to get away from the right hand.
00:18:57That's the way he's supposed to be.
00:18:59So you can fire back on the left toe.
00:19:00Lalonde scoring to the body.
00:19:05Still no flurry or explosion of quickness inside from Ray Leonard.
00:19:08Nothing yet.
00:19:12And one more thing about Lalonde being intimidated by the situation,
00:19:15you have to remember his upbringing and the things he went through as a child,
00:19:18the beings that it took. Now he's come out to call for child abuse.
00:19:23That alone, to come through that, that alone, you can face anything after that.
00:19:28Between ages 11 and 15, Lalonde says he was severely beaten at least once a week by his stepfather.
00:19:35He's now a public and vocal advocate on behalf of the victims of child abuse.
00:19:41That alone could be the motivation to bring him through.
00:19:43Leonard missed with the right, Lalonde landed to the body.
00:19:46Just missed with the right cross. It went quizzing by Ray's chance.
00:19:51That's got to send a message to him.
00:19:53I think Ray's finding out that he may have put off one lick of two here.
00:19:58It's still early, Kevin.
00:19:59It is still early, but he threw a very sloppy right hand over there, which I don't like to see.
00:20:02Once he get out.
00:20:03Watch out, boy. Watch out.
00:20:11Leonard landing with the right to the body.
00:20:16Come on, man. Come on, man.
00:20:20And again, Lalonde keeping Ray at arm's length with the jab.
00:20:37Lalonde with the jab.
00:20:37Let it go!
00:20:40Once he get out.
00:20:41Ho, ho!
00:20:43Right back!
00:20:49Right here, right here!
00:20:50The right hand.
00:20:50Barry landed the right for the first time.
00:20:54And another round, which has to do something to build Donny Lalonde's confidence.
00:21:01Definitely, definitely.
00:21:02All right, let's keep the rhythm now.
00:21:04Beautiful, champ! Beautiful! Let's go!
00:21:08Calm down.
00:21:08Take a water.
00:21:13Donny, in your nose, fill up your lungs and breathe out your mouth.
00:21:16Come on.
00:21:16Donny, listen to me.
00:21:17Donny, you've got to throw some combinations.
00:21:20Throw one two at a time.
00:21:22You're hitting them, but you're only throwing one punch at a time.
00:21:24Okay.
00:21:24Okay? He's trying to suck you in.
00:21:26Donny, you've got to move your shoulder.
00:21:36You've got to move your shoulder.
00:21:37You've got to move your shoulder.
00:21:37Fight until you drop.
00:21:40Very nice.
00:21:42Way to work.
00:21:43Right out!
00:21:43Let the wreck it up.
00:21:45This is a point where I'm straining to hear the voices of Angelo Dundee
00:21:51in Leonard's corner because he has gotten off to a bad start.
00:21:55Yes, he has.
00:21:58You can't count Leonard out like Jim was saying because he's come back against the Hearns.
00:22:05I don't think he beat Haggard.
00:22:06I have to say that for the record.
00:22:07I still don't think he beat him.
00:22:10You are in good and popular company.
00:22:12The opinion is widely divided.
00:22:14Leonard beginning to step inside and score now.
00:22:16He landed a right hand earlier and there a left to the chest.
00:22:19But it had no effect on Lalonde.
00:22:23Or visible effect.
00:22:24Fire the left hook to the bottom.
00:22:28Again, Leonard stepping up and now he's starting to show hand speed for the first time in the bouton.
00:22:34This is going to become an interesting fight right now.
00:22:38Lalonde is hanging in there.
00:22:39He hasn't wilted or anything from the couple of combinations.
00:22:43Ray hit him with a left hook, hit him with a right hand.
00:22:45He's firing back.
00:22:49Step back.
00:22:50Step back.
00:22:50It's going to be exciting evening here.
00:22:54Rubble left hook.
00:22:56How'd you get out?
00:22:57How'd you get out?
00:23:00Ray holding on now playing possum.
00:23:03Right hand by Lalonde.
00:23:05That's didn't blow the part.
00:23:07Blanched a little bit.
00:23:08Outbrake, step back, step back, step back, step back.
00:23:15He was measuring him.
00:23:24We're going to find out right now.
00:23:26We'll see if we have that Johansson-Patterson situation here.
00:23:31Remember, Ray Leonard has always taken a great punch.
00:23:34He ought to get on his bicycle right now.
00:23:36More than a minute to go in the round.
00:23:39And Leonard now getting inside to try to keep Lalonde from getting leverage.
00:23:47That's the second time Ray's been down in his career.
00:23:49The left hand landed, and it was an awkward left,
00:23:52but Lalonde seems to be able to chop away a little bit with it.
00:23:55Oh, boy.
00:23:56Right hand again, and Leonard holding on.
00:23:59Ray staying cool on the fire.
00:24:06That's missed.
00:24:09Just missed again.
00:24:10Ray wanted to get on his bike.
00:24:11I'm telling you better get on that bicycle.
00:24:13Lalonde may have missed his chance here.
00:24:16Leonard's eyes beginning to clear.
00:24:18Coming back with the jab.
00:24:19He better like that cocky.
00:24:21Ray trying to score with the right hand.
00:24:23Ray better not get cocky.
00:24:25A moment of real suspense here as round four comes to a close.
00:24:33And a good piece of professional workmanship by Ray Leonard
00:24:36as he gets out of trouble.
00:24:39There may be a trickle of blood in Ray Leonard's left eye.
00:24:44Maybe from his nose.
00:24:45We're not sure yet.
00:24:46He looked at his glove.
00:24:47No.
00:24:48Come on.
00:24:49Oh.
00:24:50Lalonde missing wildly with the right.
00:24:51Ray came back, and Lalonde came back.
00:24:54That's a good round.
00:24:58In it.
00:24:58In it.
00:24:59In it.
00:24:59Come on.
00:24:59Come on.
00:25:00Come on.
00:25:02Come on.
00:25:02Get down there.
00:25:03Get down there.
