Transcript of Sugar Ray Leonard: Belief, Influence, and Winning the Mental Fight

I didn't have the talent, but I worked so hard. When people tell you, you can't do this, you can't do that, you have to believe in yourself. Words can't describe the feeling of the Olympic gold medal. He used to beat on me a lot. My brother, Roger, he hit me. I said, yes, I cry. I cried all the time.

The greatest US boxing team in Olympic history has not only Ray won the gold medal, but four teammates won the gold medal. This world from dragging me down, going to stand by.

Before we began, I just want to do this.

Anna.

No. Just making sure It still works.

Thank you very much. We're going to box the next five minutes, I think. We're going to see what happens. Yes, I don't think it's going to go well for me. Yes. But we might wrestle. Can we wrestle?

Are you okay with that shot?

Yes, I am good. I thank you for pulling the punch because I am clear that that would not have felt good. No, of course I am. I did wrestle, yes. It was amazing. The honor that this is, the privilege this is, is amazing. But the truth is that I can't imagine this is going to be any better than what happened last night. But I'll do my best because sitting next to Sugar Ray Leonard at the Paper Corn's Restaurant, which was a half a mile away from where I started this crazy journey, quit my job, opened my first law firm. I used to go there twice a week to have lunch. I love it. We're in the back in a beautiful private area. And the love, the empathy, the fun, the presence, the man flew in exhausted. I had no thought that he would even go to dinner last night. And there he is at dinner, and I'm sitting next to him shoulder to shoulder. He was bumping in me. He's fun, magical, heart-centered, a master of masters. And I will not call you. I don't want to get punched again. I will not call you Mr. Actually, I do want to get punched again.

I would love if you punch me 10 more times. That would be amazing because then I could go home and be like, I could take pictures and have a black eye and say, Sugar Red Leonard gave it to me. It's amazing. So Mr. Leonard, just how are you? How's life? What's going on? What are you up to, please? I know you told me last night, but what do you want to tell these people about where your life is now, and then we'll go back to the beginning.

I just feel so blessed from where I've been, from what I've done, from what I created. The thing about it, I'm shy, non-confrontational, but sociable, if that makes any sense. But you know what, guys, I'm a blessed man. I mean, from what I've done, from where I've been, from what took place from day one. It's like when I won the gold medal in the Olympics. I mean, there was nothing competitive to that. I mean, win the gold medal because we were not expected to win anything. We won five gold medals. But coming home, my whole vision was to go to University of Maryland, further my education, get a good job, take care of my wife and my kids, my family. But you know what? It got even better than that. I was able to inspire people because people tell you what they can't do. They say, You can't do this, you can't do that. But you know what? You have to believe in yourself because If you don't, no one else will.

Let's hear for that. And so Ray, and this is what Asman call him, I would call him Mr. Leonard, and he threatened to punch me again if I called him Mr. Leonard. But Ray He could have gone to the University of Maryland on an academic scholarship. He's a brilliant man, and he did not want to box professionally after the Olympics. His goal was to represent our country and to win the Olympic gold medal. And after he did, to be complete, but then he had his dad and his mom, his family, and the beautiful things he wanted to do. So he went into professional boxing. But is there anything from your childhood, Ray, that you'd want this group to know about how that began to form and shape who you were? Anything in your childhood, growing up in Maryland, or do you want to jump right into leading up to the Olympics and your boxing career?

Well, I tried not for the 1972 Olympics. I wasn't as experienced, qualified, but I went through it. I tell you, it was meant to be because, first of all, I I didn't have the talent I thought, but I worked so hard. Again, I hate to be redundant, but when people tell you, You can't do this, you can't do that, you have to believe in yourself.

Right, didn't you? If I recall, if I don't remember this right then, just tell me, but didn't you have an older brother? Right. Then he used to beat up on you a little bit growing up, and then that changed?

