His name is Ray Charles Leonard and he burst into prominence at the Montreal Olympic Games in 1976 with a punishing k-o victory over Cuba's Andres Aldama for the 139-lb light welterweight championship and an Olympic gold medal. The match was hardly a contest, even though Aldama had so viciously defeated his semifinal opponent that the loser had to be carried from the ring on a stretcher. Leonard won the championship bout by keeping on the move, circling and evading Aldama's heavy punches. Sugar Ray then used his lightning-fast hands to score a knockdown in the second round and gain a standing knock-out in the third round to wrap up the gold medal.

Leonard, born in Wilmington, N.C., and raised in Washington, D.C., before moving to suburban Palmer Park, Md., employed tactics reminiscent of Muhammed Ali—dancing and taunting opponents, dropping his guard and inviting punches—as he overwhelmed his Olympic foes.

Despite the obvious aping and imitating, Leonard is his own man. Before the '76 Olympics, he was not even sure he wanted to turn pro. "I heard of guys being used and mishandled", he once said, "and I didn't like the idea of someone owning me. So winning the gold medal was my ultimate goal." The 5'9 1/2", 142-lb boxer turned pro a few months after the Olympics when he had turned 21 and set up a corporation called Sugar Ray Leonard Inc., with himself as sole stockholder.

He came into the pros with solid amateur credentials: 145 victories, 75 by knockout, and 5 losses. Among his triumphs were two Golden Gloves titles, a pair of AAU boxing championships and the Olympic gold medal. Even with a record as impressive as this, Leonard saw that he could use more help and he has been a regular visitor to Angelo Dundee's gymnasium in Miami Beach, Fla., to receive instruction from the master.

Leonard made his pro debut in February 1977, and was an easy winner at the Baltimore Civic Center. He duplicated that performance with a 6-round decision over Willie "Fireball" Rodriguez.

RAY LEONARD Born 1956, in Wilmington, N.C., USA

AWARDS AND RECORDS
Gold medalist, 1976 Olympics, light heavyweight

Photo: Sugar Ray was an Olympic hero before turning pro