Carlos De León
Born(1959-05-03)May 3, 1959
Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico
DiedJanuary 1, 2020(2020-01-01) (aged 60)
Buffalo, New York
NationalityPuerto Rican
Other namesSugar
Statistics
Weight(s)Cruiserweight
Light heavyweight
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights61
Wins52
Wins by KO32
Losses8
Draws1

Carlos De León, also known as "Sugar" De Leon, (May 3, 1959 – January 1, 2020) was a Puerto Rican boxer who made history by becoming the first cruiserweight to win the world title twice. Subsequently, he kept breaking his own record for the most times as cruiserweight champion by regaining the title on two further occasions.

Career

De León, a native of Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico, first won a world title when he faced the WBC world champion Marvin Camel on November 25, 1980, replacing David Pearce the Great Britain boxer on the undercard of Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Durán's second fight in New Orleans. De León outpointed Camel over fifteen rounds. In a rematch later, De León knocked out Camel in eight rounds. When his countryman Ossie Ocasio won the WBA world title, De León and Ocasio became the second pair of Puerto Ricans to share world titles in the same division at the same time; Alfredo Escalera and Samuel Serrano had achieved the feat in the 1970s in the junior lightweight division.

Taking loss

De León lost his title in a shocking upset to former Gerry Cooney victim S. T. Gordon by a knockout in round two in Cleveland in 1982, and won a comeback fight versus former world heavyweight champion Leon Spinks by a knockout in round six in 1983. After that, he and Gordon boxed a rematch in Las Vegas, and De León dropped Gordon once in the first round and once in the twelfth, en route to a unanimous decision win in a history-making bout: De León had now become the first boxer to win the world cruiserweight title twice.

Champion again

He defended his title against Yaqui López by a knockout in four at San Jose, California, and with decisions over Anthony Davis and Bashiru Ali. The Davis bout took place in Las Vegas and the fight with Ali was in Oakland, California. De León next lost his title in Las Vegas to Alfonzo Ratliff in a decision. Ratliff was in turn beaten by Bernard Benton, who defended against De León on March 22, 1986, once again in Las Vegas. De León joined the likes of Sugar Ray Robinson and Muhammad Ali in becoming one of the few boxers ever to win one division's world championship at least three times, defeating Benton by decision.

Once more

He made a couple of defenses in Italy and then in 1988, he defended the title against Uruguayan José María Flores Burlón in Atlantic City, New Jersey, winning by twelve rounds in a unanimous decision but then he lost his titles in a unification bout with WBA and IBF world champion Evander Holyfield, by technical knockout in the eighth round, also in Las Vegas. But Holyfield soon left the division to pursue the world heavyweight championship, and De León was left with an open door to break his own record and win the title for a record fourth time. He went to London, where he beat the WBC's number two ranked contender, Sammy Reeson, by a knockout in the ninth round, breaking his own record and was crowned world cruiserweight champion once again.

Holding on

Carlos held on to the title for two years until finally losing it to Massimiliano Duran in Italy in an eleventh-round disqualification. He gained the title by his aforementioned win over Sammy Reeson. He made a defense by drawing with Johnny Nelson before the loss to Massimilano Duran mentioned earlier.

After boxing

During the 1990s, De León ran afoul of the law a number of times, once while he was carrying a rifle. He worked on helping the professional boxing career of his son, prospect Carlos de León Jr.

He died on January 1, 2020, due to a cardiac arrest.[1] He was 60.