He used to beat on a lot. My brother, Roger, he just hit me. I said, I started crying. I cried all the time. But I go to my mom and said, Deal, hit me. She said, Sweetheart, punch him back. I'm punching him back. He took me to the boxing gym, and I was introduced to boxing. I was doing this like this. I said, I don't want to do this anymore. But then again, it was God given. I believe in God, no question about that. I pray every day, every single day. Even before a fight, I pray before a fight. I don't pray away. I pray no one gets hurt except for Brother Durán.

Which he did write in the book. That is a lie in the book. He's like, I never want anybody to get hurt. I always prayed that nobody would get hurt except Roberto Durán. It was this great cliffhanger, and then came back later.

No, I hate that saying. But we're friends now.

Ray, was there a time, do you remember what it was like when Roger couldn't beat up on you anymore, and now you were able to beat up on Roger? Is that something that you recall, or it's was that really something that meant something to you? Oh, no.

Come on. Again, my brother... I love my brother, but he used to just smack me upside of the head just because I was sitting there. You ever experienced that, guys? Yeah. I mean, I cry. I always go to my mom, always go to my mother. Then one day, one year, one month, I just said, I want to be a good boxer, a great boxer. I love Muhammad Ali, and I love Joe Frazier. I used to fight like Joe Frazier. Then when I saw Joe Frazier fight Ali, and I saw him after the fight, he was like, punched everything. So I started fighting like Muhammad Ali.

Because I think you said you didn't want your face to look like Joe Frazier. You wanted your face to look like Muhammad Ali.

Muhammad Ali, yeah. My My real name is Ray Charles Leonard. My mother's name is Ray Charles. I can't sing. I can't. In the shower, I can sing. That sounds good. But no, I tell you, I try to be as humorous as I possibly can be because sometimes I take things too deeply. I don't know if it makes sense or not, but it's... I keep saying, life is what you make it.

When you and team, do we have MJ Tink, do we have a couple of clips ready or do not? Amazing. So is it okay if we step into a couple of different clips from your past? Is that okay? We show them on the screen.

Well, the ones I want.

Yes. So yes, we'll do that. So maybe let's go with either the Olympics. If we start with the Olympics, great. If not, maybe Wilfredo Benitez. Do we have that team? Thanks, Tink. Great job. Let's start Show at the Olympics. Was that okay if we show at the Olympics? Now I'm blind, so to me, you look the same.

Yeah.

It's about a Cuban fighter. I mean, he can... Oh, that Cuban fighter is now in desperate trouble. Another standing eight counts. There can be no other way. We're counting down. Eighteen seconds, 17 seconds less than the fight. Sixteen, fifty, fourteen. Ray Leonard with a right leg and the left, cleaning up. The children is ready to go.

The real three stops the contest. The crowd goes wild.

Ray Leonard, the father of Lord Farrell.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, You know what? You.

You. You. You are standing down.

I walked up here. Yeah? You think you can take me?

I'm serious. No, no, no, no, no, Nobody ever does. Yeah, but let me show you something. Yeah. Thank you. All right, buddy. Thank you. That is amazing. Yes, Lanch, you're okay, right? So do you remember that guy? That guy in the Olympics? Do you remember him?

Aldrich Adamus. Is that Cuban? Okay, yes. Aldres Adamus.

I mean, do you remember the Sugar Ray Leonard, that guy that won the Olympics? Do you remember that guy?

Yeah. Yeah? Yeah. Good.

And how did that feel? What were you feeling come out of winning the gold medal?

Words can't describe the feeling of the Olympic gold medal. It was so incredible. It was just special, very competitive, and it made me who I am today. That thought, that way of thinking. Because whatever I do and get involved with, I'm so optimistic I missed it. The same thing with boxing. Life is a fight.

Yeah. Yeah.

Life is a fight.

You were telling me that the toughest person you've ever fought may not have been some of the people you think. Who is the toughest person that you ever have a fight with?

My wife.

I I'm serious.

I'm not, huh? Yes, we do. Yes, we do.

