Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Dave Boy Green

Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Dave Boy Green, billed as The Champ Comes Home, was a professional boxing match contested on March 31, 1980 for the WBC and The Ring welterweight titles.^[1]

The Champ Comes Home

Date	March 31, 1980
Venue	Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland, U.S.
Title(s) on the line	WBC and The Ring welterweight titles
Tale of the tape
Boxer Ray Leonard Dave Boy Green Nickname Sugar The Fenland Tiger Hometown Palmer Park, Maryland, U.S. Chatteris, Cambridgeshire, UK Purse $1,400,000 $100,000 Pre-fight record 26–0 (17 KO) 33–2 (26 KO) Age 23 years, 10 months 26 years, 9 months Height 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) Weight 147 lb (67 kg) 147 lb (67 kg) Style Orthodox Orthodox Recognition WBC and The Ring Welterweight Champion WBC No. 10 Ranked Welterweight
Result
Leonard wins via 4th-round knockout

Background

In early February 1980, it was announced that newly-crowned WBC welterweight champion "Sugar" Ray Leonard, who had won the title at the end of November the previous year after defeating Wilfred Benítez by technical knockout in the 15th round, would return to his native Maryland to make his first defense against fringe contender Dave "Boy" Green, who was the WBC's number-ten ranked welterweight contender.^[2]

Just before the Leonard–Green fight was announced, Leonard dismissed his long-time trainer Dave Jacobs, who had been Leonard's head amateur trainer since Leonard was 14-years old and then his assistant trainer since he turned professional in 1976, over a pay dispute.^[3] However, just days later, Leonard and Jacobs settled their difference and Jacobs returned to Leonard's camp though Jacobs declined to discuss what amount he and Leonard settled on telling the press that it was "just between me and Ray Leonard."^[4]

The Leonard–Green fight was part of an unprecedented four-hour boxing telecast aired by ABC that featured four championship fights across four different cities. The other three title fights were Marvin Johnson defending the WBA light heavyweight title against Eddie Gregory, John Tate making the first defense of his WBA heavyweight title against Mike Weaver and finally, WBC heavyweight champion capping off the program with a defense of his WBC heavyweight title against Leroy Jones.^[5]

Fight Details

For the first three rounds, Leonard mostly kept his distance from the overmatched Green, who although moving towards Leonard for most of the fight, struggled to land many punches on his quick and elusive opponent. Leonard would land jabs on Green nearly at will and occasionally land brief combinations all while avoiding Green's punches. However, towards the end of the fourth round, Leonard stunned Green with a right uppercut and then unleashed a combination to Green's head ending with a left hook that sent Green down flat on his back. Arthur Mercante Sr. began counting, but with Green unconscious and in need of medical attention stopped the count at six and waved the fight off.

Green would remain unconscious for several minutes before being revived by medical personal and was unable to attend the post-fight press conference.^[6]

Fight card

Confirmed bouts:^[7]

Weight Class	Weight		vs.		Method	Round	Notes
Welterweight	147 lbs.	Ray Leonard (c)	def.	Dave Boy Green	KO	4/15	note 1
Light Middleweight	154 lbs.	Roger Leonard	def.	Johnny Gant	UD	8/8
Super Bantamweight	122 lbs.	Derrik Holmes	def.	Isaac Vega	KO	1/8
Heavyweight	200+ lbs.	George Williams	def.	Quinnie Locklear	KO	2/4
Super Lightweight	140 lbs.	Des Morrison	def.	Otis Hooper	TKO	3/4

^Note 1 For WBC and The Ring Welterweight Titles

Broadcasting

Country	Broadcaster
United States	ABC