All language subtitles for Episode 01 Ghetto to Gold to Glory

It was the closing
of an era,

but the curtain closes,
then another curtain opens.

Boxing is always there
as an opening act

to everything else that's
happening in the world.

Boxing is
a metaphor for life.

Everyone's fighting
for something.

There was a time
at the end of the '70s

when you knew on some level,
you were seeing history.

And everybody
paid attention.

With world oil markets tight

and OPEC raising prices
almost daily,

gasoline and fuel oil prices
have skyrocketed.

The nation's energy
situation is getting worse.

This is unreal.
Isn't this disgusting?

Why doesn't anybody
contact the president?

Why is he letting
this happen to us?

Jimmy Carter comes into
office during a recession,

a gas crisis and oil crisis
in the 1970s.

Iranian students
continue to hold

more than 50 hostages
of the American Embassy

in Tehran this morning.

We're using every
available channel

to protect the safety
of the hostages

and to secure their release.

So that was America.

Coming out of that
was Muhammad Ali.

I am the greatest!

He said he wasn't going
to go to Vietnam.

They took his
title from him.

He started being
an activist.

He's writing poetry
in the ring.

And the game he fought,

what he did in the ring
was beautiful.

But then suddenly,
the brutality of the '70s

comes full swing,

the '80s come in,

and the beauty
doesn't matter anymore.

He gets back there.

The body is rearing.

It just can't do
what it used to do before.

The sad recognition

that all athletes eventually
come to grips with.

You know,
it's pathetic to see a guy

just not being able to do it.
He was the greatest, he once was

Stop the fight!

Angelo Dundee
wants to stop the fight.

That really
is a sad and sorry end

for Muhammad Ali.

If you were a boxing fan
in the late '70s,

you were kind of sad

to see Ali's career
coming to and end.

He had meant so much.

And you were probably
looking for somebody

to step into that void.

You have four
great fighters,

Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns,

Roberto Duran,
Marvin Hagler,

who were fighting
each other,

and it was enthralling.

They all had a different
impact on America.

Leonard was the golden boy,

chosen one to bring boxing
back into favor.

Hagler was
the perennial underdog.

Duran was the idol of
the Latin American people.

And Hearns was Mr. Detroit,
at a bad time for that city.

These guys
dominated the era,

but not each other.

Their fights meant so much.

The Four Kings gave us
unique personalities,

unique fighters

who all fought each other
to their credit,

and created
a time in boxing

that was maybe
the greatest period

in the history of the sport.

I've always
wanted to be special.

To be somebody.

Not just in the ring,
but in the world.

When I was a kid,
I had guys who I'd idolize,

men who were just
bigger than their sport.

I shook up the world!

I shook up the world!

Muhammad Ali,
he was bigger than life,

and I wanted to be
bigger than life, too.

Muhammad, this must
bring back a lot of memories

seeing these young guys
coming up, like Ray Leonard.

It makes you sad to know
that we're all getting old,

but if they stay around
long enough,

they'll be old, too.

And next we go
to one of the really great

young amateur fighters
in the world.

Ray Leonard,
18 years old.

He's a leading candidate
to go to Montreal,

win a gold medal
in the '76 Olympics.

I went to
the recreation center

in Palmer Park

and I was 14 years old.

It's so vivid,
that experience,

because I was
a kid who was shy

and didn't like
hitting people,

didn't want anybody
to hit me.

But I put the gloves on,

and it was like
I found boxing,

boxing found me.

It was magic.

Muhammad,
how does it look to you?

Well, Leonard, he's beaten
the man, but he's close.

This is good training for
these fellas in the future

when they turn professional.

This Ray Leonard's

a terrific young man
out of the ring, too.

And the shoe
on the outside has got

a little picture of his
infant son taped there.

He's 18, got a son already?

Got a little infant son.

-Mmm-hmm.
-There's his picture.

You can just see it
on his... on his shoe.

That reminds him that

- he's got to feed that kid.
- That's right.

How much it's gonna
cost him raising him.

Diapers are due
and baby food is due.

So he's got
to whoop this man

so he can turn professional

and take care
of that little boy.

That's what must
be on his mind.

And that's the way
he's fighting.

Now,
Ray Leonard knocks him down.

Good side hook.

That was beautiful.

And young Ray Leonard

now puts the US
four points to two.

And you can't beat that.

The 200th birthday
of the United States.

As the day went on,
one could almost touch

the spirit that swept
over this country.

There's the 200th
anniversary of the Republic,

which is glorious.

But the same time
people are demoralized,

trying to figure out
what to do.

Under the surface,

all this pent up aggression
and anger is there.

After all the growing up,
after all the glory,

after all the setbacks
our country's gone through,

we can still say
with pride and gratitude,

we are the American people.

There was a recession.

You couldn't get a job,
you had nowhere to live,

the cities were all torn up.

It wasn't a good time.

ABC now projects
Carter is the winner.

Our leader was Jimmy Carter.

He was a peanut farmer,
you know,

he looked like real people.
At that point,

that's what we wanted,
what's real.

1976, a barren landscape
for American fighters

where Muhammad Ali
was the only

American-born world champion
in all of boxing,

and there were,
at the time,

between 25 and 30 champions.

Ali was the only American.

It all began to change
with the 1976 Olympics

starring the incredibly
telegenic Ray Leonard.

