GROWING up, I had two posters on my bedroom wall: Diego Maradona and Sugar Ray Leonard.
I idolised them both.
The one of Sugar Ray, held up by blu tac for years, was an artist’s impression of all his greatest feats in the ring: Roberto Duran, Tommy Hearns and 'Marvellous' Marvin Hagler.
To me, there was nobody like Sugar Ray.
He had it all: film star good looks, million-dollar smile and endless charisma.
As a fighter, he was the complete package.
He had wonderful balance. He carried tremendous power in both hands. He could fight on the front foot or back foot and be equally devastating.
He also had a heart the size of Ceasars Palace.
It helped too that he fought in a great era.
The fact that his career experienced some wild dips as well as incredible highs enhanced his appeal.
He lost to Roberto Duran in Montreal in 1980 before gaining revenge five months later.
The following year he was behind on the judges’ scorecards when he stopped Hearns in the 14th round.
Between 1981 and 1987, he fought just twice – and was thoroughly unconvincing on both occasions against Bruce Finch and Kevin Howard.
Modern life being what it is, I now follow the great man on Twitter.
Earlier this month, he tweeted: ‘Can’t believe that this fight was 30 years ago #HaglerLeonard #Boxing’.
Although Hagler fought and beat Duran and Hearns, it always seemed unlikely he'd get the chance to share a ring with Sugar Ray.
After all, Leonard plied his trade in the welterweight ranks, Hagler at middleweight.
Plus, Leonard retired after struggling past Howard.
Leonard was enjoying his media work while Hagler – two years older than Ray – had stitched together an 11-year unbeaten record in the middleweight ranks.
Hagler was a fearsome fighter. Virtually Unbeatable.
Leonard summed him up better than anyone.
"Hagler," Ray said, "reminded me of a truck going down hill, building up speed and then running over you. He had a chin like granite. In all the fights I saw in person or on film, I never saw him buckle, not once."
Hagler took Hearns apart in an unforgettable three-round war in April 1985 before stepping into the ring 11 months later against Mickey Duff’s new middleweight sensation John Mugabi of Uganda.
Mugabi was a tough customer.
Sitting at ringside alongside Holywood actor Michael J Fox, Leonard saw enough slippage in Hagler to suggest he could beat the undisputed middleweight champion.
When Ray told Fox that he could beat Hagler, the actor encouraged him to have another beer.
"Mugabi was boxing him," Leonard wrote in his autobiography.
"Right there and then, I began to see myself in the ring... From that moment on, I rooted for Hagler harder than I ever rooted for anyone. The last thing I wanted was for John Mugabi to do the job for me."
Hagler got the job done - but not with much to spare. A fabulous combination in the 11th saw Mugabi crash to the canvas.
There was never any love lost between Leonard and Hagler.
Sugar Ray was one of America’s celebrated Olympic heroes; flashy smile with a personality that dazzled all who encountered him.
Hagler was the exact opposite. An introvert uncomfortable with the media's gaze.
Always in Ray’s shadow, Marvin Nathaniel Hagler came through the sweaty environs of a thousand small-hall shows.
He was the antithesis of Sugar Ray Leonard.
“I made $40,000 in my pro debut, Hagler made $50,” wrote Leonard.
"Hagler would get his opportunity to shut up the one person responsible for the boxing world not affording him the respect he felt he deserved.
"He couldn't stand the fact that I kept stealing the show, with high-profile triumphs against Duran and Hearns, while he was virtually ignored when he won title bouts over Alan Minter, Fulgencio Obelmejias and Vito Antuofermo."
Hagler's gym nickname was ‘Small Suff’ but when one boxing writer described him as ‘Marvellous’ Marvin, he decided to adopt the name.
The fact that the TV networks would never refer to him as ‘Marvellous’ Marvin served only to intensify the deep resentment the Brockton fighter felt towards boxing’s establishment.
He was so enraged by the perceived snub he had his name legally changed to ‘Marvellous’ Marvin Hagler in 1982.
The Mugabi bout indicated Hagler’s reflexes were on the wane.
But, by the time Sugar Ray and Hagler fought in Las Vegas on April 6 1987, Leonard hadn’t fought in 35 months.
Few boxing writers gave Ray a chance of ending Hagler's unbeaten record that stretched back to 1976, even though he'd got the middleweight champion to agree a 12-round bout rather than 15.
In the build-up, 67 boxing scribes were polled: 60 of them went for Hagler; 52 predicted a knock-out.
While training for the 'Super Fight', Leonard curiously had planned to go toe-to-toe with Hagler - until southpaw Quincy Taylor, who would go on to win the WBC middleweight crown in 1995, landed a ferocious punch during a sparring session.
From that moment, Leonard changed his tactics.
He would box Hagler.
"Thank God," he later said, "for Quincy Taylor."
When the fight was made both fighters embarked on a coast-to-coast tour to promote the fight.
Hagler skipped most of the tour dates.
Come fight night, Sugar Ray's timing belied his 35 months of inactivity.
He dazzled Hagler with sparkling combinations that had Ceasars Palace in raptures.
Hagler looked like the fighter who had come out of retirement.
He did nail Sugar Ray, particularly in the fifth, but Leonard's slick movement got him out of trouble each time.
And when he was stuck on the ropes in the ninth and 11th rounds, Leonard dug deep to produce more combinations that had a demoralising impact on Hagler.
It was a close fight, and boxing fans still debate the split decision in favour of Sugar Ray to this day.
But Leonard won the fight, crafting one of the greatest-ever nights in boxing history.
If there were shortcomings in Leonard's performance, there were more in Hagler's.
The champion appeared plodding, one-dimensional and enjoyed only sporadic successes.
Hagler never trusted the judges in Vegas. For years, he remained sore about the decision.
Six months later, the pair bumped into one another in the men's room at a club in Las Vegas.
Sugar Ray tried to make polite conversation.
Hagler ignored him.
"He threw water on his face, gave me a cold stare and walked off without responding."
Despite offers of a rematch, Hagler never fought again and pursued an acting career in Italy.
Leonard fought five more times, winning just two.
Father Time beat him - not Terry Norris or Hector Camacho in his final two bouts.
Thirty years have passed since that unforgettable night in Vegas when Sugar Ray climbed the highest mountain.
The desert hasn't seen anything like him since.
