Sugar Ray Leonard quotes

Sugar Ray Leonard is an American professional boxer, widely regarded as one of the greatest fighters of all time. His legendary career includes world titles in five different weight divisions and memorable victories over other boxing icons. He is celebrated for his speed, technical skill, and charismatic presence inside and outside the ring. Here are 62 of his quotes:

I had a drug problem. I'd go to parties, take a leak, and there was cocaine right there. I was 25 when it started, rich, famous, and retired. (Sugar Ray Leonard)
We're all given some sort of skill in life. Mine just happens to be beating up on people. View quote
Sugar Ray Leonard
Tommy Hearns seemed like an indestructible machine, so to beat him, I think that was my defining moment, the pinnacle. View quote
Sugar Ray Leonard
Inactivity is the biggest sin in boxing. View quote
Sugar Ray Leonard
I tried the gloves on, and it just felt so natural. From that moment I became so embedded in boxing. I found a friend in boxing. View quote
Sugar Ray Leonard
The Ricky Hatton that beat Kostya Tszyu in 2005 can beat Floyd Mayweather, he was so focused and in such amazing physical shape that he would have given anybody at that level a tough time. View quote
Sugar Ray Leonard
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. View quote
Sugar Ray Leonard
Of all the fighters today, I have to say that Mayweather reminds me most of me," Leonard told Irish boxing writer Brian Doogan in describing the incident. "The kid has every gift and physical attribute, but if he continues to be the kind of person he is, he'll never be one of us. He'll never make it. View quote
Sugar Ray Leonard
I know exactly what it takes to beat this man, but people say, 'Well, Ray, two years of inactivity, you'll be rusty.' No, no. He will eliminate the rust because he is what I want and I am what he wants. And boxing needs that kind of fight. View quote
Sugar Ray Leonard
Duran quit in frustration. People were laughing and he couldn't deal with that. View quote
Sugar Ray Leonard
That name, 'Manos de Piedra', is true, Hands of Stone. Every punch, and I'm not exaggerating, every punch that he hit me with, from the body to the head, felt like bricks, stone, rocks. He knocked my teeth back. My front, my first 3 or 4 teeth, he knocked them back because he was just so possessed. He was a demon. (Sugar Ray Leonard)
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. View quote
Sugar Ray Leonard
No one but myself thought I could beat guys like Tommy Hearns or Roberto Duran. View quote
Sugar Ray Leonard
I was painfully initiated into boxing, because the guys I fought were a lot bigger than me. View quote
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. View quote
Sugar Ray Leonard
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. View quote
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. View quote
Sugar Ray Leonard
Within our dreams and aspirations we find our opportunities. View quote
Sugar Ray Leonard
Ali's belief in himself was something I picked up on, and it's become my own philosophy. View quote
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. View quote
Sugar Ray Leonard
Before the start of the '76 Olympics, I'd had 160 amateur fights. I won 155 and lost five. (Sugar Ray Leonard)
Generally, the more weight you put on, the less effective you are. View quote
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. View quote
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. View quote
Sugar Ray Leonard
Before I fight, I always pray that no one gets hurt. View quote
Sugar Ray Leonard