I love you, bro. This is super fun. Ray's wife had set up some martial arts training, fighting with this amazing guy, Baxter. Baxter tells a great story about it that he came and said, Hey, what do you want to work on today? Ray, do you want to share what you told Baxter? Because there's kicking, punching, there's all the things.

No, I said, Hey, man, I don't want to learn how to kick. I'm pretty good with my hands. Baxter, where are you, Baxter? That's my man, Baxter.

Let's hear for Baxter. In 1976 Olympics, much like we discussed for some of the people have, I recently had the privilege of spending time with Michael Ruzioni for the 1980 Miracle on Ice gold medal hockey team. And first of all, he said his toughest fight was his wife, too. So that may be a thing. It's like talk to Sadia Khanabout or something. I'm not sure. But what also was true is that Ray was fighting against a professional as an amateur because the Cubans, like when Michael Ruzioni played hockey against the Soviets, they were professionals. So Ray was an amateur young man fighting against professionals. And this is why nobody thought the 1980 Miracle and Ice team was going to win the gold medal, and they did. And nobody thought the United States would ever have five gold medalists. So he's a group of, I think, to this day, the greatest US boxing team in Olympic history as not only Ray won the gold medal, but four teammates won the gold medal. Just completely, unprecedentedly insane. So I just want to make sure that that's clear. Let's hear for that, by the way. Thank you. Thank you for that.

And then would it be okay if we You showed a clip from when you fought Wilfredo Benitez? I think we have that. Is that okay with you?

Did I win that?

I think so. Okay. I think so. Short. I'm pretty short because it's... Hold on a sec, team. It's 1979, and I'm going to be a weeble, a Cub Scout, and we have our Blue and Gold dinner, and I fight and fight and fight and go from hello to yes with my mom that I could miss my Blue and Gold dinner, and I could be there watching somebody who is becoming a hero of mine that I saw as a six-year-old win the gold medal, and now I'm nine years old, and he is fighting, I believe it was on WABC, Wide World of Sports. He is fighting for the welterweight Championship of the World, but he is fighting against a guy who I think was undefeated, Wilfredo Benitez, who at 17 years old had become the youngest professional fighter to ever win the a World Championship in Boxing. And this is who Sugar Red Lantern is going to fight against. And so people are like, That's going to be a pretty tough fight. So how are you feeling about going in to fight Wilfredo Benitez? How was that for you?

I was very optimistic, but I thought I always think that way. You just have to believe in yourself because if you don't, no one else will.

Amazing. All right. Tink, let's see what was going on in 1979. He got him down again.

It seemed almost inevitable. Looking, roughly like, lovely. Looking at the ground. It doesn't dilute the courage he's shown or the skills he's shown. Maybe now they won't call Sugar Ray Leonard a hype. There He stopped the fight. He stopped. Yeah. He comes to call for walk through.

You know what happens, folks? You heard Howard Cossell say it. They call Sugar Ray Leonard Hype. Because when you own yourself, when you talk about who and what you are, people say it's Hype. But with this man, what was it? The truth. What was it? The truth. This man's the champ, and that's the truth. And he just beat a man that was a champion of champions, and he dismantled him and became a champion. So it's here for Sugar Ray Leonard. Look at this.

That's I love you. That's fantastic.

And Ray, I think you and Howard Coselle became friends. Is that right? Very much. How did you... You want to tell us anything Howard Coselle?

No, Howard was a dear friend of mine. And I mean, respectfully, we spent a lot of time together and we became friends. And yes, it was special.

Yeah. And at some point, we'll get that in a little bit. But is it okay? Because I think it'll help set up something else. Are you okay if we show a little bit from Montreal, or is that not okay?

Montreal, yes.

Okay.

, remember?

But then was Montreal also Roberto Durán? Is that okay if we show anything from Durán 1? Or you'd rather not do that?

I hate this.

I'm sorry?

