SUGAR RAY LEONARD, ROY JONES JR FEATURED ON AKTV ?SUPER FIGHTS? ON DECEMBER 27
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 24 Dec 2011
Sugar Ray Leonard?s epic battle with two division champion Wilfredo Benitez for the WBC welterweight title as well as Roy Jones Jr?s showdown with Richard Hall with Jones? WBC/WBA/IBF light heavyweight belts on the line will headline AKTV?s ?Super Fights? on IBC 13 on December 27 at 9:00 p.m.
The battle between Leonard and Benitez of Puerto Rico took place on November 30, 1979 at Caesar?s Palace in Las Vegas.
Benitez who was undefeated with a record of 38-0 received $1.2 million while Leonard?s purse was $1 million.
It was a highly competitive and tactical battle. In the first round, Leonard rocked Benitez with a left hook that came off a jab and right cross. Late in the third, Leonard dropped Benitez on the seat of his pants with a stiff left jab.
In the sixth, there was an accidental clash of heads, which opened a cut on the forehead of Benitez. Blood flowed down his forehead and the bridge of his nose but stayed out of his eyes.
Leonard landed the harder punches and had Benitez hurt several times late in the fight, but Leonard couldn't put him away. Benitez was very slick. .
Going into the final round, Leonard led by scores of 137?130, 137?133, and 136?134. The two went toe-to-toe in the fifteenth. Late in the round, Leonard dropped Benitez with a left. He got up, but after a few more punches, referee Carlos ?Sonny? Padilla of the Philippines stopped the fight. The time was 2:54 of round fifteen. Leonard was leading on the scorecards of all three judges when the fight was stopped.
The Boxing Writers Association of America and Ring Magazine named Leonard ?Fighter of the Year? for 1979. He won five titles in five weight divisions.
Sugar Ray Leonard was named after his mother?s favorite singer Ray Charles.
The Roy Jones Jr vs Richard Hall title fight was held on May 13, 2000 at Conseco Field House in Indiana.
Jones who was leading by a shutout on the scorecards of all three judges after ten rounds won by an 11th round TKO. Referee was Wayne Kelly.
Hall, nicknamed ?The Destroyer? was a southpaw from Kingston, Jamaica and was the WBA Interim light heavcyweight champion.
He was down twice in round one.
Jones won titles in middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight.
He was also Ring Magazine?s pound for pound king.
Also featured on the increasingly popular show will be the IBF bantamweight championship between Orlando Canizales and Billy Hardy on May 4, 1991 .
Canizales from Laredo, Texas won by an 8th round TKO after dropping Britain?s Hardy in the 3rd round. The referee was Robert Gonzalez. The fight was held in Canizales? hometown of Laredo.
Canizales successfully defended his title against two Filipinos.
He scored a unanimous twelve round decision over Samuel Duran on September 18, 1992 in Montana and a 5th round TKO over Rolando Bohol in Texas on June 7, 1994.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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