Ray, everyone points to you
as America's best hope

to win a gold medal
in the next Olympics.

Do you like that
kind of pressure?

Yes, for the simple reason

it only builds my ego up
more and more.

I feel confident now.

I'm a lot more secure

because I know
I'm in physical condition,

so it's no sweat.

In those days
for the United States,

Olympic boxing was still
such a huge stage.

You look at the champions:

Ali, Frasier, Patterson.

They all came out
of the Olympics.

The United States
of America.

Leonard rode that
all the way to the very top.

You can see how
it launched his career.

The '76 Olympics
elevated boxing.

It was televised by ABC,
announced by Howard Cosell.

All of a sudden,
boxing was cool again.

And, of course, in sports,

if you're not on television,
you don't exist.

Well, I think we have
the best-prepared,

best trained team

in United States'
boxing history.

And this is
Sugar Ray Leonard.

Tomorrow night live
in prime time,

you'll be seeing this slick
young amateur fighter

against a Swedish fighter
by the name of Ulf Carlsson.

What are you gonna do
to him with the right?

Well, I'm planning
on moving on him,

I know I can catch him.

Ah!

Howard saw Leonard as
a natural extension of Ali,

and to be perfectly candid,

Howard was also always
interested in somebody

that could vault him

as a natural storyteller
for that person.

Leonard filled a niche
that had been left by Ali.

All right, quick question.

I want these people to know
you as a human being.

You have no plans to turn
professional, do you?

No plans whatsoever,
Howard.

I was given a scholarship
by the people of Glenarden.

You want that medal.
It's your dream, isn't it?

I'm going to get it,
Howard.

I know you are.
Good to see you.

Thank you for being with us.

Let's hear it

for Sugar Ray from...

I sacrificed so much.

I wanted to be the best,

I wanted the ultimate,

which was the Olympics.

That Cuban, Andres Aldama,

had far more experience,
bigger, stronger.

But I wanted to win.

No, I had to win.

This was predestined.

It was meant to be.

In boxing,

American fighters won
five gold medals tonight.

Light-middleweight
Sugar Ray Leonard

of Palmer Park, Maryland,

won a unanimous decision
over Andres Aldama of Cuba.

That wasn't about money.

It wasn't about fame.

It was about the Olympics,

your country.

I mean,
words can't describe...

I can't elaborate enough
on what it felt like

standing on that podium

with that gold medal
draped around my neck.

Oh, my God. This was it,
man, this was it.

After he beat
a tough Cuban

for the Olympic gold medal,

Sugar Ray Leonard announced
he would never fight again.

He would enroll at
the University of Maryland.

His only battles
would be with the books.

I love boxing,
but not that much.

I was gonna go to
the University of Maryland

further my education
and get a great job.

And then he came home

to this house just outside
of Washington, DC.

A house filled with
the glittering trophies

of a golden amateur career.

His mother, Getha,

would suffer
a mild heart attack.

His father, Cicero,

was hospitalized
with meningitis.

Everyone's crying.

My mom's crying, I'm crying.

And I asked my mentor,
Janks Morton,

I said, "Janks, how can I
make fast money?"

He said, "Turn pro."

Boxing allowed me to get
the best help, medically.

I only did it to help
my father to pay the bills.

Ray's mother
did not like his decision

to turn pro.

I don't like fighting.
I don't like sports.

I wanted him to go to school
and get an education

because people can
take a fight from you,

but once you get
an education,

that's something that
no one can take from you.

For 15 years,

Muhammad Ali has dominated
the sport of boxing.

Now a new boxing superstar
may be in the making.

Sugar Ray Leonard, who won
a boxing gold medal...

...turns pro in a six-round
junior welterweight bout.

...turned pro the way
no young fighter

had ever turned pro before.

So high,
you can't get over me

As with most
superstar boxers,

Ray Leonard was
a product of his time.

He had a natural ability
to be a star.

With his smile,
Sugar Ray Leonard

can light up a gym.

Tomorrow, Leonard
will fight professionally

for the first time.

And on this round,

behold the boxing lord...

That would
be Leonard's right shots.

And that's the end of it.

Man, everybody look at that.

Ray Junior and Ray Senior.

I just felt
a desire to be somebody.

My career was nothing
short of disastrous.

Sugar Ray Leonard
spent nine minutes

in the ring last night

and rocked his welterweight
opponent from Ohio

in the second round,

putting him down
to the canvas.

As his manager,
Leonard chose Angelo Dundee,

who is connected
and respected.

Manager or trainer
to eight world champions,

most notably Muhammad Ali.

Angelo was chosen because

he was an old time
boxing guy who was smart.

There was never
anyone better

during a fight
in a corner.

Having Angelo be the face
of the training team

was a smart move.

Angelo had been through it
with the greatest.

Sugar Ray is
probably the finest talent

that I've had the pleasure
of dealing with.

And I know the people here.

will want to take this kid,

'cause he's
like home cooking.

One thing that
made his early days

a little different
from most fighters is,

almost all of his fights
were televised

on national television,

because Ray got ratings,

because he was
already a star

before he ever turned pro,

and it was natural
to put him on television.

Ah, yeah!

You know, I give
thanks to the Olympics

that boxing has
become revitalized.

It is hot now,

and I'mma take
advantage of it.

I'm in no rush as far
as the title's concerned.

