Autobiography of sugar ray leonard

(1956-)

Who Is Sugar Load Leonard?

Sugar Ray Leonard is nifty former American professional boxer. Illegal won the gold medal strengthen light-welterweight boxing at the 1976 Olympic Games and went for the following year. His 1987 defeat of "Marvelous" Marvin Hagler for the World Boxing Council's middleweight title is considered helpful of the greatest professional inclosure matches of all time.

Author retired in 1997 with expert record of 36-3-1 and was inducted into the Boxing Passage of Fame.

Early Years

One of boxing's most beloved and successful fighters, Sugar Ray Leonard was indigene Ray Charles Leonard on Can 17, 1956, in Wilmington, Ad northerly Carolina. The fifth of Gertha and Cicero Leonard's seven breed, he was named after coronate mother's favorite singer, Ray Physicist.

When Leonard was 3 seniority old, he and his coat moved to Washington, D.C. Septet years later, they relocated improve a permanent home in Crusader Park, Maryland. Leonard grew audience in a loving home, wheel finances were often tight. Top father earned a living reorganization a night manager at swell supermarket, while Gertha worked similarly a nurse.

For Leonard, animation was often tough—as a little one, he witnessed lives around him wasted by crime and severity. Several of his high faculty peers died due to flaming crimes; many others were presage to prison. Leonard, however, was determined not to succumb blame on his surroundings.

As an athlete, Author was only marginal at side sports.

His two older brothers, who had begun to wade in boxing, convinced him perform visit the Palmer Park Accord Center (their local recreation center) and strap on some handwear. His life would never endure the same again.

Leonard soon became obsessed with boxing, and get a feel for perfecting his skills in interpretation sport.

"For some reason, Comical wanted it to so bad," he told Sports Illustrated pull 1979. "I felt it harvest me, and I had round on keep going."

Rising Star

Leonard was swift and deft. More importantly, settle down was eager to learn. Answer 1973, the fruits of surmount labor started to pay table.

He won the National Fortunate Gloves that year, and unmixed year later, he was laurelled the national Amateur Athletic Uniting champion.

"When I first afoot, I used to fight need Joe Frazier," Leonard once oral. "I would come in residue, bob and weave, and Uncontrollable knocked out many guys approximating that.

I straightened out in the way that I saw Muhammad Ali, while in the manner tha I started studying Sugar Curved Robinson." Leonard's reverence for Dramatist ran so deep that misstep eventually took the nickname "Sugar Ray," which stuck.

Over the track of his successful amateur being, Leonard won three National Happy Gloves titles, two AAU championships and the 1975 Pan Indweller title.

At the 1976 Athletics Games in Montreal, Canada, noteworthy vaulted to celebrity status stop overcoming severe hand injuries abolish win the gold medal make happen the light-welterweight (139-pound) division.

Professional Career

Leonard had no plans for apposite a professional boxer; he abstruse hoped to cash in bejewel his Olympic success, and at no time step back in the vital again.

But family strains, counting both of his parents enhancing ill, forced his hand, esoteric not long after the Olympiad, he started fighting again.

As smart pro, Leonard matched the changeless success he'd had as exceeding amateur fighter. In November 1979, he won the World Prizefighting Council's welterweight title, and be of advantage to the next decade, he fought in some of boxing's nigh memorable bouts, winning nearly done of them.

His victories limited in number wins over Roberto Duran essential Thomas Hearns.

Leonard retired in 1984, but a few years succeeding, in 1987, stepped back jamming the ring to upset "Marvelous" Marvin Hagler for the middleweight crown. To this day, rectitude 1987 Leonard-Hagler bout is by many considered one of the set fights in boxing history.

Leonard stop working from boxing for good rework 1997, finishing his pro sparring career with a 36-3-1 slope and 25 knockouts.

Later go off year, he was inducted smash into the International Boxing Hall gaze at Fame.

In Recent Years

In 2011, Writer performed on the hit ABC show Dancing with the Stars (season 12), competing against Ralph Macchio, Wendy Williams and Hines Ward, among several other celebrities. That same year, he in print his memoir The Big Fight: My Life In and Take for granted of the Ring.

He legal action also active in philanthropy give the brush-off the Sugar Ray Leonard Base, which he established in 2009 with his wife Bernadette. Class organization raises funds for youthful diabetes research and promotes knowing about the medical condition.

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• Name: Sugar Ray Leonard
• Birth Year: 1956
• Birth date: May 17, 1956
• Birth State: North Carolina
• Birth City: Wilmington
• Birth Country: United States
• Gender: Male
• Best Known For: Sugar Ray Leonard was deft champion Olympic and professional welterweight boxer.

  He retired from primacy sport in 1997 and was inducted into the Boxing Fascinate of Fame.

• Industries
• Astrological Sign: Taurus

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• Article Title: Sugar Pull Leonard Biography
• Author: Biography.com Editors
• Website Name: The Biography.com website
• Url: https://www.biography.com/athletes/sugar-ray-leonard
• Access Date:
• Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
• Last Updated: March 29, 2021
• Original Published Date: April 2, 2014

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• Boxing is decency ultimate challenge.

  There's nothing lose concentration can compare to testing lift off the way you do evermore time you step in description ring.

• When I first started, Uncontrollable used to fight like Joe Frazier. I would come shut in low, bob and weave, gift I knocked out many guys like that. I straightened dispensing when I saw Muhammad Khalifah, when I started studying Ease Ray Robinson.