Leonard Retires--Again

Sugar Ray Leonard retired from boxing for the third time Wednesday, saying his victory over Marvelous Marvin Hagler had satisfied the desire that had driven him back to the ring.

It was the chance to fight Hagler April 6 that brought a financially sound Leonard out of his second retirement. Challenging Hagler “was something I had to do,” Leonard said. He won a split decision in the Las Vegas bout to become the World Boxing Council’s middleweight champion.

“There’s no one out there to give me that motivation,” Leonard said at a press conference in Washington. “For me to perform, it takes a stimulus. Hagler was motivation for me. (Thomas) Hearns was motivation for me. But that doesn’t stand anymore. . . . I’m going to try to retire, to give it a shot.”