Sugar Ray Leonard has a new a book out called ‘The Big Fight: My Life In and Out of the Ring,’. In his book, the boxer discusses his past of growing up in a home with domestic violence and alcohol use, his cocaine abuse, almost drowning as a child, surviving a car accident in which his mother was driving and becoming a father as a teenager.
Photo Credit - AP - Sugar Ray Leonard and his wife
In an emotional interview discussing his new book on CNN, boxer ‘Sugar’ Ray Leonard teared up as he relived the flip side of his glittering career – the drugs, alcohol and sexual abuse that nearly put the fighter on the ropes.
Sugar Ray almost broke down as he was asked about the the trainer who took advantage of the young fighter 37 years ago.
‘I said it to my first wife Juanita. But I had been drinking at the time.
‘A guy don’t talk about those things.
‘Especially me as a fighter I could have kicked their butts.
‘But I didn’t.’
The former five weight world champion sensationally revealed last month that he had suffered sexual abuse as a young fighter by a top Olympic boxing coach.
In a disturbing passage, he wrote: ‘Before I knew it he had unzipped my pants and put his hands and mouth on an area that has haunted me for life.’
Available on Amazon