You know how some people you don't like? No, because he would curse me. He would curse my wife. No, yes, he did. I was like, and I was so angry, but he used experience to get into my head. I fought his fight. I fought his style because normally I move around the ring and I utilize the ring and I slip and slide. But that time I was trying to just take him out right away, but it happened the other way.

Yeah.

But it was results.

Yeah. A lot of folks, again, no matter what you do, people are going to still say, You're not real. So he's the champ. And now people are saying, Well, he can't beat Roberto Durán. And Sugar Ray Leonard is not going to be able to fight. Like, Roberto Durán fights. He's not tough. He's just a boxer. And then what Ray is saying is that he got influenced by Durán to fighting Durán's fight and standing toe to toe. And Sugar Ray Leonard fought an unbelievable fight and lost a very close decision that could have gone either way. But we're going to set up the punchline after this where they fought a second time. But let's just see the first one real quick. Team, do we have that? All right, Tank, go ahead, please. Are you sure you have it?

Sugar Ray Leonard. Oh. Well, well for the wrap.

Well for the way, it's a championship fight. Ferdin, Leonard is flat-footed. He did not come out to dance. He wants to go toe-to-to with him. He's faking. He's slowly cutting. You see that? Oh, he took a hard look at him. Leonard wants to trade with him. Leonard wants to trade with him, and Durán is willing to lie. Oh, he heard Leonard. He heard Leonard go to the court. He buckled Leonard, and he filled He's going on. Leonard is in trouble. He doesn't have to fight the 15th round. Here's the clock. I can't believe it. Six, I can't believe it. Five, four, Durand thinks he has won the fight. I can't believe it. It's over.

He thinks he's won despite it, he doesn't have to fight the 15th round. He was a maniac. Durand, What was the last thought?

So close decision doesn't win. And remember what Ray said, Roberto Durán cursed his wife, said the most vile, crazy things. This was an act. I mean, this guy was a complete maniac saying terrible things. And I certainly read the book. If you have not read Sugar Ray Leonard's autobiography, it is absolutely amazing. And a must read. It is on Audible. I don't recommend books often. It is so powerful to go through the story, and it's read by Sugar Ray Leonard himself, so I highly recommend it. Right after the fight, what was that like for you after the Durán fight?

Words can't really describe what I felt like because I knew I felt I fought the wrong fight. But he got Because boxing is not just about punching guys. It's about here, it's about here, it's about there. He beat me more physically, I mean, psychologically, than he did physically. I learned a big lesson from that. Then what happened, it took place like I asked for a rematch, and it was less than six months, which is unprecedented because normally, fights of that significance takes a couple of years before it happens again. I did something to him. I stuck my chain out and I did this and hit with this. Yeah.

So, Tink, we got... Do we have Do we have Duran Leonard, too? We got that tank? Let's go. Let's hit it. Let's show that. Here we go.

Oh, What a fight. And what a different place. Establishing his movement in the early going, establishing his ability occasionally to work that job. Leonard has fought a totally different fight, and not allowing Durand to pull him against the ropes every minute of every round, the way Durand did first time around. Again, Octabio Meirán of Mexico, the third man in the ring. No posturing this round by Leonard. I think people have underrated the physical strength of Sugar Ray Leonard. He is much stronger than his body appears. You see the time? The pace has slackened in this round. It would have had to, I think. That time, it was Leonard who was holding. Leonard keeps those hands moving. Right there, a good left. A good right. He is working Duran effectively. And Durand, must result, keep falling in. And he does.

He was so mad.

Duran Let's hear for Sugar Ray Leonard. I cried. I was so grateful when this happened. And my dad, who we rooted for all the same people in teams, was rooting for Roberto Durán.

Where's your father?