Professional boxing record

62 fights 53 wins 8 losses
By knockout 33 5
By decision 20 2
By disqualification 0 1
Draws 1
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
62 Loss 53–8–1 Brian Nielsen TKO 3 (8) Nov 24, 1995 Randers, Denmark
61 Loss 53–7–1 Corrie Sanders TKO 1 (10), 0:49 Aug 13, 1994 Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
60 Win 53–6–1 Bobby Arthurs MD 10 Feb 17, 1994 Joliet, Illinois, U.S.
59 Win 52–6–1 Brian Morgan PTS 8 Jan 14, 1994 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
58 Win 51–6–1 Jordan Keepers TKO 5 (?) Nov 5, 1993 Gary, Indiana, U.S.
57 Win 50–6–1 Andre Crowder KO 1 (8) Jun 19, 1993 Davenport, Iowa, U.S.
56 Win 49–6–1 Joey Christjohn PTS 6 May 15, 1993 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
55 Win 48–6–1 James Wilder UD 10 Mar 13, 1993 Aurora, Illinois, U.S.
54 Win 47–6–1 Rocky Bentley UD 10 Jan 22, 1993 Countryside, Illinois, U.S.
53 Win 46–6–1 Bruce Johnson TKO 4 (10) Jun 27, 1992 Miami, Florida, U.S.
52 Loss 45–6–1 Massimiliano Duran DQ 11 (12) Jul 27, 1990 Capo d'Orlando, Sicilia, Italy Lost WBC cruiserweight title;
DeLeon disqualified for hitting after the bell
51 Draw 45–5–1 Johnny Nelson SD 12 Jan 27, 1990 City Hall, Sheffield, England Retained WBC cruiserweight title
50 Win 45–5 Sammy Reeson TKO 9 (12), 2:04 May 17, 1989 London Arena, London, England Won vacant WBC cruiserweight title
49 Loss 44–5 Evander Holyfield TKO 8 (12), 1:08 Apr 9, 1988 Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. Lost WBC cruiserweight title;
For WBA and IBF cruiserweight titles
48 Win 44–4 Jose Maria Flores Burlon UD 12 Jan 22, 1988 Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. Retained WBC cruiserweight title
47 Win 43–4 Larry Phelps KO 1 (10), 1:33 Aug 1, 1987 Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
46 Win 42–4 Angelo Rottoli TKO 5 (12) Feb 21, 1987 Bergamo, Lombardia, Italy Retained WBC and The Ring cruiserweight titles
45 Win 41–4 Michael Greer TKO 8 (12), 1:43 Aug 10, 1986 Giardini Naxos, Sicilia, Italy Retained WBC and The Ring cruiserweight titles
44 Win 40–4 Bernard Benton MD 12 Mar 22, 1986 Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. Won WBC and The Ring cruiserweight titles
43 Loss 39–4 Alfonzo Ratliff SD 12 Jun 6, 1985 Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. Lost WBC and The Ring cruiserweight titles
42 Win 39–3 Dorcey Gaymon TKO 9 (10) Jan 12, 1985 Oranjestad, Aruba
41 Win 38–3 Bash Ali UD 12 Jun 2, 1984 Oakland, California, U.S. Retained WBC and The Ring cruiserweight titles
40 Win 37–3 Anthony Davis UD 12 Mar 9, 1984 Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. Retained WBC and The Ring cruiserweight titles
39 Win 36–3 Yaqui Lopez TKO 4 (12), 2:51 Sep 21, 1983 San Jose, California, U.S. Retained WBC cruiserweight title
38 Win 35–3 S.T. Gordon UD 12 Jul 17, 1983 Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. Won WBC cruiserweight title
37 Win 34–3 Leon Spinks RTD 6 (10), 3:00 Mar 6, 1983 Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
36 Win 33–3 Ivy Brown PTS 10 Nov 26, 1982 Houston, Texas, U.S.
35 Loss 32–3 S.T. Gordon TKO 2 (15), 2:51 Jun 27, 1982 Highland Heights, Ohio, U.S. Lost WBC cruiserweight title