00:25:07Let's take a look and see how we catch that quick right hand.
00:25:15Landed on the forehead, it looked like.
00:25:18But when a big man hits a smaller man any place in a vulnerable spot, down he goes.
00:25:24That affects the balance of forehead.
00:25:26That's why Ray was able to get back up and survive.
00:25:29Almost on top of the head.
00:25:30Almost on top of the head.
00:25:32The reason he connected in that round is because Ray knew that he started slow and was trying to get something done.
00:25:39All right.
00:25:40All right.
00:25:42Okay.
00:25:42Go ahead.
00:25:44Go ahead.
00:25:45Go ahead.
00:25:47Go ahead.
00:25:48Ray Leonard's cut by the nose.
00:25:53The second time Ray Leonard was down.
00:25:54First time was against Kevin Howard in 1984 in another comeback fight coming out of the time.
00:26:01One of the things that's happening is here is he's giving himself a little mountain to climb.
00:26:06On my card, anyway, he's already down five points.
00:26:09So Ray's going to have to get going, win rounds, and maybe win some of them big.
00:26:15I'll agree with that.
00:26:18Ray got a cut on the nose.
00:26:19Another first.
00:26:20Wouldn't it be interesting if Leonard wound up being the one who was in the position of needing a knockout in the late round?
00:26:26Well, fine.
00:26:27Well, he was in that position once before with Tommy Hurd.
00:26:29And he did it.
00:26:32I don't know if he's going to do it here.
00:26:33I really don't.
00:26:37But I think of all the scenarios you might have predicted, very few people would ever have expected that.
00:26:44That Lalonde would pile up points.
00:26:46Let's say now Ray's never really in a bad fight, and this one isn't a bad one either.
00:27:01Now, there's the first time he's done that.
00:27:06He told us that he would plan to throw right uppercuts up under the left arm,
00:27:09starting to move inside more effectively.
00:27:11And we're seeing more head movement from Ray now.
00:27:13And that's what he's got to do.
00:27:15Land him with a jab, he'll probably get excited.
00:27:17Well, that Lalonde still finds that right hand with some good snap.
00:27:27I guess the question is, will Lalonde fold up or he's run out of gas?
00:27:30Now, right hand landed.
00:27:36Leonard was able to take that one.
00:27:38That cut started to bleed a little bit.
00:27:42Interesting fight.
00:27:43Exciting.
00:27:46Lalonde going to the body.
00:27:48Maybe after this round, Ray's going to be wishing he had Angelo in that corner.
00:27:55To stop the cut.
00:27:58Tell him what to do.
00:27:59Give him some, you know, enthusiasm.
00:28:00Pick him up.
00:28:02Bolo, sloppy right hand just missed.
00:28:05Left hook landed.
00:28:09And the jab.
00:28:09Leonard becoming more and more effective.
00:28:11Solid right hand inside.
00:28:16And another right hand.
00:28:17Lalonde comes back.
00:28:20Lalonde is hurt.
00:28:23Richard Steele.
00:28:26Ah, this is killing time for Ray.
00:28:28Took away from Ray.
00:28:29That was a tremendous break for Lalonde.
00:28:30Yes, it was.
00:28:31Tremendous.
00:28:34Leonard trying to get inside again.
00:28:36Believes he has Lalonde hurt.
00:28:39Better watch himself.
00:28:40Better watch himself.
00:28:44Lalonde's going to make it out of round five.
00:28:47Maybe.
00:28:49Bell won't save you.
00:28:51All right.
00:28:52Leonard had to come back.
00:28:53And he did.
00:28:55That's why he's a great fighter.
00:28:57That's a tough final call.
00:29:01You're not seeing me.
00:29:02You're letting him in the fight.
00:29:05Let's go.
00:29:05Once you let him be first, it changes everything around.
00:29:09Let's go.
00:29:10You're the champion.
00:29:14Here you see Ray going to the attack.
00:29:19Using his superior instincts, his superior reflexes.
00:29:24He has to take chances now.
00:29:29One of those punches, the right hand slips through.
00:29:33And Lalonde falls into a clinch.
00:29:35Harold, give us your scorecard.
00:29:36Well, Larry, I've got it four rounds to one in favor.
00:29:38Donny Lalonde, 49 to 45.
00:29:41But the fact that Donny Lalonde is standing so straight up,
00:29:44I think that he's vulnerable to a right hand
00:29:46that I really believe Ray Leonard is going to get to him
00:29:48with the right hands.
00:29:49That's a good point, Al.
00:29:54Round six begins.
00:29:55You're right.
00:29:55Ever more confident, Ray Leonard steps up inside again.
00:29:59Can't get too cocky.
00:30:01Question is, if he gets aggressive, will he catch another right hand?
00:30:04Exactly.
00:30:07Interestingly, Larry, you pointed out the two scenarios,
00:30:10Sphinx Cooney and Johansson Patterson.
00:30:13We've already seen a little of both.
00:30:14Exactly.
00:30:17Good left hand by Leonard inside.
00:30:19More and more, he's getting off.
00:30:20It's as though he's shaking off the ring rust.
00:30:26I don't know about that.
00:30:30He's trying that right hand more.
00:30:36Lalonde stopped using the jab.
00:30:38Got to get back to that.
00:30:46Ray's fighting much more.
00:30:47He's taking more chances now.
00:30:50Doing it smart, moving, anti-punches.
00:30:54Well, he's always had great awareness of his situation
00:30:57in each given bout.
00:30:58And surely he knows that he is in all likelihood
00:31:00behind on the scorecards.
00:31:04But more and more seizing the initiative.
00:31:06The experience has taken over now.
00:31:10He's been in with better fighters.
00:31:14Break, break.
00:31:17Leonard grins at Lalonde a little bit as Richard Steele pulls him apart.
00:31:23All right, break.
00:31:23The right hand is still lethal for Lalonde.
00:31:30A couple of jabs, really no damage.
00:31:34But he's starting to land at will with the left hand.
00:31:36As he did there with the left hook, up close.