They're talking 800,000,
900,000.

I want a million dollars.

Because I wanna be
the first little guy

that fights for
one-million dollar purse.

Please don't fail me now

Angelo matched
him very tough

against all different kinds
of opponents.

And the reason Angelo
matched him tough

was 'cause he knew
what he had.

He had
the showmanship of Ali,

but he didn't have
the controversial side

that Ali had.

It was all safer, clean cut.

He was a nice young man.

I heard that from, you know,
from my grandmother.

"Oh, he's a nice young man."

For little Ray,
he's three years old,

I'm gonna make sure
that he has all the things

that I didn't have
when I was coming up.

Who's your favorite boxer?

There you go.

As a contender,

the ultimate
is the championship fight.

And it was
a scary feeling though

because all of a sudden,

now I'm up against
this great champion.

Wilfred Benitez,
that fight was so tough.

One of my most
difficult fights.

Benitez is a great fight.

Benitez beginning to throw
his own left in this round.

If he gets Leonard
against the ropes...

Right there, a quick left.

Astonishing, Leonard.

And Benitez
unhappy with himself.

You are watching

two exceptionally
definite fights.

He was so elusive.

I never missed so many
punches in my life.

But I never gave up.

I never stopped
throwing punches.

You have to really
dig deep, and it hurts.

But to win,
it's what it's all about.

And they're toe-to-toe!

He had more
experience than me,

more talent than I did.

I just had more heart.

It's inevitable.

It doesn't die.

Look at the courage
he's shown,

or the skills he's shown.

Maybe now they won't call

Sugar Ray Leonard a hype.

There it is!

He's stopped the fight!

And there is a new
World Welterweight Champion!

He comes upon the block now.

His name is Ray Leonard.

The quality of that card
was absolutely incredible.

Ray Leonard against Benitez,
who was, I don't know,

38 or something like that.

And then the same night
you have Marvin Hagler

fighting for
the middleweight title.

It's totally amazing

that that was on primetime
national television.

Hagler embodies

the traditional
American fighter.

A working man.

Nothing was ever
handed to him.

He was not being interviewed
by Howard Cosell

before he turned pro.

He was a fighter from
Brockton, Massachusetts.

And good luck developing
a home fan base

in Brockton, Massachusetts,

when you're
a black middleweight

without much of a name.

Marvin Hagler didn't turn
pro on national television.

What Marvin had to do
was take the hard route.

Mad dog Johnny Baldwin
thinks he's tough,

but Marvelous Marv
is twice as rough.

My lightning right hand
will score as well.

My dynamite left
will make the kill.

Another step towards
the middleweight crown.

Get ready, Monzon,
'cause you're going down.

All right.

Who were you at age 16

when you began to box?

I think at
that time, I was searching.

My ambition, I think,
was to be somebody.

My mother has six kids.
I'm the oldest.

She just say,
"I like to see you grow up

to be a strong boy.

You gotta be different."

I think, you know,
I had to be noticed

so I could be recognized,
you know?

Ah, he was only a kid
about 14 or 15 years old.

Just that good,
tough, strong kid.

You'd have to hit him with
a 2x4 to knock him down.

And he'd come in the gym,
and uh, he always joked,

"Someday, I'm gonna
be a champion."

He was a short kid.

You know,
we heard all the time.

But he never gave up.

That's his nature.

Marvin was
a little bit behind me.

We used to box.

'Cause I was
more experienced,

I used to go a little easy.

And as time went by,

Marvin had to go a little
easy with me.

He was awarded
the outstanding fighter

on the National
Amateur tournament.

That's where Ray Leonard
get beat.

Michael Spinks was there,
was on it.

So Marvin was
the greatest, the toughest.

Then we went for the money.

Marvin didn't
have the luxury

of trying to get
an Olympic pedigree.

He had to turn pro

and earn a living
for his family.

And Leonard was able
to stay amateur

and get to the Olympics
and build his name up.

Marvelous Marvin Hagler
is a boxer from Brockton,

and a good one.

The only mar on his record
so far, a draw.

I'm working on
the speed now, man.

The power's there.
I have the power.

My hands are getting
much faster,

getting much smarter.

And I'm learning every day.

I'm learning
different things.

The famous saying
about Marvin, of course,

was that he had three
things go against him:

He was black,
he was a southpaw,

and he was good.

So nobody wanted
to fight him

till the money was right.

A lot of guys
don't want to fight

left-handed fighters.

They say, "Oh, you can't
look good with a southpaw."

What's the story?

You've been going
three years,

you know, when are you ready
to hit the big guy?

I'm looking.
I've been looking for him.

I've been on radio,
I've been on TV.

I've been calling
everybody out

that I can think of.

'Cause I ain't
heard nothing,

and the longer they stay
away from me,

the better I'm gonna get,

so they better
come and get me now.

You know, how many fights
do I have to fight

before I have to prove
to these people

that I'm eligible
for a middleweight title?

I'm trying to see how
these other guys get a shot

with only 16, 17 fights.

Trying to learn
the politics about the game.

What I believe they want me
to do is get disgusted.

Get all torn down,
ready to give up,

ready to quit.

But I'm not. I take it out
on my opponents.

There's a school of
thought that

Marvin developed a chip
on his shoulder

because people didn't
recognize how good he was.

My sense is that Marvin
had a chip on his shoulder

long before he entered
boxing,

and he kept it there
his whole life.

