Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Bruce Finch, billed as Reno's Got It!, was a professional boxing match contested on February 15, 1982 for the WBA, WBC and The Ring welterweight titles.
Background Just one month after arguably his biggest victory over Thomas Hearns in September, it was announced that newly crowned undisputed welterweight champion "Sugar" Ray Leonard would make his first defense of the title against NABF welterweight champion Bruce Finch, who was a top-5 ranked welterweight contender by both the WBA and WBC.Sugar Ray Leonard will make the first defense of..., UPI article, 1981-10-23 Retrieved on 2025-04-15 Initially, negotiations were made to bring the fight to Finch's native Milwaukee, Wisconsin at the Milwaukee Arena in January 1982, but the bout was ultimately scheduled to take place in Reno, Nevada on February 15, 1982.Welterweight champion Sugar Ray Leonard may be coming to..., UPI article, 1981-10-14 Retrieved on 2025-04-15Leonard to Fight Finch, NY Times article, 1981-10-24 Retrieved on 2025-04-15 The bout would be Reno's first title fight since the Jack Johnson–James J. Jeffries heavyweight championship fight in 1910, 72 years prior.Finch was a Pigeon for Sugar Ray, Sports Illustrated article, 1982-03-01 Retrieved on 2025-04-15
The fight against Leonard would be Finch's first since July. He had originally been scheduled to defend his NABF welterweight title against Milton McCrory on the Leonard–Hearns undercard in September, but McCrory pulled out of the fight at the last minute after injuring his hand.Finch's Desperate Flight Ends With Leonard Bout, Washington Post article, 1982-02-13 Retrieved on 2025-04-15
Fight Details After a sluggish first round which he lost on all three of the official judge's scorecards, Leonard put forth one of the best performances of his career. Just past the midway point of the second round, Finch had Leonard against the ropes before Leonard stunned him with a right hand that backed Finch off and sent him retreating to the center of the ring. Leonard would follow up with a hook to the body and a hard right hand to the head that sent Finch down on his back. Finch was able to answer referee Mills Lane's 10-count at nine and continued the fight, however, Leonard quickly went on the attack and sent Finch down again only seconds later. This time Finch answered the 10-count at seven and though he was met with several more power punches from Leonard, managed to hold on and survive the round. In the third round, Finch attempted to engage Leonard offensively, but Leonard controlled the round and landed numerous power punches before landing another combination that sent Finch down on his knees. Finch remained on his knees before getting back on his feet at the count nine but was clearly dazed and on wobbly knees causing Lane to stop the fight. Leonard was named the winner by technical knockout at 1:50 of the round.Leonard Stops Finch, N.Y. Times article, 1982-02-16 Retrieved on 2025-04-16
Fight card Confirmed bouts: Weight Class Weight vs. Method Round NotesWelterweight147 lbs.Ray Leonard (c)def.Bruce FinchTKO3/15Welterweight147 lbs.Victor Abraham def.Frankie DavisUD10/10Super Bantamweight122 lbs.Franco Torregoza def.Derrik HolmesUD8/8Middlweight160 lbs.Odell Hadley def.Javier Harvey SolomonPTS8/8Heavyweight200+ lbs.Mark Lee def.Dennis JamesTKO2/6Lightweight135 lbs.Carlton Sparrow def.Tony VillaUD6/6
Broadcasting Country Broadcaster HBO
References