The Big Fight, Sugar Ray Leonard
The Big Fight, Sugar Ray Leonard
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The Big Fight
My Life In and Out of the Ring

Author: Sugar Ray Leonard, Michael Arkush

Narrator: Sugar Ray Leonard

Unabridged: 9 hr 27 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Published: 06/07/2011

Synopsis

In this unflinching and inspiring autobiography, the boxing legend faces his single greatest competitor: himself.Sugar Ray Leonard's brutally honest and uplifting memoir reveals in intimate detail for the first time the complex man behind the boxer. The Olympic hero, multichampionship winner, and beloved athlete waged his own personal battle with depression, rage, addiction, and greed.Coming from a tumultuous, impoverished household and a dangerous neighborhood on the outskirts of Washington, D.C., in the 1970s, Sugar Ray Leonard rose swiftly and skillfully through the ranks of amateur boxing-and eventually went on to win a gold medal in the 1976 Olympics. With an extremely ill father and no endorsement deals, Leonard decided to go pro.The Big Fight takes readers behind the scenes of a notoriously corrupt sport and chronicles the evolution of a champion, as Leonard prepares for the greatest fights of his life-against Marvin Hagler, Roberto Duran, Tommy Hearns, and Wilfred Benitez. At the same time Leonard fearlessly reveals his own contradictions and compulsions, his infidelity, and alcohol and cocaine abuse.With honesty, humor, and hard-won perspective, Leonard comes to terms with both triumph and struggle-and presents a gripping portrait of remarkable strength, courage, and resilience, both in and out of the ring.

About The Author

Sugar Ray Leonard worked as a boxing analyst for ABC and HBO after retiring from the ring. He has also served as a motivational speaker and actor. Throughout his career, Leonard received several awards and medals including the 1976 Olympic Light Welterweight gold medal. He lives with his wife and two children in California.Michael Arkush is an award-winning sportswriter who has written over 12 books, including The Last Season with Phil Jackson, The Big Fight with Sugar Ray Leonard, Rush!, the bestselling unauthorized biography of Rush Limbaugh, and Fairways and Dreams. Arkush lives in Oak View, California, with his wife, Pauletta.

Reviews

Goodreads review by robin on December 21, 2020

The Champ "He, truly, is supreme in battle, Who would conquer himself alone, Rather than he who would conquer in battle A thousand, thousand men." These words, from a Buddhist scripture called the Dhammapada, express a sentiment common to all religions. They also seem to me an appropriate motto for this......more

Goodreads review by Khurram on June 19, 2017

This is an excellent book. Ray Leonard's honesty about his past and experiences is what makes this book so special. I am a boxing fan and I was drawn in from page one. Even people who are not boxing fans should read this book. Simply because it really highlights the mental side of the game. It is th......more

Goodreads review by Deacon Tom on September 19, 2022

Very Honest I got this book because it was interesting to me to see what happened behind the scenes at boxing matches. I’m not really a boxing fan and I thought I could learn something from this story. In many ways it’s like a typical sports or rockstar story with ups downs while dealing with success.......more

Goodreads review by Thomas on August 09, 2017

A great read. I'm a boxing fan who was never a fan of his. Over time I appreciated him more through his foes. After reading this i like him, foibles and all. I enjoyed the book and the writing flow. On to the next boxing read......more

Goodreads review by Bruce on June 24, 2019

I have a special fan bond with Sugar Ray Leonard. In 1976, I hitchhiked from Boston to Montreal for the Summer Olympics, where I had tickets for Sugar Ray's quarterfinal boxing match. (An unforgettable trip in other ways: I was hitchhiking at night in southern Vermont and a black Porsche picked me u......more

Quotes

“The intelligence and self-reflection that helped Sugar Ray become one of the greatest fighters of his generation, have also stood him in good stead outside the arena."—The Boston Globe

“Champions come and go, but to be legendary you got to have heart, more heart than the next man, more than anyone in the world. Ray's heart was bigger than all the rest. He would never stop fighting.”—Muhammad Ali

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