Yeah. And so last night, I'm telling Ray this, last night, he's like, Let's call your dad. So we get my dad on FaceTime last night, and Ray pulls his hat down over his head. He's like, Hey, Bobby. My dad's like, Yeah? He's like, Hey, Bobby. He goes, I want to fight you. And he pulls it off my back. And it was unbelievable. Thank you so much for that. Imagine being able to do that for your dad. How crazy it is. So Ray, thank you. Thank you for that, Ray. I'm really done. And so when the reason... I'll give my perspective, then I'll ask his since he was there. But my perspective is the reason that Roberto Durán quit. They call it the no moss fight. If you've heard of the no moss fight, say yes. So they call it the no moss fight, no more, because Ray, Roberto Durán, had no answer. So everything he was trying to do, Sugar Ray Leonard, you just saw the movement. He just couldn't do what he wanted to do. And it was just... Roberto Durán had no answer for Sugar Ray Leonard. And Ray was in his head.

He was taunting him. He was putting his chin out. He was like, bowl of punching, he was doing all these things. And Durán was getting angry and angry and more and more. To the point, he made this guy, this stark raving lunatic, somebody you call very significance-driven, in the language, I'll use the language that people use about him, machismo, top level. He made him quit in front of the world. Walk away and just quit. That's what this man did. Thank you. But with the man that cursed his wife, let's get up for that.

Thank you.

Let's hear that for you. No. I can't see that for you. You did. He made him quit, though, with his fist. He made him quit with his body, his feet, his movement, and he made him quit with his mind and his influence. He was influencing him, influencing him, influencing him, by the way, with integrity. And the influence that Ray Leonard was bringing forward was, You can't beat me, man. And I'm going to I'm going to humiliate you. I'm going to embarrass you. And you're going to have more of it and more of it and more of it and more of it to the point that he quit. That's what he did. So at least that's my story. You were there. You did it. So please, Ray, what was that like for you? What do you think actually? What do you want the audience to know about what happened?

Well, words can't describe what took place that particular night. Because Durán, I mean, I hate that guy.

I really used to hate him.

Because all of a sudden, and it just happened spontaneously. I mean, I was moving around, and I still did that. People started laughing, and I started doing this and doing this and hitting with that one. It was just his mentality made him quit. He was so mad and so angry because I was thinking he's going to laugh, and I was shuffling everything and doing this and everything, stick my chin out and everything. It worked. I wouldn't always do that. I wouldn't do that against Tommy Burns, but that's how it worked.

Amazing. Strange. Now, speaking of Tommy Burns, do we have anything from that, Tink?

Oh, wow.

Amazing.

I'm glad you brought Tommy Burns up. Please. And by the way, Tommy Burns, we fought again, the second time. Tommy deserved to get that decision. It It was called a draw, but Tommy deserved that, the win.

He was here for integrity.

I've yet to tell Tommy that.

Yeah. You could tell Tommy that. Don't tell me that, and don't tell my dad that, because I fought my dad to this day about that. Nobody tell my dad that Sugar Rael had said that.

Repeat that again.

I'm sorry?

Repeat that. You said what now?

I said that my dad, please don't tell my dad that you think that Tommy Burns won because I've fought against my dad to say that you won for my entire life. I don't want my dad to win the argument. So please don't tell my dad. Okay. All right.

We're on the same page.

Yes. Thank you. So don't tell Tommy Burns and don't tell my dad. Okay. So let's see it, Tink.

I'm sorry.

Ernst must be way ahead on points.

He certainly is on my card. And mine.

You're rolling it now, Let's pause it, Tink. Pause. So that's Angelo Dundee, who was training for Sugar Ray Leonard, but not the only one. He often came in later in the process, but he was in the corner, and he ran the corner. He was Muhammad Ali's trainer. Just unbelievable. Crazy. And in that moment, you heard him say, You're blown at sun. You're blown at sun because Sugar Ray Leonard was behind on points. This is the first time he fights Tommy Burns. Now, this is the next super fight of his life and his career. And Tommy Burns is now people saying that Sugar Ray Leonard can't be Tommy Burns. And Tommy Burns is this massive puncher, and they called him the Hitman. And now they're fighting. And Sugar Ray Leonard, who remember, everybody's saying, He's a boxer. He's a boxer. He's got to knock Tommy Burns out. If he doesn't knock out Tommy Burns, Tommy Burns is going to win. So, Tink.

