LEONARD, SUGAR RAY-BRUCE FINCH ON SITE POSTER (1982)

Sugar Ray Leonard fought Bruce Finch on February 15, 1982 in Reno, Nevada. Leonard knocked Finch out in the 3rd round to successfully defend his World Welterweight Title. The fight was promoted by Main Events and billed as "Reno's Got It." This was Reno's first championship fight since Jack Johnson knocked out James J. Jeffries to successfully defend the World Heavyweight Championship on July 4, 1910. This was Leonard's first defense of the Undisputed World Welterweight Championship. Finch, the NABF welterweight champion, was ranked third by the WBA, fourth by the WBC and sixth by The Ring. Leonard and Finch fought as amateurs in 1973, with Leonard winning by a three-round decision. Sports Illustrated reported that Leonard's purse was $1.3 million and Finch's was $85,000. The fight was televised live on HBO and was later shown by ABC on Wide World of Sports. The Washington Post reported that a sellout crowd of 7,330 at Centennial Coliseum produced a gross gate of $584,000. Leonard got off to a slow start and lost the first round on all three official scorecards. He blamed his slow start on a technical problem that pushed back the start of the fight. Leonard said he warmed up well in his dressing room, but he cooled down during the delay. Leonard dropped Finch twice in the second round and once in the third. Leonard's next fight was scheduled to be against Roger Stafford on May 14, but the bout was canceled after it was discovered that Leonard had a detached retina in his left eye. Following successful surgery to repair his retina, Leonard decided to retire. He made the announcement on November 9, 1982. Leonard announced his return to the ring on December 10, 1983. Presented here is an on site poster from the event.
This is an original, heavy paper, on site poster which pictures both fighters. Bold color and print. Bold, clear images. Clean front and back. No center crease. No tack holes. Crease in upper left corner. Edge wear with a closed tear on right edge with no paper loss. 23" x 30."