Sugar Ray Leonard Quotes (42 Quotes)

When we got back to the U.S., I wanted to kiss the ground after seeing what people in other countries are denied or don't have.

Boxing brings out my aggressive instinct, not necessarily a killer instinct.

Boxing was the only career where I wouldn't have to start out at the bottom. I had a good resume.

Aaron Pryor wants to get into the ring with me. He wants to be able to retire, and he will. For health reasons.

I want my fights to be seen as plays that have a beginning, a middle and an end.

In Italy, I had an Afro, and a lot of the kids came up and felt my hair. It really was funny. I wish I had understood Italian.

It's different when you become a professional, because you also have to become a businessman, and that takes something away from it.

No one but myself thought I could beat guys like Tommy Hearns or Roberto Duran.

Before the start of the '76 Olympics, I'd had 160 amateur fights. I won 155 and lost five.

Within our dreams and aspirations we find our opportunities.

I'm not religious, but I believe that what I have is a gift, and I respect it and live up to it.

A fighter never knows when it's the last bell. He doesn't want to face that.

Boxing was not something I truly enjoyed. Like a lot of things in life, when you put the gloves on, it's better to give than to receive.

If I hadn't had the talent, the networks wouldn't have televised my fights. No one has made me; I made myself. I paid my dues.

I think an athlete should be honest. I know it's difficult, but if a guy knocked me on my can, I couldn't very well say, I slipped.

Before I fight, I always pray that no one gets hurt.

Generally, the more weight you put on, the less effective you are.

We're all endowed with God-given talents. Mine happens to be hitting people in the head.

I'm a competitor and a very proud man. If a guy beats me once, he'll have to do it again to make me believe him.

Although it was a great accomplishment to win a gold medal, as soon as they put it on you, that's it; your career is over.

We're all given some sort of skill in life. Mine just happens to be beating up on people.

It's hard to talk about yourself.

I've never believed in tying myself up in a long-range contract, and I've been very outspoken on that subject.

I consider myself blessed. I consider you blessed. We've all been blessed with God-given talents. Mine just happens to be beating people up.

I'll think, If this is his first punch, how are the others gonna feel? That's the only fear I have for myself.

I think I've become one of the best finishers in boxing; if I hurt a guy, I normally take him out.

Duran always disturbs me. The guy is just weird. Before our first fight, both Duran and his wife gave my wife the finger.

When I'm not in training. I'll walk around the streets at 153, but it's not solid; it's my socializing weight.

I'm a free agent. I haven't allowed any promoters to have exclusive options on my fight. I don't need a promoter.

Except for Ali, fighters had never been marketable.

You just don't heal that easy unless you're young.

Boxing is the ultimate challenge. There's nothing that can compare to testing yourself the way you do every time you step in the ring.

We assume the risks. That's what makes a great champion. We care, but you can't let that be a burden to you.

They say that I'm stubborn, and my wife says that, too, but it's paid off so far.

I was painfully initiated into boxing, because the guys I fought were a lot bigger than me.

Bruce Lee was an artist and, like him, I try to go beyond the fundamentals of my sport. I want the public to see a knockout in the making.

Holyfield is nothing but class, and I think he's a breath of fresh air for the sport.

To be the best, you need to spend hours and hours and hours running, hitting the speed bag, lifting weights and focusing on training.

When I turned pro, Muhammad Ali was laying back, and I was able to fill up an area that was empty.

I fought tall fighters, short fighters, strong fighters, slow fighters, sluggers and boxers. It was either learn or get knocked off.

Ali's belief in himself was something I picked up on, and it's become my own philosophy.

You have to know you can win. You have to think you can win. You have to feel you can win.