Sugar Ray Leonard Does ‘War’ His Way

It’s nine weeks before “The War,” as promoter Bob Arum has imaginatively titled the eight-years-late Sugar Ray Leonard-Thomas Hearns rematch, and already it’s business as usual in the Sugar Bowl.

Leonard did his patented boy-next-door act for the media Wednesday at his training camp in the Poconos, sparring seven rounds and answering questions afterward in a relaxed atmosphere. But, he cautioned, all that is subject to change once he shifts camp to Palm Beach, Fla., beginning Thursday.

“Once I get to Florida,” he said, “it gets more difficult for eveybody.”

A member of the Top Rank publicity team, which has been trying to get cooperation from Leonard to help promote what will be one of the most lucrative fights of all time, put it another way. “If . . . were snow, this man would be a blizzard.”

It seems that Leonard has balked at performing seemingly simple tasks, exasperating Top Rank officials. Particularly irksome was the case of the T-shirts. Seems Leonard has lent his name and likeness to a promotional contest run by a computer company, in exchange for, it is assumed, a paycheck of some size.

Wednesday, executives of the computer company sent three T-shirts for Leonard to sign. They even enclosed a felt-tip pen so as not to inconvenience Sir Sweetness. By the end of the day, the T-shirts still had not been signed and Top Rank officials were told the matter had been “taken under advisement.”

Leonard and his entourage have always perceived Top Rank as being the enemy because of the company’s long association with Leonard’s twin nemeses, Hearns and Roberto Duran.

Yet, when it was time to put together the Hearns fight--set for June 12 at Caesars Palace--Leonard and Co. signed with Top Rank and its proprietor, Bob Arum, because they knew that that was where the most money was. But now, when it comes time to work a little for that money, Team Leonard is reluctant.

On the subject of the fight, Leonard said all the right things. He said Hearns shouldn’t be judged off subpar performances against Iran Barkley (a third-round KO loss last June) and James Kinchen (a shaky decision win last November) because “he’s tough and has resiliency and heart.”

In the same breath, Leonard said he knew enough about Hearns not to need any feeling-out period in this bout. “The only way Tommy Hearns can surprise me,” he said, “is if he shows up in the same outfit as me.”

Now, that would be grounds for a fight. Leonard also showed an increasing sensitivity about his age (33 in May) when asked about Michael Nunn, the heir apparent to Leonard in skill and charisma. “He is the future,” Leonard said. “He could be mine, if everybody keeps telling me how old I am.”

Ray, you’ll never get old. But your act already has.

Don King and Bill Cayton are finally on the same page concerning Mike Tyson’s next opponent. Both have contacted the Carl Williams camp--independently, of course--about a fight between Tyson and “The Truth,” probably at Trump Plaza in Atlantic City, N.J. King and Cayton have spoken of a late June date, but HBO’s Seth Abraham says the fight cannot happen before the first week of July, because the cable network’s production people and on-camera talent will be in London most of June covering Wimbledon tennis.

Said Abraham: “Of course, if they want to fight in London . . . “

Furthermore . . . Tyson has been walking around for a week or more sporting a bandage on his face the size of Australia. He said it was from a shaving mishap. What was he shaving with, a guillotine? . . . Speaking of the guillotine, boxing writers can stop dreaming of spending July in Paris. The proposed Nunn-Iran Barkley middleweight title fight, tentatively set for July 22, is out.

Barkley’s people aren’t happy with the money being offered--$500,000--and would rather bring The Blade back with a couple of wins over lesser opponents before taking on the flashy Nunn. C’est la vie. . . . Ray Mancini has finally found a match he can handle--he marries Carmen Consuelo Vasquez, daughter of a wealthy Miami family, on April 22.

Mancini’s tormentor, Hector Camacho, tried to shop himself to ABC against either washed-up Harry Arroyo or club fighter Mauricio Rodrigues. ABC, wisely, said no dice and offered Livingstone Bramble instead. Camacho said no dice back, and ABC said adios. . . . Now, CBS is interested in Bramble-Buddy McGirt for June 25 or 26. . . . Evander Holyfield turned down a $1.5 million offer to fight George Foreman but is expected to accept a few bucks less for a two-fight deal with Showtime against Adilson Rodrigues and Tim Witherspoon. . . . Looks as if the Julio Cesar Chavez-Roger Mayweather junior-welterweight title bout will wind up where it belongs--at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif., on May 13. . . . Middleweight Roy Jones Jr., the standout of the Seoul Olympics, finally makes his pro debut May 6 in Pensacola, Fla., under the promotional banner of Harold Rossfields Smith.

Mike Jones, recovering well from coronary bypass surgery, gave ‘em hell last Thursday while lying in the recovery room wired up to monitors and intravenous tubes. “Forget about this stuff,” he shouted. “Find out who won the fight.” He finally shut up when a nurse called the Associated Press at 1:30 a.m. and reported that Alex Stewart, Jones’ unbeaten heavyweight, had stopped Arthel Lawhorne at the Felt Forum in New York. . . . Unswerving Irving Rudd, who has carried on a love-hate relationship with Thomas Hearns while acting as his publicist the past 10 years, has this to say about his client: “People ask me if Thomas Hearns is cheap. I say, ‘Not anymore.’ When he was just starting out, he was cheap. Now that he’s a great champion, he’s frugal.”