One of the sport’s truly good guys, former two-time WBA welterweight champion Mark Breland, turns 60 today. One of the greatest American amateur boxers in history – Breland, from Brooklyn, who compiled a remarkable amateur record of 110-1(73), won Olympic gold in 1984 and gold at the 1982 World Championships – the elegant fighter was widely expected to be the next superstar.

Although he had a good career, Breland ultimately suffered a setback, and his loss and draw in the fights with Marlon Starling could have been Breland’s defining fights. After hanging up his gloves in 1997, with a good record of 35-3-1(25), Breland became a trainer – a decent, truthful and caring trainer. We saw that in the work Breland did with Deontay Wilder; Breland was fired for doing the right thing and saving Wilder from further punishment in his second fight with Tyson Fury.

Breland was indeed unceremoniously fired by Wilder for saving his career, if not his life. Always an elegant man, Breland had almost nothing bad to say about Wilder. In a press release a while back, this writer was fortunate to have the affable and incredibly well-spoken Breland for a miniature interview.

Here’s what Breland had to say about the key moments of his ring career:

On his best night in the ring:

“The biggest thing for me is winning the Golden Gloves in 1980. When I was seven years elderly, I went to see Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier fight, and ever since then, it’s been my dream to fight in Madison Square Garden. When Ali and Frazier came out, a beam of airy followed them all the way to the ring, and that’s what happened to me in the Golden Gloves. I don’t even remember the name of the guy I beat that night.

On two tough fights with Marlon Starling:

“Before the first fight with Starling, I injured my ribs in training and I wanted to pull out – Starling was very good at hitting the body. But I was winning the first fight before I got so tired. In the second fight, the rematch, he was very defensive, but he still threw a lot of punches. I think I had the advantage then, but they called it a draw. It was a bad night for me because I think I won. When the scores were read out, I was like, ‘Wow.’

On Thomas Hearns’ sparring:

“Tommy Hearns is without a doubt the best fighter I’ve ever sparred with. I first sparred when I was 17 and Tommy taught me a lot about the jab and the right hand. When we first sparred I was a little embarrassed by Tommy; later on it was more technical sparring. Tommy was much more experienced than me at that time.”

On the hardest punch that ever broke the camel’s back in a ring, sparring or real fight:

“Aaron Davis was great, he was scratchy, but I was more exhausted than anything (when I was stopped in the ninth round of the war). But I think I would say Davis was the hardest puncher I’ve ever been in a fight. Marlon Starling hit difficult and had that awkward style. But I have to say the hardest puncher I’ve ever been in the ring with was Tommy Hearns. He was a killer puncher.”

On any regrets he may have about his ring career:

“I don’t regret the way my career has turned out. I wouldn’t do anything different because I’ve done everything I set out to do. I’m joyful. I’m joyful that I’m training fighters now. I left the ring at the right time and I’m joyful. I’ve seen what can happen to fighters who fight too long. I’ve done things that no one can take away from me.”

During the linear era, John Henry Lewis was one of the world’s greatest lithe heavyweight champions, dominating the division in the mid-1930s in much the same way that Bob Foster did in the early 1970s.

Like Foster, he defended his title regularly, and like Foster, he stumbled when he came up for the world heavyweight title. Joe Frazier cashed in on Bob in a two-round thrashing, and as we shall see, Lewis was unlucky enough to run into the great Joe Louis, who defeated him in one round.

Lewis grew up in Arizona and, like many black fighters of the era, had to learn his craft the difficult way, fighting in many diminutive arenas in and around Phoenix. One of those diminutive arenas was named after boxing’s most eminent venue, Madison Square Garden.

It took Lewis five years and nearly 50 fights to step foot inside the real Garden in Recent York, and when he did, he lost a 10-round decision to Jimmy Braddock, who was on Skid Row at the time. The following year, Braddock hit the jackpot, as did Lewis.

On October 31, 1935, Lewis defeated Bob Olin to win the world lithe heavyweight title. He then boxed eight times in three months in 10-round non-title fights, losing two of them. That was how champions made money in those days, especially in the unfashionable weight class. They traveled the country for good prizes and generally didn’t care whether they won or lost. Lewis defended his title twice in 1936, and each time he chose British fighters.