Oh, what a hook by Ernst right on the button. That's what you heard. Leonard kicks coming on. He's a bull. Leonard takes a better punch. 19 seconds to go. Can he weather? I don't know. She's hitting on the break. She's doing everything. Twelve seconds to go. Ernst is in desperate trouble. The goal cannot save him if he goes down. That has counted enough down. He's letting time run out.

There's time run out. A big run run on the brakes.

That Yes.

Now, do we... Tink, do we have the end or we do not? Mike, do we have the end? What part? Okay, so then let's just get that, and we'll come back to it. Do we have Marvin Hagler? That silence means no. Oh, yeah. Okay, Michael, just be getting the end of the Tommy Hearns fight when Sugar Ray Leonard knocks him out. Coming up, and then we'll go Marvin Hagler first. But real quick for everybody. What I think that represents for you is there's privilege windows that open up in your influence. And what Sugar Ray Leonard did is he caused a moment of a window to open. And when that window opened, you're going to see it when we show the rest of the ending of the fight in the next round, that he finishes. And if you think what you just saw right there was bad for Tommy Burns, Wait till you see what happens in the ending of what he does to Tommy Hearns. Because the window opened and this man finished, and you got to finish. You got to finish in the causing of yes, and this man finished. Let's hear for that.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Absolutely.

Michael, just real quick, Michael, how long do you think until we can show the clip of the ending of the next round? The knockout. Cool. Okay. When Angela Dundee is saying, You're blowing it, kid. You're blowing it, kid. What are you feeling? Are you even thinking in that moment? Are you just focused? What's it like to be in the 13th round, all these minutes, all these punches going back and forth? What's that like, please?

That's the inner thing. When Angelo said, he said the perfect words, perfect sense, you're blowing it, son. I mean, that was so I don't know how to simplify, but it was real. I knew I had to really get up and go for more. It's an amazing thing, amazing feeling, especially in boxing. It's just one of those moments, those moments in your life that you have to succeed, push forward.

Who is the toughest fight that you ever have beside your wife? Actually in the ring, who is the-I mean, it's not a joke now. That's why I try to laugh, but I don't laugh.

But no, my wife is tough.

But who is the toughest in the ring opponent? Which fate?

I tell you, they all had their thing, their talent, their power. Like, Marvin Exactly. He was ambidextrous. He was fast, powerful, strong, could punch. Tommy Heron, tall, fast, power. Durán, son of a... I'm telling the truth.

And then Sugar Ray Leonard came back and beat Durán another time. So he won the no-moss fight. Then he come back and beat him again later. But while we're working on getting the clip for the end of the Tommy Ernst fight, we'll do Tommy Ernst first then Marva Haggler. There's something that you shared at dinner last night with me, and I would never go to a place that anybody doesn't want to go to because I don't think it's relevant unless they do. And for Ray, it's very relevant because he had some other challenges during his life that he powered back from amazingly beautifully. So is there anything that you'd like to share about some other challenges that you came back from?

Well, I'm an alcoholic. I've been sober now for 18 years. It's interesting that as much as I had achieved in the ring and then we're happy, I wasn't totally happy. I was happy that I was able to take care of my parents and my siblings, my just people in general, and I helped. But all of a sudden, my life was not fulfilled. I was not totally happy. Went to drinking, and Again, I'm shy to a degree, but when I drank, I felt good. I was like, Yeah. I can dance, too. When I was in my own germ. I did tons of cocaine. But you know what? Because I heard my mother found out I was doing drugs and alcohol, and I just cold-tuck. I just stopped doing cocaine. I just stopped all of a sudden. The alcohol was a different story because I was going to a bar or whatever, just take a cup of drinks. Who likes to kill him? You don't drink too many? No? Yes. Just two a day? No. I tell you, and I support AA. That's what got me out.

Let's hear from that.

