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Ray
continued from page 6
never beat any of us. But he should be right
up there.
KW: Mike also asks: Was the Dicky
Eklund knockdown, highlighted in the
movie “The Fighter,” legit?
SRL: It was legit that I was knocked
down, or pushed down. [Chuckles] But I
remember that fight like it was yesterday
because that guy, Dick Eglund, was so
unorthodox. And it was the first time in my
life I really experienced racial hatred from
the fans. We’re talking about Boston back in
’78.
KW: I lived in Boston from ’75 to ’78.
It’s the most racist city I ever experienced
before or since. You couldn’t step foot in
white neighborhoods… they wouldn’t serve
you in some restaurants… and you couldn’t
go to Fenway Park or the Boston Garden.
SRL: I can believe it. When I arrived at
the airport, I had a priest or a pastor greet
me with, “Hey boy, welcome.”
KW: I could go on and on about Boston.
SRL: I could, too. That’s what it was like
back then.
KW: When I interviewed Governor Deval
Patrick last year, I told him I never
would’ve believed that Massachusetts
would ever elect a black governor after my
experiences in his state. Mike has one more
question: Do you regret coming out of
retirement past your prime to fight Terry
Norris and Hector Camacho?
SRL: Do I regret it? Yeah, I do, but it took
that to wake up to the fact that my time was
over, my time was gone. Sometimes it just
takes that kind of beating, if you will, to
wake up. It does. I didn’t want to take it. I
took it in intervals. The first time was in
’91. I retired and came back in ’97. Woo! I
mean, come on! I don’t know, man. A six-
year layoff? That was crazy! My career was
relatively short, whether you look at either
its length in years or the number of fights I
had. But it was brutal.
KW: That’s because it was the Golden
Age in terms of welterweights and mid-
dleweights.
SRL: Exactly! You couldn’t mess around
in that era there.
KW: Harriet Pakula Teweles says: With
mounting medical evidence that contact
sports aren’t providing ample equipment to
mitigate against cerebral concussions, how
would you feel about boxing associations
mandating protective headgear for fighters,
not just for sparring, but also during bouts?
SRL: I’m not in favor of that because we
learn as amateurs how to protect ourselves.
And that’s why there’s a third man in the
ring, the referee. And that’s why there has to
be a very strong boxing commission that
doesn’t allow guys in the ring who don’t
belong there. Look at football, where you
still have injuries no matter how much they
improve the helmets and other equipment.
Boxing’s a poor man’s sport. We can’t
afford to play golf or tennis. It is what it is.
It’s kept so many kids off the street. It kept
me off the street. What’s my options?
KW: Harriet also asks: Is it true that once,
when you were climbing between the ropes
and entering the ring, a reporter put a micro-
phone up to your face and asked, ‘Sugar
Ray, are you going to win tonight?’ And,
you replied, ‘I didn’t come here to lose.’ I
hope it’s true because I’ve always loved you
for that—it’s a great life lesson story. If it
isn’t, I’m going to continue to attribute it to
you anyway, because you’re a great life les-
son guy.
SRL: Thanks, Harriet. But yes, I did say
that.
KW: Yale grad Tommy Russell says: I
really respect your admission about battling
drug abuse during the tough times of your
professional life. What is the most impor-
tant thing you have learned from that expe-
rience?
SRL: I learned that I had character
defects, that I was allergic to alcohol and
drugs, and that I had an obsession with all
the bad stuff. But thank God that I woke and
that I had good people around me to support
me. There’s not much more I can say about
it. You have to want to be a better person.
KW: Larry Greenberg says: On Celebrity
Ghost Stories, you appeared with one of my
favorite young ancestresses, Leila Jean
Davis, and you shared some very personal
experiences. How did you like being on the
show?
SRL: I enjoyed it. I never thought in a
million years that I would tell people that I
saw a ghost. And I’ve seen a lot of ghosts.
[Laughs]
KW: Is there any question no one ever
asks you, that you wish someone would?
SRL: Yeah, how’s your day? [Chuckles]
KW: The Tasha Smith question: Are you
ever afraid?
SRL: Yes, we all are afraid of something.
We might not admit it, but we are.
KW: The Columbus Short question: Are
you happy?
SRL: Extremely!
KW: The Teri Emerson question: When
was the last time you had a good laugh?
SRL: Just now. [Chuckles]
KW: What is your guiltiest pleasure?
SRL: It used to be a pint of ice cream in
bed.
KW: The bookworm Troy Johnson ques-
tion: What was the last book you read?
SRL: “The Big Fight.” http://www.ama-
zon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0452298040/re
f=nosim/thslfofire-20
KW: What inspired you to write the
book?
SRL: To be honest, I don’t know. I start-
ed one back in 1982 or ’83 when I first
retired. But I was only 25 or 26 and not
ready to write my memoirs.
KW: The music maven Heather Coving-
ton question: What music have you been lis-
tening to?
SRL: “Dance with My Father” by Luther
Vandross.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASI
N/B000099J41/ref=nosim/thslfofire-20
KW: What is your favorite dish to cook?
SRL: I’m pretty good with oatmeal.
KW: The Sanaa Lathan question: What
excites you?
SRL: Success. But not necessarily mone-
tary success.
KW: Judyth Piazza asks: How do you
define success?
SRL: Success is attaining your dream
while helping others to benefit from that
dream materializing.
KW: Dante Lee, author of “Black Busi-
ness Secrets,” asks: What was the best busi-
Sugar Ray Leonard
ness decision you ever made?
SRL: Remaining conservative.
KW: The Ling-Ju Yen question: What is
your earliest childhood memory?
SRL: At about 6, seeing my mom and dad
kissing and understanding it.
KW: The Melissa Harris-Perry question:
How did your first big heartbreak impact
who you are as a person?
SRL: It made me realize how much I
loved that person.
KW: What advice do you have for anyone
who wants to follow in your footsteps?
SRL: You don’t play boxing. [LOL] You
really don’t. You play golf, you play tennis,
but you don’t play boxing.
KW: The Tavis Smiley question: How do
you want to be remembered?
SRL: As someone who had an impact
outside the ring.
KW: Thanks again for the interview, Ray,
and best of luck with the book.
SRL: Thank you, Kam.
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Page 8 The Seattle Skanner July 18, 2012