“The Contender” Is Ready for Bell

Sugar Ray Leonard Discusses His New Show, His Career and Boxing’s Future

Sugar Ray Leonard captured world titles in five different weight classes and is considered one of boxing’s all-time greats. His first taste of fame came at the age of 20 when he won a gold medal at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, Canada. He launched his pro career shortly thereafter and stopped Wilfred Benitez for the WBC welterweight title in 1979. He lost the crown on points to Roberto Duran, but won a rematch six months later to regain his title. In 1981, Leonard beat junior middleweight champ Ayub Kalule, then knocked out Thomas Hearns to unify the welterweight title. An eye injury interrupted Leonard’s career for five years, but he returned to capture Marvelous Marvin Hagler’s middleweight belt in one of the biggest upsets in boxing history. Leonard made several more comebacks and won two more world titles before retiring for good in 1997 with a record of 36-3-1 and 25 knockouts. Named “Fighter of the Decade” for the 1980s, Leonard is a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame and remains one of the sport’s most recognizable and popular champions. He is currently involved in NBC’s reality boxing show “The Contender,” which premieres next Monday, March 7, at 9:30 p.m. The first episode will be reshown next Thursday, March 10, at 10 p.m. and subsequent episodes will air Sundays at 8 p.m. beginning March 13. Sports Editor Steve Galluzzo visited Leonard at his Palisades Riviera home to discuss his illustrious career and his new television endeavor… PP: How did you first get involved with “The Contender” project? RL: Jeff Wald [a fellow Palisadian], who is a friend of mine and also one of the producers of “The Contender” hounded me for years about a boxing TV show. I tried to avoid him for years until last March when he brought [executive producers] Jeffrey Katzenberg, Mark Burnett and Sylvester Stallone over to my house to let me know that “The Contender” was about to be born. And they wanted me involved. Thanks, Jeff. PP: What role do you play in “The Contender?” RL: I co-host the show along with Sylvester Stallone and serve as a mentor for these 16 incredible young boxers. I’ve been where they are trying to go. They are trying to become champions. I was a champion six times. PP: What makes “The Contender” a show people will want to watch? RL: The reason anyone, even men and women who are not boxing fans, will enjoy “The Contender” is that it is a feel-good show. If you look at the movie “Million Dollar Baby,” it didn’t win an Oscar because it was about boxing. It won because of the story behind it. It didn’t win because of Hilary Swank’s boxing ability, but because of her characters’ compelling story and the adversities that character had to overcome. PP: Can you relate to what the fighters on the show are going through? RL: Yes I can. I was once where they are now. The only reason I turned professional was to help my parents pay for their hospital bills. I had an athletic scholarship to the University of Maryland but I turned pro instead to help my family. PP: Are you impressed at how good the fighters in the show are? RL: Yes I am. These are professional fighters, not amateurs. But I was even more impressed with their dedication and commitment to use boxing as a means to get out of poverty and help their loved ones. PP: When one of the fighters, Najai Turpin, committed suicide a few weeks ago, was there any thought of canceling or postponing the show? RL: None whatsoever. It would be totally disrespectful to him and his legacy. We have not changed or altered any of the episodes with Najai. We want people to see the heart and soul of this amazing young man. And “The Contender” family has established a trust to benefit his two-year-old daughter, Anyea, to give her a chance at a better future. PP: How did you and the fighters on the show react to the news of his death? RL: Everyone in “The Contender” family was saddened and broken hearted by the tragic loss of this inspiring young man. He will be deeply missed. PP: Turning to your own career, in which fight do you think you were at your best? RL: The first fight with Thomas Hearns. I felt like I could have knocked out anyone that night. PP: What made you believe you could come out of retirement and beat Marvin Hagler? RL: The moment I realized I could beat him I was sitting ringside with actor Michael J. Fox at the Hagler-John Mugabi fight [in 1986]. I remember leaning over and telling Michael I could beat Hagler. Michael asked me if I wanted another beer and I said “Sure, but I’m telling you I can beat him.” PP: Have you kept in touch with any of the boxers you fought? RL: Sure. Tommy Hearns is a good friend of mine. In fact, he came to both my wedding and my 40th birthday party. PP: Of all the titles you’ve won, which one means the most to you? RL: Winning the gold medal in Montreal had the most significance by far for the simple reason that I was fighting for myself and my country. It wasn’t about the money. PP: Would returning to a unified title system with one undisputed champion in each weight class bring credibility back to boxing? RL: The simpler the better. I think there just needs to be one champion. At the maximum two because then you can unify the belts. That unification bout can be huge, like my first fight with Tommy Hearns. That was good for boxing. PP: Who would you rate as the greatest fighter ever? RL: Sugar Ray Robinson and Muhammad Ali, because they both transcended the sport of boxing. These two incredible men turned boxing into an art form that I tried to emulate. PP: What is it going to take to rejuvenate boxing so it becomes as popular as it was when you were fighting? RL: The only way to do it is to do what we’re doing with “The Contender.” Bringing the sport to NBC, to network television. You change boxing by reintroducing it to the public. And it’s going to take more superstars, which is what “The Contender” is creating. A caring fan is a great fan. People tune in not only because of the sport, but because they care about the individuals involved.