00:31:38The right hand landed for Lalonde inside.
00:31:48And now he goes after Leonard again.
00:31:50He heard him.
00:31:51Leonard holding on.
00:31:52He heard him.
00:31:53Two right hands.
00:31:54Overhand right and the right uppercut.
00:31:55That was a solid right hand.
00:32:05Gentlemen, we have a fight on our hands here.
00:32:07Both men exposing themselves to danger
00:32:09as they sense a chance to go in for the kill.
00:32:20And if Ray Leonard knows one thing by now,
00:32:22it is that he wants no part of that chopping overhand right.
00:32:30Good exchange.
00:32:32First one and the other.
00:32:33Ray finished stronger.
00:32:36He's starting to dominate inside.
00:32:38Landed a right hand there.
00:32:40Well, I wouldn't say he's dominant.
00:32:41I wouldn't use that word.
00:32:42Control.
00:32:43How's that?
00:32:44Having the edge.
00:32:47A little edge.
00:32:48That's all.
00:32:49But for the moment, a clear edge.
00:32:52Lalonde has succeeded in one thing,
00:32:54which is making Ray fight.
00:32:57Fight more than one minute of a round
00:32:59as he did against Hagrid.
00:33:01We'll see if that has an effect later in the fight.
00:33:05And we'll see what happens,
00:33:06what kind of an effect it's going to have on Lalonde.
00:33:10He may have run out of gas.
00:33:11Lalonde got a little wild here.
00:33:14Didn't know how to follow up on an advantage.
00:33:22There was a good right hand that Lalonde landed.
00:33:27Ray is able to elude him here.
00:33:29What makes Ray Leonard a great fighter
00:33:38is his ability to fight in different styles.
00:33:42To box, to take the aggressive stance.
00:33:45That was a close round.
00:33:48Lalonde dominated the first two minutes,
00:33:50I thought, and then Ray came back strong in the last.
00:33:53That's a crazy right hand.
00:33:55And it's only crazy because he missed.
00:33:58They're both getting a little wild.
00:34:01Some wondered if it would be entertaining.
00:34:03It is certainly all of that.
00:34:05Most definitely.
00:34:07He's trying to turn it into a pure six brawl here now.
00:34:10He's trying to get a good game out.
00:34:19He's looking for the left.
00:34:19He's looking for the left.
00:34:20He's looking for the left.
00:34:29Come on, run, run, run.
00:34:30He's going to have to do this for 12 rounds.
00:34:37Intense action for most of the round,
00:34:40and it is Lalonde's firm belief
00:34:42that Ray Leonard can't do this for 12 rounds.
00:34:45At age 32, fighting for only the fourth time.
00:34:49We're going to find out, aren't we?
00:34:52Six and a half years.
00:35:00He's got a left hook.
00:35:10Right hand landed for Leonard.
00:35:15Lalonde still trying to measure Ray
00:35:17for the right hand at his own.
00:35:19Leonard landing the right.
00:35:21He hurt him.
00:35:23Lalonde running now.
00:35:26Came back with his own right hand, it looked like.
00:35:31Lalonde's punches are more and more roundhouse.
00:35:36Good body shot.
00:35:38That's something we haven't seen by either man, really.
00:35:41Or the man.
00:35:43I think Leonard Kevin is beginning to take the starch
00:35:45out of Donny Lalonde.
00:35:47It's starting to look like that.
00:35:48I have to agree with you with that.
00:35:51We'll see if it swings back the other way or not.
00:35:54Oh, both of them.
00:35:55Good right hand.
00:35:56Good left hook.
00:35:57Under a minute.
00:36:01Oh.
00:36:02Ray missed a golden opportunity.
00:36:03Throw that right in your hand.
00:36:04Boy, he was playing.
00:36:05I don't know that I've ever seen Ray Leonard
00:36:07in that kind of an exchange or this kind of a brawl.
00:36:11Ray Leonard in that kind of an exchange or this kind of a brawl.
00:36:24Alon got what he won.
00:36:25Yes, he does, Kevin.
00:36:26It's exactly the kind of fight he wanted.
00:36:28The question now is whether he can win it.
00:36:32Ray Leonard is staging a classic Ray Leonard comeback.
00:36:36That's what he was caught against Tommy Hearns in this arena
00:36:38seven years ago.
00:36:43Leonard dealing out punishment on the ropes
00:36:48as round seven comes to an end.
00:36:53With a ray.
00:36:54He shouldn't do that.
00:36:59He's running.
00:37:00He's running.
00:37:01He's running.
00:37:02He's running.
00:37:03He's running.
00:37:04He's running.
00:37:05Two.
00:37:06Hey, baby.
00:37:07Big.
00:37:08Big.
00:37:09Big.
00:37:10Happy.
00:37:11All right, look.
00:37:12You're waiting.
00:37:14You could be firing back.
00:37:15I got it.
00:37:16You could be firing back.
00:37:17Listen to me.
00:37:18Hey, listen to me.
00:37:19You got to stay tight on the ropes and bip, bip.
00:37:20Don't look to lunge.
00:37:21Don't look to loop your punches.
00:37:22Calm down.
00:37:23Very nice.
00:37:24He's ready, baby.
00:37:25He's ready.
00:37:26Don't try to knock him out with one right hand.
00:37:27You got to throw two, three punches.
00:37:28Two, three punches.
00:37:29Two, three punches.
00:37:30There you see Leonard in an uncharacteristic fury.
00:37:43There's an important round for Lalonde.
00:37:53Lalonde is a vegetarian, but he fights like a carnivore.
00:37:58Round eight begins, and you say it's an important round for Lalonde, Kevin.
00:38:06Why?
00:38:07Well, I think Ray's taking away the momentum, and he has to get it back at this point.
00:38:11Otherwise, you know, Ray's not lost on in.
00:38:14And right now, Leonard is landing at will with the left hand.
00:38:18Lalonde trying to come back with his own left hand.
00:38:21You know, Lalonde has a habit of pulling away from punches with his chin way up in the air,
00:38:25like a lantern in a storm.