Hagler, nobody
wanted to fight him.

I was doing
all the middleweight

championship fights

and I got two letters
that came the same day.

One was from Tip O'Neill

and the other
from Teddy Kennedy

that unless I gave their
constituent Marvin Hagler

a shot at the title,

I would have my ass
hauled before Congress.

So I said, "Hey, I don't
need this trouble,"

and I agreed to match him
for the world title.

I'm gonna be mean and lean,

destructive and destroy.

It's all that's on my mind.

Vito the Mosquito, I'm
gonna swat him like a fly.

Hagler chants his mantra

about Vito Antuofermo,

the middleweight champion
of the world,

whom he meets in Las Vegas
next month

with the undisputed title
at stake.

Vito the Mosquito.
The man must fall.

Marvin really
bitched at me.

"Why am I on an undercard
with Leonard?

This guy who has everything
done for him?"

And I said, "Well, hey,

that's how we got
on prime time,

so just be thankful."

Hagler totally
poised and calm.

I've been mainly Southhall
style as Hagler.

Look for him to mix that up
as the fight progresses.

To me, that fight
is emblematic

of what Marvin Hagler
faced in life.

And I don't know
if it's a grand conspiracy.

It was just
he was constantly

looked past a little bit.

Even with the way judges
scored his fights,

the way people
perceived him sometimes,

he just never quite got
the respect he deserved.

A lot of people,
including Hagler,

sure felt that he won
that fight against Vito,

a guy that everyone thought
he'd run right through.

Right then
left then combination.

Sometimes when you
fight a great fighter,

it raises you up.

On that night,

Antuofermo
was a better fighter

than he'd ever been
in his life.

The decision
is a draw.

It's a draw.

Vito retains the title!

Call it fate.

Call it whatever
you want to call it.

We're going to
give you a draw.

Let's see if you're truly
worthy of this destiny.

One of the most
egregious decisions

in boxing.

The worst screwing
Marvin ever got.

He won that fight
from here to Newark.

Clearly wins
the fight.

Somebody
had a plan for him.

That voice up above,
that bellowing voice,

"Marvin, not yet.

You'll get
all the recognition

that you strive for.

But yours has to be
a special journey.

A harder journey."

Good evening.

I want to talk to you
right now

about a fundamental threat
to American democracy.

It is a crisis
of confidence.

This period,
this transition if you like,

from the 1970s
to the 1980s,

is an extraordinary turning
point for the United States.

Carter was extremely
decent man,

but he was not
a good president

in terms of being
a bureaucrat

or getting things
through Congress.

He's a peanut farmer

and he don't know how to run
this country. Believe it.

I think you can't give a boy
a man's job.

He's trying to convince
the American people

to trust him

and these people
just don't want to hear

what he's having to say.

Americans are hurting.

So what does
Jimmy Carter do?

He scolds Americans.

He says, "We're going to
have to tighten our belts."

Too many of us now
tend to worship

self-indulgence
and consumption.

Human identity
is no longer defined

by what one does,
but by what one owns.

Will you come in,
Mystery Challenger,

and sign in, please?

Well, judging
from the applause,

I take it that
you are a performer?

I don't know. Yeah, yeah.

That's right, that's right,
that's right.

Are you good looking and uh,

considered a dreamboat type
by the girls?

You have your answer there,
Miss Dorothy.

Are you Ronald Reagan?

Ronald Reagan.
That's right.

Ronald Reagan would
come on screen on a horse

with his cowboy hat.

First of all he's Governor
of California,

But he was also an actor,
he was a movie star.

People are like
"He's going to help us."

When I was a kid,
a friend of mine,

his mother would give him
castor oil.

I tried it once.
It's just nasty as hell.

But that's Carter, like
"Look, this is the truth.

Here's your castor oil."

Reagan's giving you
a spoonful of sugar.

Now that's not good for you,
but it is like,

"Give me some more that.
I want some more."

You don't know
a seismic shift,

except in retrospect.

When I look back now,
of course, it was massive.

Muhammad Ali made boxing
a metaphor for the struggle.

I want to use my name
for righteousness,

for Allah's sake,
for God's sake,

for helping my people unite.

This is the main thing
that keeps me fighting.

But by the '80s,
it becomes a metaphor

for this whole idea
of individualism

you know, every man, woman
for him or herself.

You know, people ask me
to say,

"Hey, did you try
to surpass Ali

in as far as
doing his thing?"

I said "Physically,
I don't try to surpass Ali,

financially I do."

Leonard was
the golden boy.

He got the gold medal

and because he had
the gold medal,

you know, he's fighting
for $40,000

in his first pro fight

and, of course,

Hagler was taking
the tougher route.

So I take the pictures
so that we can simulate

that it's near
the end of the fight.

You know, I want you
to be kind of tired

but victorious.

A guy like Hagler,

he wasn't image conscious
at all.

He just wanted to be
a fighter,

Given what he had to do

and the price he had to pay
to reach the top,

he's going to look at
a guy like Leonard

and say "Everything
was handed to him."

Even though
that wasn't true,

it's very easy to see how
Marvin would think that.

That bald-headed
fellow there

is Marvin Hagler, Don.

I'm glad to know that,
Larry.

He is the most
outstanding fighter

to come out of this region
in recent years.

