R.I.P. Carlos “Sugar” DeLeon, The Iron Man of Cruiserweight Title-Holders

If one were to write a history of the cruiserweight division, Carlos “Sugar” DeLeon’s name would undoubtedly be splashed all over it. No one told DeLeon, who died on New Year’s Day at age 60 in his adopted hometown of Buffalo, New York, that cruiserweight was merely a way station for a top-shelf fighter, a stopover on the road to the richer purses dangling one division up. A four-time cruiserweight champion, DeLeon appeared in 16 world cruiserweight title fights, going 11-4-1 when the belt was on the line.

The John L. Sullivan of the cruiserweights is Marvin Camel. By that we mean that Camel, born on the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana, was the first cruiserweight champion of the gloved era, an era that for cruiserweights began in 1979 when the World Boxing Council created the division, setting the ceiling at 190 pounds. The rival WBA adopted the new weight class two years later and the new kid on the block, the IBF, joined the party in 1983. (The ceiling was raised to 200 pounds in 2003.)

Carlos DeLeon wrested the title from Marvin Camel in Camel’s first title defense with a close 15-round decision and stopped Camel in the eighth round in the obligatory rematch.

(As an indication of how disrespected the cruiserweight division was during the early years, the first DeLeon-Camel fight was actually a walk-out fight. It followed the famous “no mas” fight between Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran at the Louisiana SuperDome.)

DeLeon, to be truthful, didn’t fight a murderers’ row of opponents during his title reigns. The division was much weaker in his era than when Oleksandr Usyk ruled the roost. His best win was arguably his fourth-round stoppage of Yaqui “Indian” Lopez at San Jose in 1983. Born in Mexico, Lopez resided in nearby Stockton. A battle-tested veteran, he had the crowd in his corner, but DeLeon was dominant from the opening bell.

For most of his career, DeLeon was under the thumb of Don King who frequently deployed him as a warm-up act for a big heavyweight fight. Late in his career, DeLeon made three title defenses in Italy and another in England, but he was never given the opportunity to fight in his native Puerto Rico or, for that matter, anywhere in Latin America.

DeLeon participated in the first unified cruiserweight title fight when he opposed WBA/IBF title-holder Evander Holyfield at an indoor pavilion at Caesars Palace in 1988. This was Holyfield’s final fight as a cruiserweight. Evander had already made known his intention to pursue bigger game with an eye on Mike Tyson.

DeLeon absorbed a lot of punishment before the bout was stopped in the eighth round, but he never left his feet. After the fight, the main topic of discussion was whether Holyfield punched hard enough to succeed as a heavyweight. The focus should have been on DeLeon’s gallant effort.

Thirteen months later, DeLeon recaptured the now-vacant WBC title which he held until July of 1990 when it was taken from him in Italy by Maximiliano Duran or, one might say, by the quick-triggered Belgian referee who disqualified him for hitting Duran after the bell ending the 11^th round. DeLeon had 10 more fights before calling it quits, finishing with a record of 53-8-1 (33 KOs).

In retirement, Carlos DeLeon remained an important component of the Buffalo boxing scene. Carlos and his brothers, Juan and Angel, played an instrumental role in molding Joe Mesi into a top-rated heavyweight contender.

DeLeon, whose death was attributed to cardiac arrest, had health issues in recent months. We here at the Sweet Science send our condolences to his loved ones. May he rest in peace.

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