Editing Sugar Ray Leonard (section)

===Second comeback===

====Leonard vs. Lalonde====
{{main|Donny Lalonde vs. Sugar Ray Leonard}}
On November 7, 1988, Leonard made another comeback, facing [[Donny Lalonde]] at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. They fought for Lalonde's WBC [[Light Heavyweight]] Championship and the newly created WBC [[Super Middleweight]] Championship, which meant that Lalonde had to make 168&nbsp;lbs. Many were critical of the fact that Lalonde's light heavyweight title was on the line when the weight limit of the fight with Leonard was at 168 pounds, and critical of Leonard for stipulating that his opponent—a natural 175-pounder—should weigh less than his usual fighting weight, which could possibly weaken him. However, Lalonde later told [[HBO]]'s [[Larry Merchant]] that he didn't have any trouble making weight.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4_LR7s-Ui4 HBO "Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Donny Lalonde"</ref>

Lalonde, 31–2 with 26 knockouts, was guaranteed at least $6 million and Leonard was guaranteed over $10 million.

This would be Leonard's first professional fight without [[Angelo Dundee]]. For Leonard's fight with Hagler, Dundee worked without a contract and received $175,000, which was less than 2% of Leonard's purse. Dundee was unhappy with that amount. He requested a contract for the Lalonde fight and Leonard refused. "I don't have contracts. My word is my bond", Leonard said. Janks Morton and Dave Jacobs trained Leonard for the Lalonde fight.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=mQAQAAAAIBAJ&pg=6857,1391955 |title=Parting of the Ways: Leonard and Dundee Split Over Money |work=New Sunday Times |via=news.google.com |date=October 21, 1988 |access-date=April 2, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/11/06/sports/sports-of-the-times-leonard-s-missing-voice.html |title=Sports of The Times; Leonard's Missing Voice |first=Dave |last=Anderson |work=The New York Times |date=November 6, 1988 |access-date=April 2, 2018}}</ref>

Lalonde's size and awkwardness troubled Leonard. In the fourth round, a right hand to the top of Leonard's head dropped him for just the second time in his career. Early in the ninth, Lalonde hurt Leonard with a right to the chin. Leonard fired back and hurt Lalonde with a right. He drove him to the ropes and unleashed a furious assault. Lalonde tried to tie up Leonard but got dropped with a powerful left hook. He rose but was soon down again, and the fight was stopped. Judges Chuck Giampa and Franz Marti had Leonard ahead by scores of 77–74 and 77–75, respectively. Judge Stuart Kirshenbaum had Lalonde ahead 76–75.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/11/08/sports/leonard-knocks-out-lalonde-to-win-two-titles.html |title=Leonard Knocks Out Lalonde to Win Two Titles |work=The New York Times |date=November 8, 1988 |access-date=April 2, 2018 |first=Phil |last=Berger}}</ref>

After the fight, Leonard vacated the light heavyweight title, but kept the super middleweight title. Also, Leonard and Janks Morton split because of personal differences. Morton was replaced as co-trainer by Pepe Correa, who had worked with Leonard for most of the previous fifteen years.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2ZMcAAAAIBAJ&pg=6893,5209299 |first=Mike |last=DeCourcy |title=Leonard is getting old, but it's hard to tell |work=The Pittsburgh Press |date=June 9, 1989 |via=news.google.com |access-date=November 4, 2011}}</ref>

====Leonard vs. Hearns====
{{main|Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Thomas Hearns II}}
On June 12, 1989, Leonard defended the WBC Super Middleweight Championship in a rematch with Thomas Hearns at Caesar's Palace. It was promoted as "The War".<ref name="thewar">{{cite news |title=Nobody Wins the War - Second fight is a draw |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1989/06/13/nobody-wins-the-war-second-fight-is-a-draw/442a365f-b6d4-404c-9ec3-9ea6a2d3ac55/?noredirect=on |newspaper=Washington Post |date=June 13, 1989}}</ref> Hearns was guaranteed $11 million, and Leonard was guaranteed $14 million.

Hearns dropped Leonard with a right cross in the third round, but Leonard came back and battered Hearns around the ring in the fifth. Early in the seventh round, Hearns hurt Leonard but punched himself out going for the knockout. With Hearns fatigued, Leonard came back and had a strong finish to the round. Rounds nine and ten were good rounds for Leonard, but he ran into trouble in the eleventh round. Three booming rights from Hearns sent Leonard down for the second time in the fight. Knowing he needed a big finish; Leonard fought furiously and had a big final round.

