Sugar Ray Leonard the Athlete, biography, facts and quotes

"When I turned pro, Muhammad Ali was laying back, and I was able to fill up an area that was empty"

"I think an athlete should be honest. I know it's difficult, but if a guy knocked me on my can, I couldn't very well say, I slipped"

"Generally, the more weight you put on, the less effective you are"

"Except for Ali, fighters had never been marketable"

"I'll think, If this is his first punch, how are the others gonna feel? That's the only fear I have for myself"

"I want my fights to be seen as plays that have a beginning, a middle and an end"

"I fought tall fighters, short fighters, strong fighters, slow fighters, sluggers and boxers. It was either learn or get knocked off"

"Holyfield is nothing but class, and I think he's a breath of fresh air for the sport"

"Although it was a great accomplishment to win a gold medal, as soon as they put it on you, that's it; your career is over"

"It's different when you become a professional, because you also have to become a businessman, and that takes something away from it"

"If I hadn't had the talent, the networks wouldn't have televised my fights. No one has made me; I made myself. I paid my dues"

"I'm not religious, but I believe that what I have is a gift, and I respect it and live up to it"

"Before I fight, I always pray that no one gets hurt"

"To be the best, you need to spend hours and hours and hours running, hitting the speed bag, lifting weights and focusing on training"

"They say that I'm stubborn, and my wife says that, too, but it's paid off so far"

"I've never believed in tying myself up in a long-range contract, and I've been very outspoken on that subject"

"Duran always disturbs me. The guy is just weird. Before our first fight, both Duran and his wife gave my wife the finger"

"Boxing is the ultimate challenge. There's nothing that can compare to testing yourself the way you do every time you step in the ring"

"You just don't heal that easy unless you're young"

"No one but myself thought I could beat guys like Tommy Hearns or Roberto Duran"

"It's hard to talk about yourself"

"Boxing was the only career where I wouldn't have to start out at the bottom. I had a good resume"

"Before the start of the '76 Olympics, I'd had 160 amateur fights. I won 155 and lost five"

"I'm a free agent. I haven't allowed any promoters to have exclusive options on my fight. I don't need a promoter"

"I think I've become one of the best finishers in boxing; if I hurt a guy, I normally take him out"

"I'm a competitor and a very proud man. If a guy beats me once, he'll have to do it again to make me believe him"

"Bruce Lee was an artist and, like him, I try to go beyond the fundamentals of my sport. I want the public to see a knockout in the making"

"Ali's belief in himself was something I picked up on, and it's become my own philosophy"

"Aaron Pryor wants to get into the ring with me. He wants to be able to retire, and he will. For health reasons"

"Within our dreams and aspirations we find our opportunities"

"In Italy, I had an Afro, and a lot of the kids came up and felt my hair. It really was funny. I wish I had understood Italian"

"I was painfully initiated into boxing, because the guys I fought were a lot bigger than me"

"Boxing was not something I truly enjoyed. Like a lot of things in life, when you put the gloves on, it's better to give than to receive"

"Boxing brings out my aggressive instinct, not necessarily a killer instinct"

Facts about Sugar Ray Leonard