34 Win 32–2 Marvin Camel TKO 8 (15) Feb 24, 1982 Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. Retained WBC cruiserweight title
33 Win 31–2 Greg Payne TKO 3 (10), 1:38 Dec 12, 1981 Houston, Texas, U.S.
32 Win 30–2 Marvin Camel MD 15 Nov 25, 1980 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. Won WBC cruiserweight title
31 Win 29–2 Mario Rosa PTS 8 Jun 28, 1980 San Juan, Puerto Rico
30 Win 28–2 Waldemar Paulino KO 1 (12), 0:28 Apr 25, 1980 Anaheim, California, U.S.
29 Win 27–2 Christy Elliott TKO 4 (12), 1:15 Sep 25, 1979 Miami Beach, Florida, U.S
28 Win 26–2 Willie McIntyre TKO 1 (10) Aug 25, 1979 San Juan, Puerto Rico
27 Win 25–2 Manny Freitas TKO 1 (?), 1:25 Apr 8, 1979 Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
26 Win 24–2 Bonifacio Avila TKO 2 (10), 2:46 Jan 27, 1979 San Juan, Puerto Rico
25 Win 23–2 Wendell Joseph PTS 10 Nov 18, 1978 Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, U.S.
24 Win 22–2 Rennie Pinder TKO 3 (10) Sep 26, 1978 Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.
23 Win 21–2 Roy Harry KO 1 (10), 2:14 Sep 8, 1978 Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, U.S.
22 Win 20–2 Tyrone Freeman TKO 3 (10), 2:28 Apr 8, 1978 Bayamón, Puerto Rico
21 Win 19–2 Jesse Lara TKO 2 (?), 1:13 Mar 25, 1978 Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S
20 Win 18–2 Ray Bryant TKO 5 (10) Jan 28, 1978 San Juan, Puerto Rico
19 Win 17–2 Eddie Davis TKO 5 (10) Nov 8, 1977 Orlando, Florida, U.S.
18 Win 16–2 Battling Douglas TKO 5 (10), 2:12 Oct 14, 1977 Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, U.S.
17 Loss 15–2 Ray Hammond PTS 8 Sep 10, 1977 San Juan, Puerto Rico
16 Win 15–1 Mustapha Ali UD 10 Jul 29, 1977 Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, U.S
15 Win 14–1 Eddie Davis TKO 3 (?) Jun 25, 1977 Bayamón, Puerto Rico
14 Win 13–1 Antonio Colon TKO 6 (?) Feb 12, 1977 Bayamón, Puerto Rico
13 Win 12–1 Carlos Soto PTS 8 Oct 11, 1976 San Juan, Puerto Rico
12 Win 11–1 Astor Agosto PTS 8 Aug 16, 1976 San Juan, Puerto Rico
11 Win 10–1 Dario de Jesus PTS 8 Jul 19, 1976 San Juan, Puerto Rico
10 Win 9–1 Carlos Soto PTS 8 Apr 5, 1976 San Juan, Puerto Rico
9 Loss 8–1 Roberto Colon PTS 4 Feb 15, 1976 Ponce, Puerto Rico
8 Win 8–0 Larry Adkins PTS 8 Sep 15, 1975 Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
7 Win 7–0 James Jackson TKO 3 (?) Nov 11, 1975 Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
6 Win 6–0 Cubby Jackson TKO 4 (?) May 17, 1975 Philipsburg, Sint Maarten, Netherlands Antilles, Netherlands
5 Win 5–0 Kid Gavilan TKO 6 (?) Apr 5, 1975 Philipsburg, Sint Maarten, Netherlands Antilles, Netherlands
4 Win 4–0 Tripodi Guadalupe TKO 5 (?) Mar 17, 1975 Philipsburg, Sint Maarten, Netherlands Antilles, Netherlands
3 Win 3–0 Vernon Laws TKO 3 (?) Nov 2, 1974 Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, U.S.
2 Win 2–0 Jesse Torres TKO 2 (?) Oct 19, 1974 Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, U.S.
1 Win 1–0 Roy Harris TKO 4 (?) Aug 3, 1974 Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, U.S.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Four-time world boxing champ, Hall of Fame trainer Carlos De Leon dies at 60". January 2, 2020.
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