With Hagler,
he's just good.

But that doesn't work
for a promoter sometimes.

What else are you?

Tell me, what else you got?

I remember Ray
was doing commentary

on national television.

Ray spoke beautifully.

Marvin was
a little more shy.

Sugar Ray Leonard,
Ladies and gentlemen.

You look right into there,
let them have a look at you.

So you combine
all these factors

and it took a while longer
for Marvin

to get recognized
by American television.

Spanning
the globe to bring you

the constant variety
of sport.

Today, live on ABC's
Wide World of Sports,

you're going to see boxing

of the most exciting type
in the world.

Well, we're on camera now,
Sugar Ray.

And that's the Clint Jackson

that we really expected
to be fighting at Montreal.

Well, he's well groomed.

I wish you'd put on
your headset, Sugar Ray,

so we can hear you.

That was an exciting fight,

one of the best
we have seen,

and we've seen nothing
but good fights today.

Right now coming up,

you're going to see
a youngster from Detroit.

Just 17 years of age,
named Hearns,

one of the slickest boxers
you'd want to see.

Tommy "The Hitman" Hearns

was a brilliantly
gifted fighter

from the Kronk Gym
in Detroit,

described by
Emanuel Steward,

his Hall of Fame trainer,

as the Elvis Presley
of boxing.

Hearns, live,
angular, splendid.

Has a lot of movement.

Sugar Ray,
that's what it takes

to beat these fighters,
doesn't it?

Hearns is a
good, clean boxer

and he has a good height
and quickness.

This is a great asset
in amateur boxing.

Hearns 17, you 21,

you're getting old,
Sugar Ray.

Not yet, Al.

We thought there could be

no question about it.

So, the United States takes
a five to three...

Tommy was
a great amateur,

really accomplished amateur.

Emanuel Steward
strengthened Tommy,

and it was a bond
that lasted

all through their life.

Oh,
that's a left to the body

and right to the chin.

One of the best combinations
in boxing.

Thomas lost
close decisions,

the Olympic trials
back to Aaron Pryor,

who was 20 years old
at the time,

a big political favorite.

That's it.
Pryor is your champion.

For Hearns,

the disappointment
of missing the Olympics

fueled him to changing
that style.

So he became
a very different

and very effective pro.

When he turned professional

we focused a lot on

teaching him to tighten up
at the end of the punches,

add a little bit more
body weight,

but still maintain
his boxing skills.

Tommy as an amateur

was more of the peck
and poke style.

Tall guy, 6'2",
jabbed a lot,

hadn't discovered the power
in his right hand,

probably because
he hadn't been taught

how to properly
throw the right hand.

Enter Emanuel Steward,
all of a sudden,

you have
a tremendous puncher.

Young and handsome,
and somewhat shy

Tommy turned pro
only last year.

He's demolished
all of his opponents

by knockout.

When you came
in here at Kronk,

when you were just a kid,

did you ever think
you'd do this much?

Yes, I felt that, you know,
as I was coming up,

I used to have dreams that

I would at some time be
the champion of the world.

I realized near
the very beginning,

"This kid's a freak."

Most of the welterweights

were, you know, 5'7", 5'8".

He's like 6'1.5"

and he's got
a 78 inch reach.

He was just different.
He stood out.

Okay.
What's next?

-Can you get Sugar Ray?
-I don't think so.

-No?
-No.

Leonard won't fight us
on any conditions

we have been told,
he'll wait

until Tommy grows
into middleweight

which means he'll have to
wait for two years

before making his move.

Thomas combined that
huge reach and height

with frightening
right-hand power.

And in boxing,
for boxing fans,

there is nothing as
appealing as a big puncher.

What's your strategy?

Well, first two rounds

I was planning on
just coming out,

just trying to give
my boxing best

then I would try
bigger shots from there.

Knockout or are you gonna
predict anything?

Not predicting, I'm not
predicting anything.

Tommy Hearns
is unbeaten,

winning all his fights
by knockouts,

all by the third round.

But he'll be put to the test
by Pedro Rojas,

ranked third in the world
by the World Boxing Council.

Rojas will be Hearns'
stiffest test to date.

When Tommy turned pro,
he was popping 'em out.

One fight after another

at the Olympia Stadium
in Detroit.

Pop, another one
round there.

Pop, another one
round knockout.

You did not get
popcorn or beer

before the fight started.

You sat down there,

'cause if you blinked

or you started talking
to someone else,

you would miss that fight.

I thought you said

you're gonna
give us a chance.

You were gonna coast
the first round.

Why did you beat him
so quick?

I never said that.

What do you think, Emanuel,
now? What's next for Tommy?

Whoever's between us
and the championship,

that's who we want next,
that is willing to fight us.

Although most of the guys
are afraid.

Leonard was the one
that we wanted.

Emanuel and Tommy,
everybody talked.

Ray Leonard, Ray Leonard,
Ray Leonard.

There's been
a lot of criticism that

I'm afraid to fight
Tommy Hearns.

I will say that
when the money is right,

then I will fight.

But you're not dodging
him or anything?

No, that's baloney.

I mean, just put him
in the ring

and I got a very talented
youngster.

He's very talented.

What the heck? Let's go.

Sugar Ray Leonard
had higher ambitions

than Tommy Hearns.

Didn't want to just be
a great champion.

He wanted to be something
beyond that.

