Pete Ranzany vs. Sugar Ray Leonard

Pete Ranzany vs. Sugar Ray Leonard

Date	August 12, 1979
Venue	Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
Title(s) on the line	NABF welterweight titles
Tale of the tape
Boxer Pete Ranzany Ray Leonard Nickname Sugar Hometown Sacramento, California, U.S. Palmer Park, Maryland, U.S. Purse $75,000 $150,000 Pre-fight record 45–3–1 (28 KO) 23–0 (14 KO) Age 37 years, 4 months 23 years, 2 months Height 5 ft 10+1⁄2 in (179 cm) 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) Weight 147 lb (67 kg) 147 lb (67 kg) Style Orthodox Orthodox Recognition NABF Welterweight Champion WBC No. 2 Ranked Welterweight
Result
Leonard wins via 4th-round technical knockout

Pete Ranzany vs. Sugar Ray Leonard was a professional boxing match contested on August 12, 1979 for the NABF welterweight title. ^[1] The bout would mark Leonard's first professional title fight.

Fight Details

Most of the fight was spent in the center of the ring, with Ranzany serving as the aggressor by constantly moving forward, while Leonard used his trademark quick left jab effectively, sprinkled in hooks and combinations and controlled most of the fight, though Ranzany held his own through the first three rounds. However, midway through the fourth round, Leonard stunned Razany with a hard right hand and then backed him into the ropes and landed a bevy of power punches, finally sending Ranzany down with a flurry of hooks to the head. Clearly hurt from the exchange, Ranzany stumbled back to his feet and answered the referee's 10-count at eight and was allowed to continue, but Ranzany was again backed into the ropes by Leonard who landed a barrage of punches on a dazed and almost defenseless Ranzany, causing referee Joey Curtis to stop the fight and award the techninal knockout victory to Leonard at 2:41 of the round. ^[2]

Fight card

Confirmed bouts: ^[3]

Weight Class	Weight		vs.		Method	Round	Notes
Welterweight	147 lbs.	Ray Leonard	def.	Pete Ranzany (c)	TKO	4/12	note 1
Cruiserweight	190 lbs.	James Salerno	def.	Alvaro Lopez	UD	10/10
Light Middleweight	154 lbs.	Babilah McCarthy	def.	Billy Miller	TKO	2/10
Welterweight	147 lbs.	Pablo Baez	vs.	Ron Cummings	D	8/8
Light Middleweight	154 lbs.	Roger Leonard	def.	Wayne Beale	UD	8/8

^Note 1 For NABF Welterweight Title

Broadcasting

Country	Broadcaster
United States	ABC

References

1. "Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Pete Ranzany". boxrec.com. BoxRec. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
2. Undefeated Leonard Stops Ranzany in 4th, NY Times article, 1979-08-13 Retrieved on 2025-05-12
3. "BoxRec - event".

Preceded by vs. Clyde Gray	Pete Ranzany's bouts 12 August 1979	Succeeded by vs. Wilson Bell
Preceded by vs. Tony Chiaverini	Ray Leonard's bouts 12 August 1979	Succeeded by vs. Andy Price