00:38:27Ray's not going to continue to miss it.
00:38:36Question now, how big a scorecard mountain does Leonard have to climb,
00:38:40and how much energy at age 32 can he bring to the task?
00:38:46Good exchange.
00:38:47Took a good body shot, came right back.
00:38:49Lalonde staggered again.
00:38:52Some of this is just poor footwork by a fighter who is much clumsier than Ray Leonard.
00:38:57He may be a little confused, too.
00:39:00He just misses the right hand.
00:39:03He's still alive with it.
00:39:06He stopped using his jab.
00:39:07He stopped using that jab.
00:39:09The corner should tell him that.
00:39:12Lalonde looking for a chance to throw that right hand.
00:39:15And that's all he's looking for.
00:39:16He's got to set it up.
00:39:18And it releases less and less quickly as the valve goes on.
00:39:23And there he got one in.
00:39:24Now he tries to follow up.
00:39:26May it hurt Ray a little.
00:39:28I think he hurts him a little every time he lands that right hand with the head, Kevin.
00:39:35Leonard's standing still for the moment.
00:39:37Stationary, yes.
00:39:38Fires back, finally.
00:39:40This is a little like a movie fight.
00:39:52The first one in the other.
00:39:54Yeah.
00:39:55Lalonde is showing the heart of a champion as well.
00:39:58Because he's come back in this round the way Ray Leonard has in the previous couple of rounds.
00:40:06Under a minute to go.
00:40:09And this minute will tell him to win this round.
00:40:12Leonard does not have a confident look on his face.
00:40:15Remember how he's tired in the late rounds against Hagler.
00:40:18He may be playing possum just a little bit as he stepped back there and visibly breathed deep.
00:40:28But Lalonde is not Hagler.
00:40:31He's relatively inexperienced.
00:40:33I'd have to say Ray has more experience in big fights.
00:40:36We've got to see if he's got any gas left.
00:40:39On the other hand, he's accomplished more in terms of physical punishment here than Hagler did in 12 rounds.
00:40:44Sure.
00:40:49Don't hold him, Danny. Don't hold him.
00:40:50Leonard landing the left again as the round comes to a close.
00:40:53Right, the line comes back a little in this round.
00:41:04the line comes back a little in
00:41:16this round whether he wanted or
00:41:19not he let Ray know that after
00:41:21the previous few rounds he
00:41:23wasn't going to lay down for
00:41:25which from my standpoint of
00:41:32you it was a good sign a good
00:41:34message to send out Harold well
00:41:38right Larry I've got it 76 75
00:41:4144 now I just think that Ray is
00:41:43evening it up because Daniel
00:41:44will understand this straight up
00:41:45and he's an easy target for his
00:41:47right hand well we're going to see
00:41:49about stamina from here on and
00:41:52heart and one of the great things
00:41:55about Ray Leonard is that he always
00:41:57can find some deep reservoir of will
00:41:59to carry him through late in the
00:42:02fight two-thirds of this bout gone
00:42:04now four rounds remaining
00:42:06and if you agree with Harold
00:42:10Letterman's scorecard qualified one
00:42:13it certainly is there have been two
00:42:15chapters so far chapter one the line
00:42:18chapter two letter I have it five
00:42:21three
00:42:22three
00:42:23I'm not I'm not an expert
00:42:28Vegas judges are fond of Ray Leonard
00:42:31as they have shown on some occasions
00:42:33in the past
00:42:33that was a good exchange of hooks
00:42:35right there
00:42:36the right
00:42:39now
00:42:39the last stop using that jab that's
00:42:42when the round became close when
00:42:44Ray started to dominate
00:42:45Ray boxing more now not brawling as he
00:42:50did through most of round six and
00:42:52seven
00:42:52that's right a couple steps in a
00:42:54couple steps out
00:42:55Missed.
00:42:58Lalonde able to counter inside with the right.
00:43:00Lalonde needs something to get himself going now.
00:43:03He has slowed down considerably.
00:43:05Is Ray's right eye swollen with a full swollen to me?
00:43:08On top of his nose being cut.
00:43:10Well, his left eye's a little bit close.
00:43:12Oh, there's the right hand again.
00:43:14Oh, he's going after him.
00:43:15And now Lalonde has another chance.
00:43:16He's going after him, too. Oh.
00:43:20Boy, Ray takes a good shot.
00:43:22Leonard slips a punch.
00:43:29Lalonde has to be careful not to punch himself out.
00:43:31There's blood over Lalonde's right eye.
00:43:33I don't know if that's his or Ray's.
00:43:35I think it's his.
00:43:38Good exchange.
00:43:39Good right hand by Leonard.
00:43:41Lalonde is hurt.
00:43:43Lalonde backs up against the ropes.
00:43:45Leonard landing at will.
00:43:47Let's hope they don't stop the bout.
00:43:50And Lalonde goes down.
00:43:57Under a minute.
00:44:01Lalonde is badly hurt.
00:44:03And Ray will try to finish him off right here.
00:44:06Lalonde will grab on hold for his dear life.
00:44:09Great right hand by Leonard.
00:44:11Lalonde staying up only through the force of will.
00:44:14Will he get up again and stopping about?
00:44:16I don't think he'll get up anymore.
00:44:18That is it.
00:44:20A magnificent comeback for Ray Leonard.
00:44:26You can't repeat this often enough.
00:44:28What has made Ray Leonard a great fighter is not his style, not his reflexes.
00:44:34Others have had style and reflexes.
00:44:36It is the will to win.
00:44:40He has a script in his head that he is going to win.
00:44:44He's going to find a way to win.
00:44:46And we saw it at work in this fight as graphically as you can.
00:44:51Well, I think I like the call.
00:45:16I don't think they had to stop it after the first knockdown.
00:45:20Give the man a chance.
00:45:21It was a close fight.
00:45:22He got up.
00:45:23He was willing to fight.
00:45:25So, an evening that began rather badly for Ray Leonard.
