Editing Sugar Ray Leonard (section)

==== Leonard vs. Bonds ====
{{main|Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Larry Bonds}}
On March 28, 1981, Leonard defended his title against Larry Bonds, the WBC sixth-ranked contender, at the [[Carrier Dome]] in [[Syracuse, New York]]. Bonds was a [[Southpaw stance|southpaw]], which made him a good opponent for Leonard, given that his next opponent was scheduled to be the WBA [[Light Middleweight]] Champion [[Ayub Kalule]], a southpaw.

Leonard was the aggressor throughout, with Bonds circling the ring. He staggered Bonds with a right in the fourth round and dropped him with a follow-up combination. Bonds got up and continued to move, with Leonard in pursuit. Leonard dropped him again in the tenth. Bonds rose but Leonard didn't let him off the hook. The referee stopped the fight with Bonds taking punishment in a corner.<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Pat |last=Putnam |url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1981/04/06/in-sum-it-was-sweet-for-sugar-though-ray-leonard-took-some-lumps-from-a-challenging-garbage-man-he-retained-his-title-and-strengthened-his-future-bargaining-position |title=In Sum, It Was Sweet For Sugar |magazine=Sports Illustrated |date=April 6, 1981 |access-date=December 7, 2021}}</ref>