# Happy 58th Bday Sugar Ray Leonard!



## Stickgrappler (May 17, 2014)

Happy 58th Birthday Sugar Ray Leonard!!

Posted some vids in recognition 

Happy 58th Birthday Sugar Ray Leonard!! ~ Stickgrappler's Sojourn of Septillion Steps

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Also made some GIFs of Sugar Ray Leonard Vs Roberto Duran II Round 7

Had a good copy of fight that I misplaced. Used my old copy and resulted in crappy looking GIFs 











4 more GIFs here

GIFs of Sugar Ray Leonard Vs Roberto Duran II Round 7 ~ Stickgrappler's Sojourn of Septillion Steps



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Buka (May 18, 2014)

Stickgrappler,
Do you know the story behind why Ray so wanted to embarrass Duran in that second fight? It's a cool story.


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## Stickgrappler (May 19, 2014)

Buka said:


> Stickgrappler,
> Do you know the story behind why Ray so wanted to embarrass Duran in that second fight? It's a cool story.




I read Sugar Ray's The Big Fight, but for the life of me, I don't recall the story. Only recall it as mental warfare.

If you can, please share ... TIA.


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## Buka (May 19, 2014)

Ray Leonard told me this story.

Ray,  Juanita (his wife at the time) and Ray Jr were leaving the weigh-in.  Duran suddenly stepped out from behind one of those big velvet drapes  popular in Vegas hotels at the time. He had been taking a pee. *Still*  exposed, he made a kissing motion at Juanita. Ray went nuts and charged  at him, only to be intercepted by several shocked security guys from  the hotel. As they tried to keep Leonard and Duran apart, Duran (who  didn't speak English very well and had obviously been coached) said to  Ray, "When I'm done -----you in the ring I'm going to -----your pretty  wife and ---- your little boy."

Ray went crazy and tried to fight off the security guys to get  to him. Duran laughed. (Try to picture the poor security guys, this was  no publicity stunt, there weren't any reporters near by)

Ray  couldn't sleep that night, he wanted to kill Duran. He couldn't believe  what happened, how Duran insulted his wife and child. When they fought  that next night anger still permeated every pore in Ray's body. So he  stood toe to toe with Duran. And lost. It wasn't until the middle of the  next afternoon when he realized what had happened. Ray told me he  actually slapped his own forehead and said aloud, "Holy -----, he played  me like a fish." Ray had never planned to fight toe to toe, he was  going to box him

A rematch was part of the fight contract. It would take place  eight or nine months later. But Ray knew Duran often ballooned upwards  of 180 pounds after fights. So Ray's people contacted Duran's people and  said they give him X amount of extra dollars if they moved the fight  up. They took the deal. This meant Duran would have to stop eating and hurry his normal training time

Ray  told me it taught him a valuable lesson about getting into a fighter's  head. He had thought he was immune to it. Until that incident at the  weigh in. In that second fight - the showboating that Ray did, the  shuffle, the bolo punch, were meant to make Duran lose his temper, which  is death for a fighter. But Duran didn't lose his temper, instead, it  embarrassed him and deflated his will.


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## Stickgrappler (May 19, 2014)

Buka said:


> Ray Leonard told me this story.
> 
> Ray, Juanita (his wife at the time) and Ray Jr were leaving the weigh-in. Duran suddenly stepped out from behind one of those big velvet drapes popular in Vegas hotels at the time. He had been taking a pee. *Still* exposed, he made a kissing motion at Juanita. Ray went nuts and charged at him, only to be intercepted by several shocked security guys from the hotel. As they tried to keep Leonard and Duran apart, Duran (who didn't speak English very well and had obviously been coached) said to Ray, "When I'm done -----you in the ring I'm going to -----your pretty wife and ---- your little boy."
> 
> ...



dayum, UDM Buka!

Megaprops!  i'm going to update my site with your story crediting you with your permission.


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## Buka (May 19, 2014)

I think you would need Ray's permission instead of mine. But - have you ever read "My View from the corner" by Angelo Dundee? It's a great read for a boxing fan. In it, Dundee gives a little more user friendly version of that incident. You might want to check it out and post that version.

And in the world of coincidences - this pic was taken on the morning of Ray's 40th birthday outside of Billy Blanks World Training center in L.A. That's me with him. We had finished working out for the day. Kind of odd seeing a payphone in a pic. Makes me feel older than dirt.


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## Stickgrappler (May 19, 2014)

nice pic! you ain't that old, better than the alternative ;-)

I have both Dundee's book and Ray's The Big Fight at home, will check them.

Thanks for the reminder!


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## twins-mt (Jun 9, 2014)

He's the MAN !


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