SRL vs Kevin Howard.First time Leonard had ever been down,and was it an early stop!?

I know TS! Leonard was not the first, fighters before him set the stage for what we deal with today...:good

 

Personally when I look back on that particular fight in Sugar Ray Leonard's career a few things come to mind. First off in a hilarious sense I think that had Sugar Ray returned to the ring against Kevin Howard with his signature afro-hair instead of the greasy-wet juri curls look that he was wearing at the time Howard wouldn't knocked him down in the 4th round like he did and Ray would've put him away in round 6 instead of round 9, just like Marlon "The Magic Man" Starling almost did to Howard a year before on CBS sports in defense of his USBA welterweight belt. The closest that Ray would've come to being knocked down in that 4th frame would've been a shot on the temple that would've wobbled him for a brief moment but Ray would've then shook it off and went for the earler more impressive non-questionable knockout.

Secondly, had the ref not stopped the fight when he did keep in mind that it was just the 9th round of a scheduled 10-round fight and that Ray had a slight lead going into that round where he scored a flash knockdown and was putting Howard pretty much on ***** street and had the referee allowed Howard to continue to fight into the 10th and final round of the match Ray more than likely would've scored a more convincing ko/tko finishing Howard in a more dramatic convincing style that might've left Sugar Ray more than satisfied enough to continue his comeback instead of retire again, 2nd retirement. With one more tuneup, against perhaps a washed-up Pipino Cuevas or a nearly washed-up Roger Stafford to get his juices completely flowing and his razor sharp edge back, Sugar Ray Leonard would then move on to concure Milton "The Iceman" McCrory, Donald "The Cobra" Curry and Aarron "The Hawk" Pryor to completely reclaim his top status as the undisputed Welterweight champion and #1 pfp fighter and top draw, leading up to a highly climatic primed showdown between he and Marvelous Marvin Hagler for the undisputed world Middleweight championship.

 

They probably stopped it too early.But Ray would've definitely had Kevin out of there in the 10th and final round.Nate was probably right about the afro, though.

 

This fight was definitely stopped to early