00:45:30And one in which he appeared to lose the first four rounds of the fight.
00:45:35He's turned his way once again, as Larry Merchant suggested, by the sheer force of Leonard's will and determination.
00:45:45And you look at the replay here, Kevin Rooney, of this exchange, which led to the TKO at 2.30 of the ninth round.
00:45:55Got him hurt.
00:45:56Right hand.
00:45:57Miss.
00:45:58Miss.
00:45:59Miss.
00:46:00Miss.
00:46:01Left hook.
00:46:02That hit him.
00:46:03He never saw it.
00:46:04And remember, this is in a round in which Leonard himself was hurt earlier by a right hand.
00:46:14And he came back.
00:46:15That was a good call.
00:46:16They let the fight continue into the first knockdown.
00:46:20Lalonde's inexperience cost him.
00:46:22He should have grabbed Ray and drew him on the floor.
00:46:25It took Donny Lalonde a pretty good long time before he could stand up.
00:46:41Final punch count numbers should be interesting.
00:46:44Lalonde a little bit less accurate than Ray.
00:46:47In fact, considerably so.
00:46:48Leonard, once he stepped inside after round four, was able to land more or less at will.
00:46:54He was more selective in his punching.
00:46:56And a lot of those 508 total punches for Lalonde were the pawing left jab, which became less effective as the bout went on.
00:47:04Right now, let's go up to ring announcer Chuck Hall for the official decision.
00:47:10Ladies and gentlemen, the time, two minutes, 30 seconds of the ninth round.
00:47:19Referee Richard Steele stops the bout.
00:47:22A winner by a TKO and new super middleweight and light heavyweight champion of the world, Sugar Ray Leonard.
00:47:32So the Ray Leonard, who was able to avenge his only loss against Roberto Duran, fall behind against Thomas Hearns and come back to knock him out.
00:47:40Play a bit of a shell game to beat a heavily favored marvelous Marvin Hagler.
00:47:44Got a scare thrown into him tonight by a bigger, stronger man and faced that challenge and overcame it as well.
00:47:51So, Sugar Ray Leonard climbed another mountain.
00:48:06Sometimes I get the feeling he could climb Everest in a round if he had to.
00:48:11And Sugar Ray Leonard and Donny Lalonde are here with us to go over the fight.
00:48:16Gentlemen, sometimes the fight starts before the fight.
00:48:21And I've been curious about the dreams you spoke of going into the fight.
00:48:26What were they and what significance do you think they had?
00:48:29With me, Larry, it was a frightening scenario that I had a vision of.
00:48:34I mean, it was a premonition.
00:48:37I saw myself being knocked down about two, three weeks before the fight.
00:48:41And I kept trying to block it out. I just kept trying to block it out.
00:48:45And it was frightening because walking to the ring, because there was a delay, because the national anthems were being played and everything.
00:48:53So I had even more time to think about it.
00:48:55So when I got to the ring, I didn't get the same feel that I had for Hagler because the motivation wasn't, was forced.
00:49:03I had to force myself to be motivated because of Lalonde.
00:49:06Do you think you were being warned somehow?
00:49:09Your subconscious was warning you to be careful of this guy's big punch?
00:49:14Or was it just some anxiety of the unknown?
00:49:17The unknown. I think that's what it was.
00:49:19Because in the fight itself, the first round, Donny, you know, I was more tentative.
00:49:25I was just more apprehensive because I'm saying, when is it going to happen? When is it going to happen?
00:49:30And after I was knocked down, I was okay. I was like, okay, now that's over.
00:49:35What about your dreams?
00:49:37Well, it first started in the first press conference, on the first press conference when we were doing the publicity shots.
00:49:43In New York?
00:49:44Yeah, in New York.
00:49:45And we were standing side by side and I just sort of felt this weird sensation go through my body.
00:49:51And it was, I hit you with the right hand and you went down.
00:49:53I thought, wow, that's great.
00:49:55You know, it felt like it was going to happen.
00:49:57And then I never had anything.
00:49:58And usually I dream about my fights and I always tell people.
00:50:01And so writers were asking me, you know, I said, no, I haven't been dreaming anything.
00:50:04And then about five days before the fight and three days before I dreamt I was stopped.
00:50:08But Ray hit me with an overhand right and stopped me.
00:50:10Is that just anxiety or did you think you felt you weren't ready for this man?
00:50:14I'm, uh, no, some men are not being ready.
00:50:16I could never have been better prepared than I was for this fight.
00:50:19Why didn't you tell me?
00:50:21It didn't get all easy.
00:50:23In the pre-fight preparations, much of the posturing goes on to assert dominance.
00:50:29And I felt that it was almost like he was George Bush who established the agenda.
00:50:35And it bothered you a little bit that he wasn't too concerned about the great Sugar Ray Leonard.
00:50:41Well, I tell you, he impressed me as far as maintains composure because I honestly believe, and I told you this also, that when the event happens, that one or two things will happen.
00:50:53He will be in awe of the event until he rises to another level of competition.
00:50:57And he was able to rise to that level.
00:50:59First three rounds, you've already said you were tentative.
00:51:03Was that because you were waiting for the punch or because he was something more than you expected?
00:51:09And what was your feeling about those first three rounds?
00:51:13Donny was surprisingly quick with his hands.
00:51:17His left jab was not as handicapped as they say it was.
00:51:21And his movement, I mean, he just was quicker. He was not easy to hit.
00:51:25Quickly, your thoughts on those three rounds.
00:51:28I felt very good, very in control.
00:51:30I felt, uh, Ray is very smart in the ring, but at the same time I felt a size advantage.
00:51:36I felt a strength advantage.
00:51:37And I felt very in control. I was very confident all the way through.
00:51:41Let's then go to round four, the turning point in the fight.
00:51:50Here we are in close quarters.
00:51:52Ray, did you sense here? It seems like you're almost waiting for something to happen.
00:51:57Well, I'm not too sure about Donny's style.
00:52:00And what I'm actually doing is trying to get a better pitcher.
