Sugar Ray Leonard stopped boxing’s youngest-ever champion with six seconds left to win first world title

On this day in 1979, a new name ascended to the top of the sport with the 26th win of his career.

Sugar Ray Leonard’s iconic wars with the likes of Thomas Hearns, Roberto Duran, and Marvin Hagler helped define his legacy.

The North Carolina native was the only one of the ‘four kings’ to beat the other three men, but they certainly weren’t the only competitors that he faced in pivotal matchups.

While Leonard’s final knockout win saw him win the inaugural WBC super middleweight title, the best years of his career were spent at the weight class below.

Less than ten years before this, he claimed his first world title by stopping a history-making opponent in the dying moments of their bout.

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Sugar Ray Leonard dethroned Wilfred Benitez with a stoppage in the 15th round

On November 30 of 1979, Sugar Ray Leonard challenged for his first world title at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

The Olympic gold medalist had quickly become one of boxing’s top stars, producing a perfect pro record of 25-0 heading into his bout for the WBC and The Ring welterweight titles.

Standing in the opposite corner to him was another man who had been tipped for big things from an early stage in his career.

Wilfred Benitez still holds the record as boxing’s youngest-ever champion, having won the WBA super lightweight title in 1976 when he was just 17 years old.

Despite Benitez becoming a two-division champion by the time he was 21, he was still unable to halt Leonard’s rise, who was two years older than him when they collided inside the ring.

The challenger finished Benitez with just six seconds left on the clock in the 15th round, having dropped the champion twice throughout the fight to give him the lead on all three scorecards before the stoppage came.

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Sugar Ray Leonard’s first loss would come just two fights later

While many opponents came up short when trying to end Sugar Ray Leonard’s undefeated streak, he was simply too good for the first 27 fights of his pro career.

However, this changed when he came up against a man that many believed could counter the American’s slick style with raw power, determination, and aggression.

Roberto Duran became the first man to beat Leonard the following year after the Olympic star’s first title win, securing a unanimous decision victory following an all-time classic in Montreal.

Leonard’s decision to go toe-to-toe with Duran to try and prove a point for the majority of the fight did him no favors on the scorecards, though it earned him a lot of respect.

The American would go on to beat his fierce rival in their following bouts, including their infamous “no mas” rematch that took place the same year as their first encounter.