When you immerse yourself in the rich history of the sport of boxing, it is undeniable that the name Sugar Ray Leonard will come up an astounding number of times. He has accomplished almost everything you can in the sport. He is easily one of the most recognizable names not just within boxing history, but sports history as well. He won a gold medal in 1976 as a member of what is arguably the greatest Olympic team ever assembled. He is a 6 time World Champion. He has been one half of some of the most legendary battles in the ring with men like Tommy Hearns, Marvin Hagler and Roberto Duran. Put all of that to the side for a moment and what do you have left of Sugar Ray Leonard? The answer is an absolutely world class human being. He is a loving father, A devoted husband, A philanthropist, A visionary and an advocate for so many different and incredible causes. Today, we take a journey into the rise and legacy of Sugar Ray Leonard from his childhood to his greatness in the ring to his life after boxing today and how he fights a different legendary battle while simultaneously being a bright beacon of hope for so many others, including myself.
Sugar Ray Leonard grew up in Palmer Park, Maryland during the 1960’s and 1970’s. Speaking on these days, Leonard recalls ” I am truly blessed to have had the upbringing I did. Whether we were living in a 2 bedroom apartment for 8 of us or otherwise, my parents did the best they could and I always appreciated how hard they worked to make our lives exponentially better. My father wasn’t an educated man but a GOOD man. My mother worked in the hospital as a nurse and as a unit, they provided not only the things we needed to survive but a tremendously loving and supportive home. I am forever grateful for the way my parents brought us up”. How did Sugar Ray find his calling and ultimately become one of the greatest fighters of all time? The answer may surprise you because it is not as simple as one may think. ” I was never athletically inclined. My brothers Roger and Kenny were the athletes of the family. One day when I was 8 or 9, they took me down to the local boxing gym. I put the gloves on, stepped in the ring and was almost immediately punched in the nose. I threw the gloves down, walked out and swore I was never doing this again, so I have a history of quitting as well.” Sitting here, I could not imagine Sugar Ray ever calling it quits. Not just because of what he accomplished as a fighter, but all of the other things he has had to face and conquer. 5 years later and lucky for all of us, he gave boxing another chance. “I was 14 and I stepped back into the gym. When I put those gloves on it was magical. I had found boxing and boxing had found me. I had to work harder than everyone else and I did. The only reason I had the level of success I had in my life is because of hard work and sacrifice. I view that just how I view life today. Life is a fight. Respect is a fight.”
Growing up major boxing enthusiasts, my father and I would watch old tape of Sugar Ray Leonard seemingly on a weekly basis. His footwork and hand speed were stuff of legend. Any time we had the chance, we would pop in old footage of his most legendary battles. It should come as no surprise to anyone that my next questions were about the most important feats in his career to which he responded, “The Olympics in 1976 in Montreal. Bringing home a gold medal, I mean it does not get any better than that because the fact of the matter is it wasn’t about money, it wasn’t about fame, it was about representing myself and my country. Winning gold, that was just amazing to me, it was everything.” From a professional standpoint, there is not one moment that stands out to Ray, but several. “When I fought Wilfred Benitez in 1979, I mean that was one of my toughest fights hands down, Tommy Hearns in ’81, Roberto Duran, although he beat me the first time, he taught me so much about the mind and so much about composure. Then with Marvin Hagler, close fight…depends on who you ask , I definitely give him his props. So there is no doubt, The Olympics stands by itself without question but professionally, just being a part of that era was a blessing.”I would like to add in here that I am among the fans that although close, Leonard definitely beat Hagler, but Marvin Hagler is one of the greatest Middleweight fighters of all time so there is nothing to be taken away from the things Marvelous Marvin accomplished.
About 10 years ago, Leonard and his wife, Bernadette, founded the Sugar Ray Leonard Foundation. The foundation works tirelessly to fund research and care for type 1 and type 2 pediatric diabetes while simultaneously creating awareness for both diseases. I asked how it came to be and what was the driving force behind it. “It is a cause that is near and dear to my heart. My father who passed away a year ago now was a diabetic, my friends have children who were diabetics, so I saw first hand the complications that this disease caused. I am a blessed man. I have had nothing short of an illustrious boxing career and I just wanted to give back. It just feels so good when we can raise not only funds, but awareness to this horrible disease. I cannot wait for the day when they say that Diabetes is no longer here, it has been knocked out.” For more information on how you can be a part of the solution, please visit Sugar Ray’s website at sugarrayleonardfdn.org. It is something that many people, including Ray and his wife truly care deeply about and you should too!