I had a certain
persona that was different.

In other words,
people considered me

more of a personality
than just a boxer.

And I value that.

The Four Kings model
is so interesting to me

because you really have
Ray Leonard

as the only
marketable figure,

the only person
who can speak

to the educated masses.

We talk about fighters
who understand the media

and can talk better and
get their point across.

The same thing
with politicians.

Reagan was an actor,
but people bought into it.

He could talk to you.

Most voters
in the United States

are what we would call
low information voters.

It's much more based
on marketing.

If a candidate can come up
with the right slogan,

that candidate has a huge
advantage over other people.

And Reagan did that.

...and that you,
along with us,

can make America
great again.

That's what
we're going to do.

Thank you very much.

Remember
the American electorate

think that all politicians
are crooks, are liars.

The candidate
they'll support

is the one they think
will give them something

because they expect

from the average politician,
nothing.

You can make your family's
life much better.

He had the corporate
seal of approval

from one of the five most
important corporations

in America,

namely General Electric.

...for General Electric,
here is Ronald Reagan.

People thought
that he was

at the edges of
the Republican Party.

So by the time
you get to the '80s,

this is a man
who's been governor,

this is a man
who's tried to get

the Republican nomination
a couple of times.

So he had his hands
on the pulse of

American conservativism.

He was a sure
mannequin speaking

whatever lines
the people around him wrote.

A troubled
and afflicted mankind

looks to us

that we will become
that shining city on a hill.

I believe that together,

we can keep this rendezvous
with destiny.

And that's the same kind of
thing with Ray Leonard.

Leonard was a darling.

He wasn't a threat
to America.

Everybody embraced him
because he had that smile

and all he was doing
was fighting

and he wasn't saying
anything else.

You know, I feel like
an idiot doing this.

To call
Sugar Ray Leonard apolitical

is to ignore the politics
of the '80s.

Sugar Ray Leonard's
narrative

was that he was
a bootstraps capitalist

who pulled himself up
from nothing,

who supported the country,
who was patriotic.

It plays into
Reagan's narrative well.

I'm so glad
you could join us.

I love your commercials.

That's the problem
of so many fighters.

You want to be accepted.

You think of
Mohammed Ali,

how great he was.

The only things
I remember him endorsing

was roach spray
and shoe polish.

I mean roaches.

I'm going to show you
how you remove roaches.

I think it's safe
to say that Ray Leonard

was the first of a group

of television babies
and athletes

where he wasn't doing
an ethnic commercial.

He was doing 7up.

He was doing commercials

that would run
on all network.

I can feel
it's coming now

A fresh look on the sea

With a whole new
style of living

Light and crisp
and clean

Ray Leonard recognized

there was an inevitable

new age of entertainment
and sports

getting closer and closer
to each other.

He planted the seed

where so many athletes,
not just boxing,

but in other sports, saying,

"Wait a minute,
there's money to be made."

Yes, it's safe to say
that Leonard paved the way

for somebody like
Michael Jordan

who was making more money
off the court

than on the court.

The 7up people
threw a luncheon

in New York City recently

to show off their
bright new salesman.

Well, here is a man
who is a champion

in the ring and out of it.
Sugar Ray Leonard.

The champion earned

an extra measure of respect

from these businessmen.

After all, he's Sugar Ray
Leonard Incorporated.

The real brains
behind Ray Leonard

was Mike Trainer,
who was a divorce lawyer

from Silver Spring,
Maryland.

Because of Trainer,
Ray was able to remain

a promotional free agent
for most of his career.

That was unheard of
at the time.

In boxing, everything starts
with a promoter.

In those days,
if you didn't have

a major league
power promoter

backing you,
you never get a chance.

We decided that
we try to do it ourselves

in the beginning

and establish
Ray's market value,

go directly to arenas,

go directly to TV,

put on our own show,
so to speak.

I'm independent and I always
will remain independent.

If I was owned by anyone,

I would not be a
professional fighter today.

You know, a lot
of promoters fear me.

They fear what
Sugar Ray Leonard

and his people
have established.

I think Trainer's
an ingrate.

He's unappreciative.

I think that, uh,

he's the type of guy
that is very selfish.

In every year of boxing,

there's one or two
promotional groups

at the top of the pyramid.

Bob Arum and Don King

did really control the sport
during that era.

I made more millionaires
out of prize fighters

than anyone in history.

This was done
by enterprise,

what America truly
is founded upon.

King came off
of the streets.

He was the largest
Number Czar in Cleveland.

He killed two people,

went to jail
for manslaughter.

Very tough street guy.

And then you have Bob Arum,

who grew up in a Hasidic
neighborhood in Brooklyn,

went to NYU and
Harvard Law School,

worked in
the U.S. Attorney's office.

Bob Arum got
his start in boxing

with Muhammad Ali.

King and Arum,
their tentacles just reached

further and further
and further.

I think King cared
more about being famous,

than Arum did, maybe.

It was more in the DNA
of King to be flamboyant.

It's showmanship.
Entertainment business.

My responsibility
as a promoter

is to present great events
and to sell tickets.

And to try
to hype that event

until you get a groundswell
of public opinion

that will
support that event.

My job is to promote.

Arum and King,

they became their
own antagonist.

You had those two guys
to warm you up,

to let you know that
there was static in the air,

and static in the hair.

