Sugar Ray Leonard to visit Waikato

American boxing great Sugar Ray Leonard is to fight for Waikato youths after a chance meeting with a Ngaruawahia school teacher on a service station forecourt.

Teacher Leah Crawford asked the five-time world title winner if he would help with her project to alleviate problems facing young people when she saw him at the Ngaruawahia BP.

He agreed and will visit tomorrow.

Leonard will be giving a motivational talk to hundreds of the region's students, and will also speak at a charity dinner and have lunch with Maori King Tuheitia.

Leonard has headed to Queenstown for its Winter Festival, where he was guest of honour at last night's Thriller in the Chiller fight night.

Leonard was one of the best boxers of all time, winning world titles in five weight divisions and being named fighter of the decade for the 1980s.

- NZPA