00:52:03But in waiting, you see there, the right hand came in.
00:52:06And, uh, at this point here, I'm okay.
00:52:09I'm not really hurt at all. As a matter of fact, I'm clear-eyed.
00:52:12Did you see him that way, Donny?
00:52:14Definitely. I did not feel that that was an auto punch.
00:52:17I totally took it within myself as a one punch.
00:52:20Landing one punch, and, uh, I felt that knowing Ray's, you know, competitive spirit,
00:52:25I knew that he'd be back in there fighting strong.
00:52:28But there was also one right hand in particular that really rung my bell.
00:52:32It should be coming up, uh, shortly.
00:52:34Because I was moving away, and I was trying to make Donny exert himself.
00:52:38And, uh, he just got a little careless.
00:52:42That was a good right hand there.
00:52:44But his right hands were always laying on the side of the head.
00:52:47Which, you know, it shook me a lot of times.
00:52:50You know, Ray, I think there's a lot of times in the fight, other than the knockdown,
00:52:53there's better right hands landed.
00:52:54You've got an incredible chance.
00:52:56There's a lot of much bigger men I've hit that hard, and they've gone down for good.
00:53:03Ray, here comes the punch that we think opened up your eye, right next to your nose.
00:53:10You started to dab at it immediately, you see there.
00:53:13Did it concern you?
00:53:15It was just bothersome, Larry, because, uh, there was a flow of blood,
00:53:20and I was trying to find where it was coming from.
00:53:22I knew I wasn't cut above the eye, but, uh, it was really bothersome.
00:53:28Now you see blood.
00:53:29You've hurt him in this round, Donny.
00:53:31Do you feel you let him get away?
00:53:33I felt that, uh, I could have been a little bit more aggressive after this round,
00:53:38but I think I did what I could during the round, considering I had Ray Leonard in the ring with me.
00:53:42I mean, he wasn't cooperating with me.
00:53:44He was too mad enough.
00:53:45Here's the knockdown in slow motion.
00:53:47Ray, it doesn't look like a clean punch.
00:53:49It's just the power of his punches, Larry, because it was like a kid.
00:53:53I mean, slapping a kid and knocking him off the balance.
00:53:55Every punch he was throwing, especially the right hand in particular,
00:53:58would knock me halfway across the ring.
00:54:01The scorecards reflected that.
00:54:03Two of the judges had Lalonde ahead by three rounds to one,
00:54:07and another judge three rounds to one,
00:54:09but by four points because of a two-point fourth round.
00:54:14Ray, you've been knocked down.
00:54:16You have blood somewhere near your left eye.
00:54:20That's the eye that Tommy Hearns must up.
00:54:23That's the eye that you had your operation on.
00:54:26What was going through your mind then?
00:54:28I wasn't thinking about my eye because I know it wasn't the eye itself.
00:54:32But, you know, it's always irritating and frustrating for there to be a flow of blood.
00:54:39For any fighter, I think psychologically, mentally, it's disturbing to a fighter to see his own blood
00:54:45or to feel his own blood.
00:54:47And that's what it was for me.
00:54:49Did it rile you up?
00:54:50Did that as much as anything say, I've got to do something?
00:54:54Yes, I think so.
00:54:55I believe so because I think at that point, not of desperation because I knew that I had more time,
00:55:02but then again, I didn't know how severe the cut was until I got back to my corner,
00:55:08and Jenks Morton, who I was really impressed with because he was under great deal of scrutiny
00:55:12because of the absence of Angelo Dundee.
00:55:14But he said, he called Eddie, the cut man, and Eddie did what he had to do.
00:55:19And at that point, I was fine.
00:55:22Did it cross your mind even fleetingly?
00:55:25Dundee should be here right now. This is a crisis.
00:55:30No, it really didn't cross my mind at all because I didn't have time to think.
00:55:34This guy was throwing punches. He allowed me to think.
00:55:36But again, credit was not given to my corner, Jenks Morton, Dave Jacobson, Jose Carrera,
00:55:43who are very professional, who's trained professional fighters and champions.
00:55:47You see the other guys in trouble. You've just knocked them down.
00:55:51Your thoughts after the fourth round?
00:55:54I felt very good, very in control, very confident.
00:55:58I felt just keep doing what you're doing and you're going to get to him and finish it.
00:56:01You've expressed great respect for Ray Leonard.
00:56:04Did you expect him to come out more aggressively after that?
00:56:09No, not in particular.
00:56:11I know Ray has enough confidence in himself that he can...
00:56:13It's like when you play hockey and a guy hits you with a stick.
00:56:15You just remember his number. You don't go chasing him and get a penalty.
00:56:18And you get him later.
00:56:19And so I knew that he would, you know, fight a very strategic fight.
00:56:22And I wasn't expecting any amateurish reaction from it.
00:56:25There was a change, however. Not an amateur change, a professional change.
00:56:31Let's take a look at the highlights of rounds five, seven and nine.
00:56:35That punch indicated, Ray, that you were out after a different kind of a fight after the fourth round.
00:56:46I picked the pace up. And at this point here, Larry, because, you know, normally I really pull it on the later rounds.
00:56:54Because I've started to throw combinations here and see whether or not Donnie can keep up.
00:56:59But here, Donnie still is very physical because he was able to throw me off of him.
00:57:03But my punches were starting to land. The combinations were starting to be more frequent.
00:57:07Did you sense that he felt enough of an urgency that he was stepping it up?
00:57:11I don't know if it was coming from an urgency, but he definitely was stepping it up, being more aggressive.
00:57:16And I just, I figured personally that he was just wanting to take me out of my mold because I had sort of been controlling the action.
00:57:24Couldn't that have been seen as an advantage to you because then you might be able to really land a hard right with him coming at you?
00:57:31Depends on who's getting off first. The idea, theoretically, yes, you're right. But I wasn't getting off first where he was.
00:57:36Was the strategy working, Ray?
00:57:41It was working because I had him pretty much befuddled. I think he was starting to throw a lot of shots that were unnecessary.
