Sweet visit from Sugar Ray

BOXING legend, Sugar Ray Leonard, is to visit Ireland in October.

The highlight of his trip will be a gala dinner held in his honour at the Burlington Hotel which will be compered by Jimmy Magee.

Leonard, a former five-division champion, fought in 40 professional bouts, winning 36 (25 by knockout), losing three, and drawing one.

After some years establishing himself as a top promoter, he joined forces with ex-British paratrooper & reality TV mogul Mark Burnett to create “The Contender”.

With movie star Sylvester Stallone also on board, “The Contender” gives an insight to the hopes and fears of young professional prize-fighters as they compete for a $1 million (€1.4 million) prize and a headline-grabbing main event in Las Vegas.

Meanwhile middleweight contender John Duddy’s return to the ring next month has been confirmed for a headline date at New York’s Theatre at Madison Square Garden.

The Big Apple-based Derry fighter will, as expected, put his 17-fight unbeaten record on the line against former world champion Yory Boy Campas of Mexico on Friday night, September 29, his management company Irish Ropes announced yesterday.

The fight comes eight weeks after Duddy, 27, was forced to withdraw from an August 10 bout in Las Vegas against Carlos Bojorquez due to heat prostration and dehydration. Campas presents Duddy with his sternest test, bringing into the ring the experience of 96 fights, 88 of them victories, 72 by way of knockout and only eight defeats.

New York-based Arklow light-middleweight James Moore will feature again on September 29, having taken his unbeaten record to 8-0 on July 27 in Atlantic City with a unanimous points decision against Jorge Alberto Gonzalez.

Another US-based Irishman, Limerick middleweight Andy Lee, was on the Orleans Hotel and Casino bill in Vegas that Duddy should have been on last weekend. The 2004 Olympian, now training with Emanuel Steward at Detroit’s Kronk Gym, advanced to 4-0 with a unanimous points win after six rounds against experienced Las Vegas boxer Carl Cockerham.