Named after the blind singer, Ray Charles, Leonard chose to us the name Sugar Ray as a teenager in appreciation of his idol, the world middleweight champion.

Going into the Montreal Games he had won 145 of his 150 amateur bouts. Upon defeating Cuba's Andres Aldama, Leonard declared: "My journey has ended, my dream is fulfilled." He said he wanted to go back to school to be a role model there too.

The lure of money - or what the boxer called his "responsibilities" won the day, however, and, just two months after the Games, Leanoard turned professional.

He said that his wife, Juanita Wilkinson, and the son to whom the couple gave the boxer's name, were "down, and I am capable of lifting them up and putting them in a good financial position".

He proceeded to do just that. By 1979, when he won his first major professional title, the world welterweight crown, he was $21 million better off.

Less than a year later, he lost the title to Robert Duran, then regained it five months later. In 1982, he retired nursing an eye injury.

He returned to the ring in 1987 to face Marvin Hagler and, to the surprise of everyone, won. He retired for good after being beaten in 1991 by Terry Norris, who was just 23.

Later Leonard would confess to having beaten his wife, used cocaine and drunk heavily.

As he poured out the terrible truth to the media, he said: "Here is a young man that had everything in the world, from money to fame, glory, a beautiful family. Why would he do that? It's almost unconceivable." He was lost for an explanation.

CRAIG LORD
The Times