00:57:48In other words, he was instinctively. Except a couple of times he threw that right hand and he found his target.
00:57:53But actually, Larry woke me up a couple of times. Here, you know, I had him where I wanted because basically he was just trying to hold me off, fend me off.
00:58:01But you're getting into a brawl. Is that what you have to do at this stage of your career?
00:58:05At this point? No, not really, no. People say, well, his legs were gone and he's not moving as much as he did against Hagler.
00:58:12I'm not fighting Marvin Hagler. I'm fighting a much taller guy, a guy with great hand speed, a guy with a lot of power.
00:58:18And so that you have to use your quickness?
00:58:21Exactly. Here, inside, I am more effective. Like, I stuck my chin out because, like now, I see the fatigue that set in with Donnie.
00:58:30So it's combinations here, at this point here.
00:58:35Were you fatigued, Donnie?
00:58:37I think what happened is mentally I started becoming a little unraveled.
00:58:41Not physically fatigued, mentally fatigued in the sense that Ray was keeping up the pace and throwing such crisp punches.
00:58:48And I wasn't used to that level of competition for that long.
00:58:51You had never been in a prize fight in which, after you had landed some of the punches you landed, the guy was still jumping at you.
00:58:58Exactly. I was in with a much higher caliber if I had ever been in.
00:59:03Yet here you are in the ninth round and it looked like you were making the comeback. You were showing your championship spirit.
00:59:09I got it together a little bit. I started getting myself back together and getting combinations together and putting my punches back.
00:59:17Which goes to show it wasn't physical fatigue, it was mental.
00:59:19Ray, what about you? You see this guy, all of a sudden, he's coming back at you.
00:59:22He started throwing a lot of combinations. Most of them are punches, but again, you see here, what I heard with the right hand.
00:59:28But now, again, my combinations, the left hook proved to be a very effective weapon here.
00:59:34I'm letting everything hang loose right now.
00:59:38I let my arms hang loose there as I laid down, too.
00:59:43Do you remember any of this, Donnie?
00:59:45Looking back, I remember being on the ropes and Ray throwing them in that combination where I was trying to make him miss.
00:59:51But that's about it.
00:59:55Looking at it now, was there anything you could have done?
00:59:58I could have grabbed onto him and forcibly held onto him, whether Richard tried to break us up or not.
01:00:05Or I could have punched back, but maybe I was a bit too hurt. I don't know.
01:00:10Here's the slow motion look at the knockdown and the knockout. Try to analyze it for us, Ray.
01:00:17Well, again, I picked the pace up. The right hand found his target.
01:00:22You notice I'm standing very close to Donnie so he won't have leverage on his right hand.
01:00:27I found myself to be very effective and was able to get my punches off quicker inside.
01:00:33Donnie was bobbing and weaving. I think it's all instinctively that he's doing this, but he kept his head too high, too erect, to allow me to throw combinations.
01:00:43A lot of those punches were missing because he was bobbing and weaving.
01:00:49All right, now you try to clinch, Donnie, and look at this, Ray. You hit him on the break of the clinch.
01:00:56Here I was trying to be a gentleman and fight a nice, clean fight, fair fight, and Ray hits me on a clinch. I'm protesting. I want to...
01:01:04It's too late, Donnie.
01:01:06You were trying to do the right thing, Donnie, but apparently you just weren't strong enough at that point.
01:01:13Yes, that's true. By the looks of it here, the effect that Bray's punches had on me just took the strength away from me.
01:01:19And we all knew it was over at this point.
01:01:23Well, you did. I didn't. I was in dreamland. I was still laying there saying,
01:01:27Come on, let me get up and finish this fight.
01:01:30On the scorecards from rounds five through eight, Lalonde had only one round in one of the official scorecards.
01:01:37And overall, he was ahead on one card going in to the ninth round.
01:01:44Ray, you scored a ten for yourself in this fight. Why?
01:01:49Because I went up against a guy that no one, well, a boxing expert, didn't think too much of.
01:01:54A guy that exemplified what champions are made of.
01:01:58Hard determination. And I came out on top, Larry.
01:02:02You did what you had to do.
01:02:04Exactly. It required a great deal of physical contact, but I was very proud of myself.
01:02:09Is it an illusion from past fights that many observers hold that you were just a dancing master and you didn't have to fight?
01:02:18Because I sort of remember distinctly where you did have to do this kind of thing, even in your prime.
01:02:25Well, I think there was a major misconception.
01:02:27They said, well, Ray's talent started to deteriorate because normally he would move around the ring, look pretty, and showboat.
01:02:33But the fact is, the fact remains, this man's a much better fighter than giving credit for.
01:02:39So that even though I call this a Ferrari against a pickup truck, you feel that you can fight in both styles?
01:02:46If necessary, if need be. And Monday on the 7th, it was necessary.
01:02:52Nani, this was your first major event. How would you score yourself?
01:02:58Oh, I think very high. I think given what I had going in, I performed as good as I could have expected to, or as anyone could have expected me to.
01:03:07I was in there against, pound for pound, one of the greatest fighters of all time.
01:03:10I handled myself, I think, very well. I fought a very good fight. Obviously, it didn't end up the way I would like it to have ended up.
01:03:17But I feel that I did everything that I was prepared to do, and I'm very proud of my performance out there.
01:03:24I would like, I have learnt a lot from that fight. And obviously, I would like the opportunity to show the old master what I have learnt.
01:03:31The old master. Not me old. The master.
01:03:36So that means that you are going to continue with your career.
01:03:40Definitely. Like I say, ideally, I would like to get back in there and finish up what I started in the fourth round.
01:03:45If not, I'll get on and become a world champion against someone else.
01:03:49You've made, or grossed, or reputed $5 million or more in this fight. What do you plan to do with it?
01:03:56Money's really never been a motivator for me. What I plan on doing is just continuing on with my life.
01:04:02Right now, I'm choosing to be a fighter. I want to get back the title.
01:04:06And then I'm doing a bit of acting, and then carry on. Have a good time.
