The day Sugar Ray Leonard fought a tough Peruvian fighter in the 70s | UNPUBLISHED PHOTOS

Those 1975 Pan American Games were destined to be held in Santiago de Chile, a city that had been designated as the venue a few years before; however, following the coup d’état of General Augusto Pinochet of 1973 and the crisis that it entailed, the southern country declined to organize it. Almost as an emergency, it was Mexico that took over. Without a doubt, the Mexicans had a lot of experience, since they had organized the 1968 Olympics and the 1970 World Cup.

On the opening day, October 12, 1975, at the Aztec stadium of the Mexico Cityparaded in the Peruvian delegation the sprinter Edith Noedingthe swimmers Lilian Arce Y Estela Mohmethe volleyball players Mary Cervera, Teresa Nunez, Gaby Cardenas, Delia Cordova, Maria Ostolaza Y Joan Flowers; and, of course, the boxing team, with Second Cobeñas, who would make history with just one fight at his weight (although at the time he couldn’t know that); as well as the good punchers Luis Madrid Y Carlos Burga. The national delegation was made up of 20 athletes, but many of them did not parade, either because they were participating the next day or because they had physical discomfort. The flag bearer was the young swimmer Ernest Domenack.

He had been the winner of National Golden Gloves Championship in 1973 and 1974; and in 1975the year of the Pan American Games, had intervened in the Amateur Athletic Union (AUA).

The Pan American Games in Mexico City were made between October 12 and 26, 1975. Certainly, the future world boxing champion came to Mexico thinking more about Montreal Olympics of the following year. However, he knew from his first fight there that he first had to pass the test of the tough Pan Americans. Leonard would stand out, without a doubt, and would take the gold in his category, but he would not do it without eating some good blows from brave boxers like the Peruvian Cobeñas.

The American, like most of the boxers of his generation, had lived in a home of difficult coexistence; in his case, a family with problems of consumption of drugs, alcohol and also violence. But the life that leonard wanted to live was in boxing.

The speedy ‘Sugar‘, as they were beginning to tell him, had been Lightweight amateur champion since 1972with only 16 years. She couldn’t go to Munich Olympics of that year 72, but continued his path of champion. In 1974it was weight super light and he had no rivals either.

SUGAR RAY LEONARD AND THE 1975 PAN AMERICAN GAMES

The fight took place on Thursday, October 23, 1975. Cobeñas was a tough, tough boxer, like any amateur boxer. (He was of that breed of brave punchers), but he had good technical resources, although not as many or as finished as those of that 19-year-old he faced that night. The Peruvian fought until the last minute, but was clearly defeated on points.

Second Cobeñas He was part of the Peruvian boxing team, which was led by coach Roland Castro and completed in Mexico Carlos Burga Y Luis Madridtwo other great hitters; Cobeñas He was also part of a generation of Peruvian amateur boxers of great quality and willingness to fight in the ring. Like Burga and La Madrid, the imperturbable Cobeñas participated in several Bolivarian and South American games of those years.

The fight Cobeñas-Leonard was covered by Trade. The dean newspaper sent the photojournalist to cover the Pan-American event Jorge Chavez, who left the historical snapshots of the Peruvian team’s training and the moment of the fight that we can appreciate today; and the editor was also sent William Alcantarawho had described the opening of the Mexican games as a tremendous day: “In the midst of the overflowing joy of more than one hundred thousand fans who filled the facilities of the Azteca stadium, the VII Pan American Games were inaugurated”.

In Mexico City, Sugar Ray Leonard would beat Cuban in the fight for the gold medal Victor Crown. In that same category Cobeñasthe third place and the bronze medal went to the Venezuelan Jesus Navas, who defeated the Dominican Jesus Mars.

As an anecdote of those 75 Pan American Games, another future celebrity fought for the gold, but did not win it. It was about the future light heavyweight champion Leon Spinkswho in that category (-81 kg.) fell to the Cuban Rene Pedroso.

SUGAR RAY LEONARD: TOWARDS BOXING PROFESSIONALISM

After the 1976 Montreal Olympicswhere Sugar Ray Leonard got the gold medal in the welterweight, the champion began his stage as a professional boxer. That is to say, his great battles would come, which began with the victory over the then Welterweight World Champion (WBC), the Puerto Rican Wilfredo Benitez in 1979; and continued with the Panamanian Roberto ‘Stone Hand’ Duran in 1980 (two fights); as well as with the magnificent and lanky Tommy Hearns in 1981, for the unification of the welterweight title. Another fierce fight, but with great boxing technique, was the one that he starred in with the middle heavyweight champion Marvin ‘Marvelous’ Hagler in 1987.

In his autobiographical book, published in 2011, The Big Fight: My Life In and Out of the Ring (The great fight: my life inside and outside the ring), ‘Sugar‘ recounted painful details of his life, such as having suffered twice “sexual abuse” from his Olympic coach.

Sugar Ray Leonard He was the world boxing star of the 1980s, without a doubt. In that decade he gave his best, until he revealed the end of his career when he was defeated by Terry Norrisin February 1991.

Meanwhile, the Peruvian Cobeñas he went on his way with good humor and good fists; he won and lost fights with obviously lower level boxers compared to the ones he had to face on north american champion. But, “this is boxing”, as the eternals of the ring well know, and there everything is a matter of discipline, strength and a lot of technique.

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