Sugar Ray Leonard entered his maiden world title bout against Wilfredo Benitez 1979 as boxing’s brightest young star - an Olympic gold medalist with speed, charisma, and growing power. Benítez, the reigning WBC welterweight champion, was younger but already known as a defensive genius, having won his world title as a teenager. Many doubted whether Leonard’s athleticism and aggression could solve Benítez’s elusive, cerebral style. From the opening rounds, Leonard pushed the action, throwing fast