Yes, yes, yes.

From the book, it sounded like, at least from the book, and we talked about it at dinner last night, that maybe There were some people around you. You had some people around you that loved you very much and wanted to protect you and help you. But it also sounded like sometimes there were people around you that wanted to use you and take from you and Maybe that had something to do with some of this, at least. Is that true, not true? How did you deal with the people around you?

Life is not perfect, period. You know what? Sometimes you find out the hard way or the right way, but there's never really just a right way. But you know what? It's within you. It's you. You can make your life better. I tell you, like in the boxing ring, I went the distance. It's life I went a little distance to. You know what? I feel good and thank God for sure. Awesome. Thank you. Yeah.

Then Tink, or Michael, do we have the 7 Up commercial or do you not? 7 Up? Let's see that. Let's see that for five.

The 7 Up? Really? Yeah. I have a long time ago.

Yes. So this is Sugar Ray Leonard, Transcend's Boxing. Please. Yeah. Okay. Oh my. Good.

Wow, we got this check.

No, that's just my dad.

Thank you for that. That is amazing. That is amazing. We had the blessing of having Sugar Ray Leonard Jr. On the Heart of Influence a couple of years ago, and I shared that with Ray last night as well. Just make the sound of how that feels in your heart. That's what this man did, transcend to boxing. And he also was a great analyst, as I explained, for boxing, and he was fun and funny and brilliant and witty, clear, precise. And what I think also is a very true thing, just so you guys know that Most athletes, things don't end well for them financially. They're not appropriately taken care of and protected. But anything you want to say on it, Ray, or not, but a lot of the names we've mentioned that Ray fought, they did not end up in a good place financially. They did not end up in a place where they were living in a secure, positive environment. And Ray won that game, too. He won that battle. He won that fight. He was a beautiful life, and he has abundance and security and positive things. So let's also hear for that. Yeah.

Thank you.

Anything you want to say about that, Ray? How did you... A lot of guys ended up in really, really bad places, and you ended up in a really, really beautiful place. Anything that you attribute that to? Was anybody who helped protect you or anything you want to share?

Yeah. It just didn't happen. A friend of mine, James Morton, after the Olympics, said, Are you training pro? I said, No, Because I didn't want to turn pro. I was through. I wanted to go to the University of Maryland because I had a scholarship and further my education, get a good job and help out to some degree my parents. When James Morton said, Ray, you can make some good money, I did that, and I laid it up. I let him take care of everything, financially and everything. He introduced me to a guy named Mike Trey. Mike Trey is my attorney, and God bless him because he's no longer with us. But he took care of me big time. He made me an independent boxer. For the most part. I just had good people around. I had just good people around me. All I had to do was get in our ring and take care of business. That's awesome. It happened so wonderful.

And you said no to Don King, I think. Is that right?

Oh, Don King. Yeah. He said, Ray, you need to come with me. And as Don King is not always known He said, You don't need to know white people. No, he didn't say that. I'm like, I don't think about that. I got to go with that. But again, I feel so blessed, man. I really do. Again, I get somewhat over-emotional because I think from where I've come from, from how long I've been away and what I've dealt with and all the other things that came with this, I'm a blessed man.

You've been married. Yeah, let's hear it. I'm a blessed man. And Ray's got a beautiful wife. He's been married to for 32 years now. A beautiful marriage. He loses the fights, but he wins the game of life in marriage. So how's that? Yeah.

I mean, you guys are not old enough to know the singers, the platos, my wife. Are you? Yeah. Yeah. You're not old enough to know the platos. Okay.

Wait, Sugar Ray. Her husband's parent. Parent is, Are you going to fight Sugar Ray soon? What's happening here?

What's that?

He was in Or Lance. Yeah. So he's going to be fighting the people in the front. Yeah. Do we have, Michael, do we have Do we have Yek, the Hearns ending? Let's hit it.

Tommy. Tommy still calls me. Yeah. Now it's minute 44. Heine is right here on Tommy Hearns.

