Sugar Ray Leonard Reveals Sex Abuse
In his autobiography, the former champion speaks of being sexually abused as a teen by a boxing coach.
Sugar Ray Leonard's autobiography, The Big Fight: My Life In and Out of the Ring, due out in June, contains a devastating knockout punch.
The five- time champion and boxing Hall of Famer was sexually abused by "a prominent Olympic boxing coach".
The incidents began when Leonard was 15 and culminated with a brazen assault after the boxer had won the Gold Medal at the 1976 Olympics.
Writes Leonard: "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 champ credits an episode of Oprah for giving him the courage to reveal his scarring history.
"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."
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