The judges scored the fight a draw and Leonard retained the title. Judge Jerry Roth scored the fight 113–112 for Hearns, Judge Tom Kazmarek scored it 113–112 for Leonard, and Judge Dalby Shirley scored it 112–112. Shirley was the only judge to give Leonard a 10–8 margin in the twelfth. If he had scored it 10–9, as his two colleagues did, Hearns would have won by a split decision. Eventually, Leonard admitted that Hearns deserved the decision{{citation needed|date=January 2019}}.

====Leonard vs. Durán III – Uno Más====
{{main|Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Roberto Durán III}}
On December 7, 1989, Leonard defended the title against Roberto Durán, who was the reigning WBC Middleweight Champion. Durán was guaranteed $7.6 million, and Leonard's arrangement guaranteed him over $13 million.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/07/27/sports/leonard-and-duran-in-rematch-in-november.html |title=Leonard and Duran in Rematch in November |work=The New York Times |date=July 27, 1989 |access-date=December 7, 2021 |first=Phil |last=Berger}}</ref>

For the Durán fight, Leonard cut his entourage from twenty-one to six. Dave Jacobs was one of the people let go, leaving Correa as the sole trainer. Correa was instructed not to spare the whip. "For the first time in a long time, I allowed someone to push me", Leonard said.

The fight took place at the new [[The Mirage|Mirage]] Hotel in Las Vegas. Leonard used constant lateral movement and won by a lopsided twelve-round unanimous decision over a listless Durán. The scores were 120–110, 119–109, and 116–111. In a fight that many considered to be very boring, both fighters were booed often by the fans, and many left the arena before the decision was announced. Pat Putnam of ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' wrote, "Leonard gave them artistic perfection when they wanted heated battle, and they booed lustily. Most fight fans would not spend a dime to watch [[Van Gogh]] paint [[Sunflowers (series of paintings)|Sunflowers]], but they would fill Yankee Stadium to see him cut off his ear."<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Pat |last=Putnam |url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1989/12/18/one-for-the-ages-sugar-ray-leonard-33-beat-roberto-duran-38-in-a-fight-dedicated-to-posterity |title=One For the Ages |magazine=Sports Illustrated |date=December 18, 1989 |access-date=December 7, 2021}}</ref> Although Leonard dominated the fight, he suffered several cuts. His lower lip was cut from a headbutt in the fourth round, his left eye was cut in the eleventh round, and his right eye was cut in the twelfth round. The cuts required a total of 60 stitches.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=tKExAAAAIBAJ&pg=4916,1838498|title=Leonard pleased despite stitches |work=[[The Item]] |date=December 9, 1989 |access-date=April 2, 2018 |via=news.google.com}}</ref>

In August 1990, Leonard relinquished the WBC super-middleweight title, saying that he was under the weight for the division.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=August 28, 1990 |location=Molline, Illinois |title=Sugar Ray relinquishes WBC crown |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/666047619/ |work=The Rock Island Argus |access-date=October 15, 2021 |via=Newspapers.com |url-access=subscription}}</ref> He then offered Hearns a third fight, but Hearns said he could no longer make the weight and moved up to the light heavyweight division.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/02/08/sports/boxing-leonard-has-norris-at-hand-but-hearns-on-the-mind.html |title=BOXING; Leonard Has Norris at Hand, but Hearns on the Mind |newspaper=The New York Times |date=February 8, 1991 |access-date=December 7, 2021 |first=Phil |last=Berger}}</ref>

====Leonard vs. Norris====
{{main|Terry Norris vs. Sugar Ray Leonard}}
On February 9, 1991, Leonard went down to 154&nbsp;lbs and fought WBC Light Middleweight Champion [[Terry Norris (boxer)|Terry Norris]] at [[Madison Square Garden]]. Leonard entered the bout as a 3-1 favorite, but Norris dominated the fight, giving Leonard a heavy beating. He knocked Leonard down with a left hook in the second round, and in the seventh, he dropped Leonard again with a short right. Leonard had no answer for the skillful, younger, faster man. Leonard went the distance but lost by a lopsided decision. The scores were 120–104, 119–103, and 116–110. After the verdict was announced, Leonard announced his retirement. "It took this fight to show me it is no longer my time", Leonard said. "Tonight, was my last fight. I know how Hagler felt now."<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Pat |last=Putnam |url=https://vault.si.com/.amp/vault/1991/02/18/so-long-sugar-after-taking-a-beating-from-terry-norris-11-years-his-junior-ray-leonard-says-he-is-retiring-for-good |title=So Long, Sugar |magazine=Sports Illustrated |date=February 18, 1991 |access-date=December 7, 2021}}</ref>