He's got to grab him. Heine is getting no rest. Heine is in real trouble. Heine is got to punch. Heine is going to give him some respect. Heine is holding them, which he's not doing. No, he's too weak here. It's not going to look. He's going to be not going to lose.

I don't believe that.

It was too big. I didn't ask you to locally, and we didn't ask you to lay your finger, lay your finger.

Well, actually, he cooperated. No, that's a bad joke.

And is it true that Tommy Heron still calls you and wants to fight you still?

Yeah. Tommy calls me every few months. Great. That's you and I going for it. I said, Tommy, have you looked in the mirror?

Oh, my God.

And he's not joking. That's Oh, he's not joking.

Trust me. Yeah.

Then, and this will be our last piece of the boxing part as we begin to round the bend with Mr. Sugar Ray Leonard. Then there's this guy, Marvin Hagler, and he is in a heavier weight class than Sugar Ray Leonard, for those that don't know that. And everybody's like, This guy's unbeatable. So whatever Roberto was, everybody's like, No, including my dad, is like, No, no, no, no, no, What was that like leading up to this fight where everybody and Sugar Red Leonard had not fought? Five years.

Five years.

This big gap in his career is going on. There's one thing, little fight in between, he crushed somebody. But so everybody's like, No, no, no, no, no, My family cried every day when I would see them, so I stopped seeing them.

But I trained for a year and went out there. People believed me. Well, they pray. I also say they believe in me, but no, they prayed for me.

Even people close to So he was in the boxing team at HBO with a guy named Larry Merchant. And even Larry Merchant was predicting that Sugar Ray Leonard was going to beat that Marvin Hagle was going to beat Sugar Ray Leonard, the odds were three and a half to one against him. And Larry Merchant, I think, as you wrote in the book, came in the ring before the fight and said, Prove me wrong. And it was just this impossible. I pay $39. I have all my friends from high school over. They're all so sick and tired of me talking about how much I love Sugar Ray Leonard. To be annoying, they're rooting for Marvin Hagler. In my house, I bought the fight. They didn't give me any money. Thirty-nine dollars is all the money I had my draw in my room, and I got to give it to my parents. And now we're set. We got popcorn, we got pizza, and I'm like, F you, mother effer, Sugar Ray Leonard is going to win. This is what's happening in 139 Vivian Avenue, Emerson, New Jersey, in my parents' house, and we're getting ready to throw down in what is going to be their thinking, a beat down on Sugar Ray Leonard.

But I know differently, Ray.

But are you trying to have me reimbursed you?

Yes. Can I have the $39, please? I think you have it. Yes. Darren, I want my 39 bucks. Are we ready? Are we ready, team? Here we go.

Pose himself on Ray and show who's boss.

That was a sharp right-hand by- If we don't have the decision at the end, let's get the decision, too.

And Hagner on left hand. He had early on, they've vanished. Hagner has led him into this fight. Or to put it in a more positive way, Ray Leonard has put himself into this fight. Now he's starting even to I'm not going to tag you. Watch it out. Watch it out. Smiling at him and just will simply say, Come on.

I'm just sitting here getting angry.

No question about it. But Ray, when you slide under the guy, stop. Nail him. When you How do you show me? Don't grab him on his shoulder.

Don't grab him on his head. He's on his shoulder, he found it. It shouldn't flourish and then get out. Come on, look and get out. Find a winner I have good decision.

And you, with your right-hand.

That was stellar.

Let's stand up for that. Let's stand up for that.

Thank you, guys. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. And F U Chris Nicolich, Tom Fladeko, Chris Tomicky, Roy, all of you all, because that was Sugar Ray Leonard doing what people said was impossible, but was not impossible. Let's hear it one more time for that. Anything else, Ryan? Anything else that you want these people to know before we say thank you? Anything else that you want them to know as we part?

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, guys. I love you.

God bless the champ. Let's hear the champ. The champ. The champ. The champ. The champ. The.