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SUGAR RAY LEONARD OFFERS KNOCKOUT TIPS

BY DEBRA HAZEL

Focus and determination are what turn the outstanding into the exceptional, boxing great Sugar Ray Leonard told his listeners at the Spring Convention.

“Determination is what turns average men and women into giant-killers,” he said. “No one is born a world champion.”

Leonard, dressed casually in a track suit and baseball cap, showed clips from a few of his 36 boxing victories to drive home his points about how to become a winner — lessons applicable even to those who are not Olympic or world boxing champions.

“I’m 5 foot nine, 175 pounds — pretty average,” Leonard told a breakfast audience. “I don’t stand out in a crowd. A lot of successful people don’t. What makes me anything but average is the frame of mind.”

Fighters use all their determination and resources to win a bout, he said. Extraordinary people are willing to put in the “road work,” the extra time and effort to succeed. “It’s about knowing your competitors’ strong points and weak points, and the more you do it, the easier it becomes,” Leonard said.

Extra training, he said, allowed him to return from retirement to defeat Marvin Hagler in 1987, one of the greatest upsets in boxing history. But he believed in himself, Leonard said.

“Our country was founded by people who ignored the odds,” he said. “In order for you to succeed, you must let your training work for you.”

Knowing the odds means surrounding oneself with good people and communicating with them, he added. Listening is very important, and you must be willing to learn from your mistakes. Leonard’s first loss ever, to Roberto Duran, happened because Leonard lost his composure. Even before the bout, Duran had played mind games, insulting Leonard and even Leonard’s wife.

“He had a couple of rounds [won] before the fight began,” Leonard recalled.

In preparation for the rematch, he watched the tape of that first fight over and over. “He wasn’t going to change,” he said. “I had to change how that image affected me. This time, my plan was to box him, frustrate him and make him lose his composure.”

That’s exactly what happened. A video clip showed Duran walking away and quitting midfight, forever earning him the sobriquet in the boxing world of Roberto “No Más (no more)” Duran.

Leonard was willing to take risks, including moving up from the middleweight to the super middleweight division late in his career to win yet another title.

“It’s about dreaming a dream and turning it into a reality,” he said.

And that helps create a winner, regardless of the contest. Leonard acknowledged that his definition of a winner has changed since his retirement from the ring. He retired from boxing for good in 1997, 20 years after turning pro, and has since been a sports commentator for various television networks. He also oversees the Sugar Ray Leonard Youth Foundation, which educates children about the dangers of drug abuse, street gangs and violence.

His victories now are his family, every bit as important to him as his Olympic gold medal and his WBC middleweight and super middleweight world championships.

“Helping my son with his homework is as much a victory as anything in the ring, especially if he passes,” Leonard said. “The fights never really go away. They just change.”