By John Gabriel Thompson: One of boxing’s most memorable warriors and all-time-greats, Sugar Ray Leonard, is releasing a book entitled “The Big Fight: My Life In and Out of the Ring” (Viking; 2011) in which he discusses a number of shocking revelations: alcohol and drug use, infidelity, domestic violence, and becoming a father by the age of seventeen. Among his more jaw dropping disclosures, that he was molested by a “prominent Olympic boxing coach” prior to the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, where Leonard won the gold medal which helped launch his career.
The coach, as of yet unnamed, was in his late forties at the time; Ray just a teenager. According to Leonard, he had been parked in a car with the coach discussing what an Olympic gold medal could mean to someone with Leonard’s background. His book, co-authored with Michael Arkush, stated that, “Before I knew it, he had unzipped my pants and put his hand, then mouth, on an area that has haunted me for life. I didn’t scream. I didn’t look at him. I just opened the door and ran.” The book also describes another incident with the coach, less severe, but which happened when Leonard was just fifteen years old.
Leonard’s book, which will be released in June, discusses a lot about the fighter’s difficult personal life and upbringing. Among the more memorable stories is one about Leonard’s father running down the street with a switchblade in his back after Leonard’s mother had stabbed him. Leonard’s choice to talk about the molestation in his book was a difficult one. On his reasons for discussing the incident he said, “Last year, after watching the actor Todd Bridges bare his soul on Oprah’s show about how he was sexually abused as a kid, I realized I would never be free unless I revealed the whole truth, no matter how much it hurt.”
The winner of championships in five weight classes, and best known for his matches with Roberto Duran, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, and Tommy Hearns, Leonard has had a bit of a revitalization in his career as of late with the television show “The Contender” and his recent appearance on Fox’s hit series “Dancing with the Stars.” Turning fifty-five today, Leonard has come a long way since being one of seven impoverished children in house filled with alcohol and violence. Hopefully the disclosure in his book will not only help others in his situation, but bring some closure for one of boxing’s most well known champions.