A week after winning a 10-round fight with Eddie Simms in St. Louis, Lewis returned to Madison Square Garden in Recent York to face Rochdale’s Jock McAvoy (both men pictured below) for the title. As I mentioned in my article last June, McAvoy had set the boxing world on fire in 1935 when he knocked out Babe Risko in one round in his second American fight, and this title fight was his just reward.

The height difference between the two men is clearly evident in the attached photo and proved to be a major factor on the night, with Lewis using his extra height and reach to do just enough to win most of the rounds by a slim margin. McAvoy was always in the fight, especially in the last few rounds when he knew he had to stop his man, but it wasn’t enough.

Eight months later Lewis arrived in Britain to defend his title against Len Harvey. The Cornishman held British middleweight, lithe heavyweight and heavyweight titles in a glittering professional career that began when he was just 12 and was at the peak of his powers in 1936. He lost the heavyweight title to Jack Petersen in January 1936 and did not fight again.

The fight with Lewis took place at the Empire Pool, Wembley, in front of a packed house of 11,800. Harvey came in at 12st 4lb, three pounds under the championship limit. In the 1930s there was far less concern about fighters coming in just ounces under the weight limit, as there is today. The boxer trained difficult and whatever weight he felt most comfortable at, he fought.

Once again Lewis was simply too good for his British opponent. Titled “Britisher’s Bold and Valiant Bid for the World’s Delicate-Heavyweight Crown” reported that Lewis had to put up a tough fight before he managed to win.

Lewis boxed until 1939, when, as the undefeated lithe heavyweight king, he entered the ring with Joe Louis for the main prize. He lasted only a few minutes, as the Brown Bomber knocked him out with murderous blows. This was John’s last fight. He immediately retired due to eye problems and died in 1974 at the age of just 59.

How would you title the Dream Fight – perhaps the biggest, most fascinating, most controversial Dream Fight imaginable – between the two Sugars, Robinson and Leonard?

There is no doubt that during their in-ring careers, Robinson and Leonard raised the bar for the sport, and with it the expectations of the fans as to what they could expect when both champions were in action. Both Sugars were akin to wizards. Both Sugars were as stunning as they were brutal. Both Robinson and Leonard were uniquely special.

For years, we fans have dreamed of Dream Fights (and yes, many of you have long since grown tired of the idea). For many, Sugar Vs. Sugar Battle is the single, most fascinating dream fight of them all.

At their peak, both men seemed untouchable for a time, and both Robinson and Leonard also managed to pull off the impossible by launching epic comebacks. The original Sugar Ray returned and became a five-time middleweight king! This came after retiring following a nasty, heat-induced KO of Joey Maxim.

Leonard, knocked to the ground and looking like sweat by Kevin Howard, returned to shock the all-consuming Marvelous Marvin Hagler (and here we have another dynamite dream fight: Robinson vs. Hagler!).

Yes, one evening Sugar and Sugar gave us some stunning things.

So who would win if these two titans met when they were both operating at their peak?

It’s the most hard question you can ask in boxing. It goes something like this: What if the Tunney-Dempsey rematch hadn’t had a long count? What if the Marciano-Walcott fight had been scheduled for 12 rounds instead of 15? What if Muhammad Ali hadn’t been forced into exile in 1967? What if Leonard-Hearns had been scheduled for 12 rounds instead of 15? And so on…

Would Robinson, the welterweight king, dominate Leonard, perhaps even knock him out (something no one has managed to do to the first-rate Leonard)? Or would Leonard operate all his special genius to box, punch, cheat, and contort his namesake into a close and controversial defeat? All three scenarios are possible.

But this one, more than most Dream Fights, comes down to personal opinion and nothing more. In fact, some might say the very idea of ​​pairing Robinson and Leonard is simply sacrilege.

It depends on you.

My Pick: Robinson would be forced to work strenuous, dig deep and fully utilize his brilliant boxing mind to earn a close but unanimous decision victory.