The Big Fight
My Life In and Out of the Ring
By Sugar Ray Leonard; Michael Arkush
(Plume, Paperback, 9780452298040, 320pp.)
Publication Date: May 29, 2012
Other Editions of This Title: Hardcover
Categories: Sports - General, Boxing, Personal Memoirs
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In his New York Times bestselling memoir, one of America’s greatest boxing legends faces his single greatest competitor: himself
In Washington, D.C., during the 1970s, a black man could get into the newspapers in one of two ways: crime—or boxing. “Sugar” Ray Leonard chose to fight. After winning a gold medal at the 1976 Olympics, Ray wanted to call it quits and go to college, but his family’s financial needs made him go pro. Boxing history was made. All the while, another, darker Ray—one overwhelmed by depression, rage, drug addiction, sexual abuse, and greed—battled for dominance. In The Big Fight, Ray comes to terms with both these men and shares a brutally honest and remarkably inspiring portrait of the rise, fall, and ultimate redemption of a true fighter—inside and outside the ring.Sugar Ray Leonard worked as a boxing analyst for ABC and HBO after retiring from the ring. He lives with his wife and two children in California.
Sugar Ray Leonard was feared in the boxing ring and adored outside of it. He captured the world's attention when winning gold at the 1976 Olympics, and is credited with keeping boxing relevant to a new generation. But a complex personal tale lies behind that bright personality. Host Michel Martin speaks with Sugar Ray Leonard about his new autobiography The Big Fight: My Life In and Out of the Ring. More at NPR.org
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The former boxing champ won world titles in five weight divisions and received a gold medal at the 1976 Olympics. In his new autobiography, The Big Fight, Leonard details the obstacles he battled � including sexual abuse and addictions � during his career. More at NPR.org
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“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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