Sugar Ray Leonard on thinking 'like a fighter' & showing emotion

For Sugar Ray Leonard, the former professional boxer widely considered to be among the best fighters of all time and a champion across five weight classes, boxing started off as a route to a better life.

"The only reason I became a professional fighter, after winning the Olympics in 1976, was to help my mom and dad out, give them a better life before the pass and it's been that way", he says, after delivering a keynote speech at the Pendulum Summit in Dublin's Convention Centre.

In his talk, Leonard referred to the 'hidden reservoir of strength' that he believes we all have, and which was activated for him by boxing. He told the audience that we can all access these reservoirs in ourselves, as long as we know how.

As for him, more than 50 years after he first started boxing and with a busy second career as a motivational speaker and philanthropist, I wonder how he taps into his own reservoir when he needs it.

"It comes in various locations and ways", he says. "Being positive, staying optimistic. We have feelings, no question about that, but boxing's given me so much more than I can imagine. I was non-confrontational, I was quiet but the sport that I got involved with happened because I lived in Washington, DC, and it's not a physical thing. It's a mental and psychological thing."

Years after building his reputation on his fierce strength and unstoppable resilience, Leonard's approach to adversity has changed somewhat.

"I think like a fighter. I don't have to react like a fighter, but I think like a fighter." It's clear from talking to him that this stems from the deep gratitude he has for his career: "My life has been so wonderful."

It's because of this gratitude that Leonard has pivoted to philanthropy, investing hours of his own time and effort into advocating for pediatric diabetes. To date, the Sugar Ray Leonard Foundation has raised over $6 million for the cause. He says that at this point, his motivation is to "reciprocate, to be a factor" in helping others.

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"If I want to be remembered, I want to be remembered for giving back and making a difference."

Preparation and adaptability are key for progress, Leonard told the crowd at Pendulum, and certainly the athlete has cultivated the skill of adapting in his career, retiring multiple times and pulling off comeback after comeback, pivoting to being a speaker and even appearing on Dancing With the Stars in the US.

A key part of that prepation was preparing for failure, a daunting task when you're willingly putting yourself in the line of pain and possible injury, as he did in boxing. How did he nurture that response to failure?

"It's almost, for me, natural", he says. "It's a natural thought. My first professional loss to [Roberto] Durán, I cried like a baby. I don't mind telling people this, but it helped me out. I gained more strength, not just physical but mental and it was a wonderful thing."

Wrapping up our conversation, Leonard reflected on the foes he's faced off against, listing the names with fondness: Marvin Hagler, Tommy Hearns.

"They teach me more about myself. Sometimes I get so emotional, I don't really show it but I feel it."