Sugar Ray, boxeador de lujo

"Sugar" Ray Leonard, para los que tuvimos la suerte de ver sus peleas en aquellos años, fue de aquellos boxeadores que enamoraban con sus movimientos, fintas, y amagues. Peleó con los grandes de aquella época (Durán, Hearns, Hagler). A continuación algunos datos biográficos (en inglés) y una entrevista (en castellano) donde cuenta el asesoramiento que brindó en la filmación de una película, Real Steel. En vocabulario goading

Ray Charles Leonard (born May 17, 1956), best known as "Sugar" Ray Leonard, is an American former professional boxer, motivational speaker, and occasional actor. Often regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time, he competed from 1977 to 1997, winning world titles in five weight divisions; the lineal championship in three weight divisions; as well as the undisputed welterweight title. Leonard was part of "The Fabulous Four", a group of boxers who all fought each other throughout the 1980s, consisting of himself, Roberto Durán, Thomas Hearns and Marvin Hagler. Leonard was also the first boxer to earn more than $100 million in purses, and was named "Boxer of the Decade" in the 1980s.

Leonard was born in Wilmington, North Carolina. He was named after Ray Charles, his mother's favorite singer. The family moved to Washington, D.C., when he was three, and they settled permanently in Palmer Park, Maryland when he was ten. His father worked as a supermarket night manager and his mother was a nurse. He attended Parkdale High School, Leonard was a shy child, and aside from the time he nearly drowned in a creek during a flood in Seat Pleasant, Maryland, his childhood was uneventful. He stayed home a lot, reading comic books and playing with his dog.

Amateur career

Leonard started boxing at the Palmer Park Recreation Center in 1969. His older brother, Roger, started boxing first. Roger helped start the boxing program, urging the center's director, Ollie Dunlap, to form a team. Dave Jacobs, a former boxer, and Janks Morton volunteered as boxing coaches. Roger won some trophies and showed them off in front of Ray, goading him to start boxing.

In 1972, Leonard boxed in the featherweight quarterfinals of the National AAU Tournament, losing by decision to Jerome Artis. It was his first defeat. Later that year, he boxed in the Eastern Olympic Trials. The rules stated that a boxer had to be seventeen to box in international competition, so Leonard, only sixteen, lied about his age. He made it to the lightweight semifinals, losing a disputed decision to Greg Whaley, who took such a beating that he wasn't allowed to continue in the trials and never boxed again.

In 1973, Leonard won the National Golden Gloves Lightweight Championship, but lost to Randy Shields in the lightweight final of the National AAU Tournament. The following year, Leonard won the National Golden Gloves and National AAU Lightweight Championships. Leonard suffered his last two losses as an amateur in 1974. He lost a disputed decision to Anatoli Kamnev in Moscow, after which, Kamnev gave the winner's trophy to Leonard. In Poland, Kazimierz Szczerba was given a decision victory over Leonard, even though he was dominated in the first two rounds and dropped three times in the third.

Leonard won the National Golden Gloves and National AAU Light Welterweight Championships in 1974. The following year, he again won the National AAU Light Welterweight Championship, as well as the Light Welterweight Championship at the Pan American Games.

In 1976, Leonard made the U.S. Olympic Team as the light welterweight representative. The team also included Leon and Michael Spinks, Howard Davis, Jr., Leo Randolph, Charles Mooney, and John Tate.

Vocabulario

Goading: forcing, provoking, pushing, animating.

They may play important roles in goading the men to action.

'Real Steel' Sugar Ray Leonard Interview

Sugar Ray talks to Hollywood.com about working as the fight choreographer in the new movie 'Real Steel'

— ¿Cómo se conecta con el film?

—Fui llamado para trabajar con Hugh en la ejecución de sus golpes. Asegurarme que tenía la expresión frente a los golpes. No solo das un golpe. Tiene que haber un sentimiento, una convicción en la mirada. También quería que se viera como un entrenador porque la relación entre el entrenador y el luchador es muy cercana. No siempre tengo que hablarte, te puedo mirar. Eso fue lo que él trajo a la pantalla.

— ¿Cuál es tu impresión de Hugh, parece muy carismático?

—Es carismático. Fue como un estudiante para mí. Yo le enseñaba estas cosas. Era como un estudiante que quería aprender más y también es perfeccionista. Y pienso que su trabajo en Broadway también lo benefició porque todo es acerca de presentar.

— ¿Trabajaste en muchos films antes?

—No, este es el primero. Y lo disfruté. La coreografía, los movimientos de boxeo, los movimientos de los robots y, dependiendo de su diseño, le di a uno de los robots mi estilo y al otro el estilo de George Foreman.

— ¿Cuál es su película de boxeo favorita?

—Raging Bull, Requiem for a Heavyweight y Rocky. Todas clásicas.

—Hay algo que el boxeo le da a las películas. Es como que la mayoría de las películas buenas son de boxeo.

—Porque se ven cosas fuera del ring, se ve a la familia. Vemos a la persona soportar todos los golpes y saber por qué lo hace… (Traducción propia hasta el minuto 3. Gracias Youtube)

Artículos relacionados

Siempre me preguntaba por qué Tarzán era el rey de la selva en África… Y Miss América siempre era blanca… Y Miss Mundo siempre era blanca, y Miss Universo era siempre blanca… Muhammad Alí y el color de Jesús

… no todos se levantan temprano en la mañana para correr, ni todos van al gimnasio, ni esperan dos o tres horas en el vestuario antes de ir al ring… Mike Tyson y su entrenador Cus D'amato

Siempre es bueno recibir una crítica, una sugerencia. Gracias a los que nos siguen. La idea sigue siendo compartir algo del siglo XX, que haya significado algo.

Keep in touch