Mike Trainer had an idea

to keep Ray independent,

but he didn't know anything
about closed circuit,

he didn't know how to make
deals with exhibitors.

We had been
doing that for years.

So in order
to do an event,

he had a go to us,
make us the promoter,

which he did
with the Duran fight.

When you are
the number one guy.

you fight who you want,
when you want,

where you want,
for how much money you want.

That was Ray Leonard.
He was number one.

He was a star fighter

who could have
fought anyone.

And he picked Roberto Duran.

And that was his way

of showing the boxing world,
"I'm legitimate."

Sugar Ray was named

1979's
"Fighter of the Year."

Roberta Duran was named
"Fighter of the Decade."

This particular fight
is more significant

than all my professional
amateur fights

for a simple reason.

Roberto Duran
is known worldwide.

He's the most
recognized fighter

that I have faced.

He's so profitable

and I think that
the anticipation

is far better
than Wilfredo Benitez fight.

Scared?

Just a little.

At the news conference

announcing
the Leonard-Duran fight,

boxing's leading
entrepreneurs

who loathe each other,

embraced each other.

This is something new.

We believe that this event

will be the highest
grossing boxing match

in the history of the sport.

I don't think
it could be overstated

how unusual it was
for a non-heavyweight

to get paid
this kind of money.

It was front page news
in the American press.

I often use Leonard-Duran
as the perfect example

of a fight that
stopped the world

For that moment,
everybody froze.

The world
was focused on boxing.

I'm not here to be a clown

like this guy over here.

The word enigma was
invented for Roberto Duran.

From the moment
he hit center stage,

he was an anti-hero

who was thought of
as a bad boy of boxing.

I think that Duran
had more natural talent

than maybe anyone.

You have to go back,
maybe to Ray Robinson

to find somebody with that
kind of natural talents.

People talk about him
as a savage

and an attacking force,

but if you watch
those fights

when he's a lightweight,

it's almost like a joy
that he brought to the ring.

His movement is almost

as if he heard
this internal music.

Within the boxing business

Duran was perceived as

maybe the best fighter
in the world

at that point.

He had been
a dominant lightweight,

thought to this day by many

to be the greatest
lightweight ever.

And then he
went up in weight.

Every big fight can use
a guy wearing the black hat

and it was just so natural

for Duran
to wear the black hat.

He had a resentment
of Leonard to begin with.

He had a little bit
of a resentment of America

to begin with.

And he resented Leonard
for being the golden boy.

In Washington
on September 7,

President Carter and
the Panamanian president,

General Omar Torrijos,

signed to treaties aimed
at solving the problem

on who will control
their most valuable asset

of the famous canal.

This agreement is a symbol

for the world

of the mutual respect
and cooperation

among all our nations.

Good evening to
all of you from California.

General Omar Torrijos,
the dictator of Panama,

seized power eight years ago

by ousting
the duly elected government

As I talk to you tonight,

negotiations with Torrijos
go forward.

Negotiations aimed at
giving up our ownership

of the Panama Canal Zone.

The canal and
the American Canal Zone

cut right through the heart

of the tiny country
of Panama.

For whole generations
of Americans,

the canal has been
an article of faith,

a symbol of American
might and mission.

But now
President Carter says

the times have changed.

We must turn the canal
over to Panama.

There is one word
for this new treaty

and that word is no.

No!

But the Canal Zone

is not
a colonial possession.

It is not a long term lease.

It is sovereign
United States territory.

As long as I am president,

the government
of the United States

will continue
throughout the world

to enhance human rights.

Tell the General
we bought it,

we paid for it,

we built it,

and we intend to keep it.

In Montreal, where
the fight is taking place,

Ray is in one hotel,

Duran is in the other hotel.

Duran had a spy,

and that spy's job
was to call Duran

when Leonard's wife Juanita

would leave the hotel,

and Duran's car
would pull up

and he'd say things like,

"When I beat your husband,

I go to sleep with you."

Crazy stuff.

And of course, Juanita
went back and told Ray.

Ray got so furious

that his idea was,

"I'm gonna show this guy,

and I'm going to beat
the hell out of him."

All of a sudden now

this man is
insulting my wife,

and I can't do
anything about it.

But I mean, I was gonna
defend my wife.

While Sugar Ray Leonard,

who fights with a flair,

and Roberto Duran,
who fights with a fury,

square off tomorrow
night at Montreal

for the WBC
welterweight title.

Leonard,
with the fastest hands

in the boxing game,

is listed as
the nine-to-five favorite

among the oddsmakers.

But 17 of the 30
sports writers

covering the fight

go with the more
experienced Duran.

You know, the first
Duran-Leonard fight,

it started the era
of the Four Kings.

Still to me was that
golden era of boxing.

These guys like Leonard,
Hearns, Hagler and Duran,

each one was at the top
of his game,

and each one felt that
to be the best

they had to beat
the other three.

It was boxing at its best.

I don't know
if I can stand

this much excitement

because here comes
Roberto Duran.

When you get two fighters
who were both

clearly established
as great fighters,

there's a tremendous
anticipation

because you really
don't know

what's going to happen
in the ring.

What you do know,

and this is the appeal
of boxing,

Duran is 100% sure
he's going to win.

Leonard is 100% sure
he's going to win.

One of them is wrong.

I could see Duran beating
the crap out of this guy.

