Sugar Ray Leonard Quotes


"Except for Ali, fighters had never been marketable."
- Sugar Ray Leonard
"Duran always disturbs me. The guy is just weird. Before our first fight, both Duran and his wife gave my wife the finger."
- Sugar Ray Leonard
(Related: Wife, Fight, First)

"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."
- Sugar Ray Leonard
(Related: Artist, Public, Want)

"Boxing was the only career where I wouldn't have to start out at the bottom. I had a good resume."
- Sugar Ray Leonard
(Related: Boxing, Career)

"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."
- Sugar Ray Leonard
(Related: Life, Boxing)

"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."
- Sugar Ray Leonard
(Related: Time, Boxing, Challenge, Nothing, Testing)

"Before the start of the '76 Olympics, I'd had 160 amateur fights. I won 155 and lost five."
- Sugar Ray Leonard
"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."
- Sugar Ray Leonard
(Related: Accomplishment, Career, Gold)

"Ali's belief in himself was something I picked up on, and it's become my own philosophy."
- Sugar Ray Leonard
(Related: Belief, Philosophy)

"Aaron Pryor wants to get into the ring with me. He wants to be able to retire, and he will. For health reasons."
- Sugar Ray Leonard
(Related: Health, Will)

"Boxing brings out my aggressive instinct, not necessarily a killer instinct."
- Sugar Ray Leonard
(Related: Boxing, Instinct)

"I want my fights to be seen as plays that have a beginning, a middle and an end."
- Sugar Ray Leonard
(Related: Beginning, End, Want)

"We're all given some sort of skill in life. Mine just happens to be beating up on people."
- Sugar Ray Leonard
(Related: Life, People, Skill)

"I'll think, If this is his first punch, how are the others gonna feel? That's the only fear I have for myself."
- Sugar Ray Leonard
(Related: Fear, First)

"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."
- Sugar Ray Leonard
(Related: Man)

"I'm a free agent. I haven't allowed any promoters to have exclusive options on my fight. I don't need a promoter."
- Sugar Ray Leonard
(Related: Fight, Options)

"I'm not religious, but I believe that what I have is a gift, and I respect it and live up to it."
- Sugar Ray Leonard
(Related: Religious, Respect)

"I've never believed in tying myself up in a long-range contract, and I've been very outspoken on that subject."
- Sugar Ray Leonard
"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."
- Sugar Ray Leonard
(Related: Funny, Hair, Italy, Kids)

"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."
- Sugar Ray Leonard
"It's hard to talk about yourself."
- Sugar Ray Leonard
(Related: Talk)

"No one but myself thought I could beat guys like Tommy Hearns or Roberto Duran."
- Sugar Ray Leonard
(Related: Thought)

"I was painfully initiated into boxing, because the guys I fought were a lot bigger than me."
- Sugar Ray Leonard
(Related: Boxing)

"To be the best, you need to spend hours and hours and hours running, hitting the speed bag, lifting weights and focusing on training."
- Sugar Ray Leonard
(Related: Running, Training)

"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."
- Sugar Ray Leonard
(Related: Talent)

"When I turned pro, Muhammad Ali was laying back, and I was able to fill up an area that was empty."
- Sugar Ray Leonard
"When I'm not in training. I'll walk around the streets at 153, but it's not solid; it's my socializing weight."
- Sugar Ray Leonard
(Related: Training, Weight)

"When we got back to the U.S., I wanted to kiss the ground after seeing what people in other countries are denied or don't have."
- Sugar Ray Leonard
(Related: Kiss, People, Countries)

"Within our dreams and aspirations we find our opportunities."
- Sugar Ray Leonard
(Related: Dreams, Aspirations)

"You just don't heal that easy unless you're young."
- Sugar Ray Leonard
"Generally, the more weight you put on, the less effective you are."
- Sugar Ray Leonard
(Related: Weight)

"Holyfield is nothing but class, and I think he's a breath of fresh air for the sport."
- Sugar Ray Leonard
(Related: Class, Nothing)

"I fought tall fighters, short fighters, strong fighters, slow fighters, sluggers and boxers. It was either learn or get knocked off."
- Sugar Ray Leonard
"I think I've become one of the best finishers in boxing; if I hurt a guy, I normally take him out."
- Sugar Ray Leonard
(Related: Boxing, Hurt)

"They say that I'm stubborn, and my wife says that, too, but it's paid off so far."
- Sugar Ray Leonard
(Related: Wife)

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