As many people know and there are some who may not, I have been very public about my own battles with drug abuse/ alcoholism. I have recently also brought to light that I am a sexual abuse victim. These are things that do not discriminate. They know no boundaries. They can happen to a relatively unknown sports writer making his way in the business or in this case, a world champion boxing legend. I know that the reason behind me being so public about my struggles was that I wanted to let people know they are not alone. But why would someone like Sugar Ray, who is astronomically more in the limelight than I, bring his demons to the light? Turns out we are not that different. “You know, 15 or 16 years ago, I could never imagine that I would say that I am an alcoholic. My perception of an alcoholic was someone who was on the streets or didn’t have a job. That is definitely not the case. It was my wife, Bernadette, she was the one that said Ray, you’re an alcoholic and she took me to my first meeting here in Los Angeles. I walked in, I had my hat down, I had my sunglasses on, I kept my chin down. It was the best moment of my life, because it saved my life. I could not believe I was saying these things. Saying I was sexually abused, saying that I wasn’t happy. My level of happiness was not always what it appeared to be, but when I started getting these things off my chest, my life became better. I became a better father, a better husband, a better friend. It is so amazing but you have to be willing, the person has to be willing to dig deep and willing to change.”
The times we are in have certainly changed the landscape on how alcoholics and addicts can get help. One particular example is definitely how the still sick and suffering person can reach out and ask for help. Mr. Leonard weighed in on this as well. ” You know, that is essential. It is the key to living a better life. First of all, I suggest to hop on Zoom and check out the virtual meetings that are happening all over the world and also check in with your sponsor, like I do with my sponsor, Mike. Being isolated and locked down can be really hard on us so reach out and get your butt to a virtual meeting ASAP. Another thing that is key is I have learned to get whatever is bothering me, whatever is holding me back off my chest. You need other people in this fight. You need others to rationalize things because I know for me, I can take things to heart. In my head I can even go back to things that took place 10 years ago and it will drive me crazy sometimes but what I do is I say my prayers, I go to my meetings and I talk to people because that I have learned is what is priceless about this process and it keeps me sober, One Day At A Time.” The process of revealing the truth about yourself on such a large scale can be nerve racking. You can get in your head and almost drive yourself to the brink of insanity worrying about what others might say. The people who care about you will never judge, only support. Mr. Leonard spoke about the response to him revealing his alcoholism to others. “Oh man, support with a capital S! There were times when I would be sitting in that room talking about my life and the things I had done or what may come next and I would shed a tear. At first I thought something was wrong with me because I was crying in front of people that I don’t even know but it was the best thing in my life. I got rid of all that toxin and all that poison because if you do not talk about it will just build and build until it explodes. You never know what can happen if it gets to that point so it is best to get it out and not let it build.” The amount of humility and love and happiness that was exploding through the phone was unbelievable. Here is a man that has accomplished so many things in his life and without hesitation was willing to share the darkest moments of his life. The most amazing part was that he did it while smiling and laughing. It was not a nervous or fake happiness, but a genuine real laugh and real happiness that undoubtedly comes from the amount of work he has done to better himself and those around him through this process. A truly beautiful testament to how this program really works and saves lives.
If you have read my work before, you know that my goal is to honor these men and women for not only what they have done and how they got there, but also what they intend to leave behind. This day was no different with Sugar Ray Leonard. ” My first reaction is to say that I want to be the best fighter in the world, but when it is all said and done, I want people to know me as someone who cared. Someone who cared about others, who actually gave back and someone who helped that other guy get up from that knockdown. I made a huge impact in the boxing ring, but I want to make an even larger impact outside the ring”. I can honestly sit here and say that even if I did not publish a single word of our conversation, Sugar Ray has accomplished just that by having a 25 minute talk with me. What we have learned through our own process is that the gift we are given needs to be shared with others in order for all of us to grow. Reading this, I hope you take away that yes, he was a world class athlete and a world class champion, but Sugar Ray Leonard is so much more than just that. He is again, a world class human being and a man who truly loves and cares about the people and causes he fights for. Thank you Sugar Ray for showing us we are not alone, and for showing us that anything is possible if we are willing to fight for it!
To The Rack With Mac 