I could see Leonard
boxing Duran silly,

anything in between.

Boxing in Panama

is a source
of national pride.

Roberto Duran
is as revered here

as another strongman,

General Omar Torrijos.

Here in the narrow alleys
of Chorrillo,

a slum in Panama City
where Duran was born,

the dirty street
turned into a theater.

The last 30 seconds

from Ray ourselves.

They're ready.

And round one
of the long awaited...

Sugar Ray Leonard.

Roberto Duran, welterweight
championship fighter.

Leonard in flat-footed.

He did not
come out to dance.

He wants to go
toe-to-toe with him.

He's slowly cutting
that distance between them.

Oh, he took the hard left...

There's a lot of bad blood
between the two,

on the way in Leonard
blew a kiss at Duran

and Duran answered
with a word,

which I cannot repeat.

Duran does not
like this man.

He's holding on.

Leonard is in trouble.

Roberto Duran,

he got inside my head.

He would talk trash,

he cursed me,
he cursed my wife.

And I said you know what,

I'm gonna beat him
at his own game,

and that's where
I went wrong.

He got under my skin.

He throws so many punches.

He hit me so hard
so many times

in so many places.

He's like a Tasmanian devil.

I'm in trouble because
I didn't know what to do.

He's punching
with the intensity

that only Roberto Duran
can punch with.

Why would they
want Leonard to take...

Leonard is hurt!

Leonard is hurt again!

Ray wasn't ready
for that fight

psychologically.

He was ready
for Duran physically,

but he hadn't quite gotten
to that next level

to fight a very talented,

very savage,
spectacular fighter,

which Duran was
at that point in time.

Oh, right hand!

A tremendous
right hand by Duran,

throws Leonard
back into the rope.

I'm not sure
how Leonard survived

those first four rounds.

I think Leonard
wanted to show people

that he was tougher
than just a pretty boy.

And then Leonard's corner
spoke to him.

Try to talk
some sense into him.

Round number six.

Leonard fighting
very well off the ropes now.

I followed everything
with body shots,

left hooks,

from here on out,

Duran respected
my punching ability.

Oh, he's been hurt!

A left hook...

Duran is hurt!

Duran is hurt!

Oh, what a fight!

Duran was hurt.

For the first time,
he clutched his left.

It's very possible

both corners
think they're ahead.

It's that close.

This is in the hands
of the judges unless...

This one will go all
the way.

And we're going to have
to have a decision.

And then Leonard
may have...

Leonard bombing away!

Duran thinks
he has won the fight.

I can't believe it.

Here's
the official decision.

Duran, 146.

Leonard, 144.

Duran, 147.

Leonard, 147.

He pulled in a draw.

He was fantastic.

I can't even express myself.
I can't even talk.

I'll be real truthful.

I've never been so depressed
over a fight in my life.

Do you agree
with the decision?

Yes, he fought
his heart out.

There's no question
in my mind

that Roberto Duran lost.

Duran won the fight
fair and square,

but Sugar Ray Leonard
is the winner

because he made
ten million dollars.

Indications right now are

that this was the biggest
box office match

of all time.

After the fight, both boxers
met with the press.

Do you respect Leonard?

Sure, sure.

Leonard,
you're my friend now.

Within minutes,

thousands
took to the streets

for celebrations that
surpassed those on the day

the US gave up control
of the Panama Canal.

Monday has already been
declared a national holiday

as Panamanians
await the return

of the man
with the fists of stone.

Why do people box?

It's like as base as we get.

And I'm sorry to say that

because there is
a nobility in it,

there is something
beautiful about it.

In a perfect world,

boxing would not exist.

You're talking
about two men

trying to inflict brain
damage on each other.

But it's not
a perfect world.

And I'm not
excusing the violence,

but when it's
done beautifully,

fighting becomes
a metaphor.

The ring becomes
a sort of symbol

of the lottery of life.

There was a time

when the heavyweight
championship of the world

was the most
coveted title in sports.

More people listen
to the second

Louis-Schmeling fight
on radio

than had ever listened
to any event

in the history
of the world.

Man is by nature violent.

There's not a doubt
in my mind about that.

And when you see a fight,

and you see the crowd
reacting the way they do,

living vicariously
through the fighters,

screaming for blood,

you realize how violent
we are as people,

And I think that boxing,
in its own way,

fills a need
to the audience.

I think that's part of what
makes boxing so special.

It's the violence
of Westerns

or the drama of them

with this poetry of musicals

and the way people move.

It's this ballet
of violence.

To me,
boxing is the most cruel,

brutal and beautiful ballet

in all of sports.

To be an artist,

you don't have to have
a paintbrush necessarily.

Anybody who
can do something

no one else can
is an artist.

We have a craving
to know what we are.

What will we do

if we were
in a difficult situation?

Can you depend on yourself?

The truth can come to you
in a lot of places in life,

but it comes to you
a lot faster in the ring.

It's the express train.

You find out
who the freak you are.

It's a funny thing,

the fight that
really made Duran

was this fight.

But he won
and lost that night.

Who would have thought
that on a night

that was going to lead him
to his greatest moment,

to open the gates
to great wealth

and all the things that
this poor kid from Panama

starved for, dreamed of,

was the same night
that was gonna condemn him

in the future.

All the things
that made Duran great

and that made
the world watch,

and made his legend

were gone after that night.