Ray Charles Leonard was born on May 17, 1956 in Wilmington, North Carolina. His family moved to Washington, D.C., when he was 3, and settled in Palmer Park, Maryland. Ray grew up as a quiet kid who really didn’t get into any trouble. He started boxing at the urging of his older brother Roger at age 13, and his skills developed quickly. He reached the National AAU quarterfinals in 1972, and in the Olympic trials later that year as well. Even though he lost, his boxing coach Dave Jacobs recognized his talent, and gave him his nickname of “Sugar”, after the legendary Sugar Ray Robinson.
Ray won the 1973 National Golden Gloves Lightweight Championship, but lost in the finals of the US National Championships. In 1974, Leonard won both the National Golden Gloves and the US National Championships as a light welterweight. The next year he also won the Pan American Games, and was headed towards the Olympics in Montreal.
Ray made the 1976 Olympic team as a light welterweight, and went 6-0 to capture the Gold medal. It’s the first time I ever saw him fight, and his talent and personality made him a household name. After the games, he announced his retirement from boxing, and planned on going to the University of Maryland on a scholarship he was given, to study business and communications.
Unfortunately for Ray, he had fathered a son with his girlfriend at age 17, and the news turned off prospective endorsement deals he had hoped for. His father also had contracted meningitis, and his mother had a heart attack, so Ray had no choice but to turn pro to help his parents and to support his son.
One of his trainers, Janks Morton, introduced him to Mike Trainer, an attorney friend. Trainer had talked 24 of his friends into investing $21,000 to kickstart Ray’s career, to be repaid in four years at 8% interest. Ray was named the sold stockholder in Sugar Ray Leonard, Inc., and Angelo Dundee was signed to be his manager and trainer. Dundee agreed to leave the day to day training to Dave Jacobs and Janks Morton, but would prescribe the training, and choose Ray’s opponents.
With his team set, Sugar Ray Leonard was about to embark on one of the most successful careers in professional boxing history.
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