01:04:11Don, thank you for a great fight. Thank you for appearing with us. Ray, we'll be back.
01:04:17After all that, all I can say is, oh, Canada. Gretzky traded to Los Angeles.
01:04:24Johnson banished from the Olympics. Hilton and Lalonde losing championships on the same weekend.
01:04:30But keep the faith, neighbors. Michael Fox had a terrific year.
01:04:35As for Ray Leonard, since he has said he'll fight again, will it be past as prologue or future as epilogue?
01:04:43First, past as prologue. Tommy Hearns?
01:04:47After a cautious start in the memorable welterweight unification fight with Tommy Hearns seven years ago,
01:04:57similar to the way the Lalonde fight unfolded, Ray Leonard went on the attack in the middle round.
01:05:03But Hearns didn't go away.
01:05:07You've got nine minutes. You're blowing it now, son. You're blowing it. Come on, Ray.
01:05:12You've got to be quicker. We've got to take it away from him. Okay?
01:05:16More of the things that he did.
01:05:18I mean, it's pretty much better.
01:05:19Crane Angelo Dundee had to urge Leonard on because Hearns had reassumed command with a long-range boxing style,
01:05:23so Leonard put all his chips into the pot, seeing Hearns and raising him.
01:05:28In Las Vegas, you can't win one of your fights with your hands in your pockets.
01:05:32And Leonard has never had pockets in his boxing trunks.
01:05:37that set up the winner take all 14th round turns a terrific offensive fighter couldn't defense the
01:05:44onslaught of leonard who took it all with the drama starring two outstanding young fighters
01:05:50that surpassed very high expectations
01:05:56or will enact two for leonard reprise a later melodrama after an eye injury sent him into
01:06:03retirement at 26 leonard unretired a second time a year and a half ago for marvin haggler
01:06:10it was widely considered to be a dangerous vainglorious comeback haggler the middleweight
01:06:15champion was the stronger and the more active fighter but exceptional men often defy written
01:06:21and unwritten rules and leonard proved how exceptional he was even when haggler got to him
01:06:28meeting fire with fire
01:06:42leonard neutralized haggler's attack by fighting in spurts and flurries he never let haggler completely
01:06:48dominate him winning over the crowd and two of the three judges in his own words by stealing rounds
01:06:55and the fight it was a remarkable performance that set a box office record and begged a return
01:07:03so who's next for the once and always champion
01:07:06marvellous marvin haggler
01:07:24ray we know you're not ready to climb any new mountains soon but let's get your reaction to
01:07:32these names in your assessments tommy hearns you weren't very high on his last fight against kinchin
01:07:39my impression of tommy hearns in fact here's a young man with enormous talent has proven himself
01:07:43in the past being champions in three different weight categories four four different weight categories
01:07:48but a young man that doesn't concentrate or focus in on one particular person he has a tendency to deviate
01:07:55and think about someone else marvin haggler do you think you'll get him back in the ring
01:08:01i'm not trying to get marvin back in the ring now i think marvin haggler's made up his mind that he
01:08:06wants to be a movie star and god bless him i see him in this in the theaters but you've made some
01:08:13comebacks and he's entitled to make at least one well i'm sure he won't make as many as i've made but
01:08:18i think that haggler is content where he is now then let me throw some other names at you virgil hill
01:08:24is an unbeaten light heavyweight champion a former olympic gold medalist you've fought one light
01:08:29heavyweight champion you want to take on another one well donny lallon reassured me that i'm not light
01:08:35heavyweight uh and that gives away just too much i don't think that i uh give myself you know a chance
01:08:43to perform by fighting bigger men i think the fact of fighting a lot was just a challenge but at this
01:08:50stage of your career might a smaller quicker man take advantage of your aging be a little quicker than
01:08:59you are well they're trying to convince me that i'm 32 i don't feel 32 if that makes any sense but uh
01:09:06fighting a smaller man speed won't be a factor because i'm still have my hand speed uh i don't see
01:09:12the problem let me throw some names at you and your quick thoughts on them lloyd hunnigan who is
01:09:17an outstanding welterweight might emerge as the welterweight uh peculiar guy but uh he's a guy that's
01:09:25that's unorthodox michael nunn if he should somehow unify all the middleweight championships in the next
01:09:34year that might be uh a real big mountain for you there's always considerations but i think i wish we
01:09:40have more michael nunn's in the sport of boxing class act and uh julio cesar chavez if he should
01:09:47be able to prove to win a welterweight title would he be someone who might be in your future that's a
01:09:53joke you don't think he can do it too small i mean for i mean for me to fight him it's too small
01:10:00i sense that you somehow feel is uh the biological clock ticking that you're anxious to get as much in
01:10:06as you can while you can you're absolutely right larry uh you know i don't have too much long too
01:10:13much time left not physically but mentally and i want to do as much as i can in the next year or so
01:10:20in terms of personal satisfaction which is obviously your highest priority in making these sporadic
01:10:27comebacks did you achieve what you wanted to achieve with this fight yes it was a goal that
01:10:34i set out to achieve to win two titles to beat a legitimate light heavyweight champion lalon although
01:10:40people say they question that they debate that i'm very proud thank you ray for november 7th and for
01:10:47today and these last words you may have noticed two things in these 75 minutes one i made no reference
01:10:55to sugar ray leonard winning his fourth and fifth championships this may be the sincerest form of
01:11:01flattery because the promoters have invented three titles for every two pounds the fallout is that
01:11:07the word champion means less than the fighter who is or isn't one we know who the real fighters are
01:11:14and ray leonard is certainly one of them second thing nor has he been pressed to tell us when he
01:11:20finally and truly and irrevocably will retire relieving his hbo colleagues of the burden of explaining or
01:11:27trying to explain his comebacks so here it is he's good at what he does so he keeps doing it it agrees
01:11:34with him psychologically financially even aerobically it agrees with us because he is a wonder to behold
01:11:42for jim lapley kevin rooney and the hbo staff i'm larry merchant
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