Ring Observer Boxing by Scoop Malinowski
I did this Biofile by phone with Sugar Ray Leonard on March 15, 1993…
By Scoop Malinowski
DOB: May 17, 1956 In: Wilmington, SC
Ht: 5-10 Wt: 162
Childhood Role Model: My dad Cicero. He was such a hard working man. I got inspiration from him.
Favorite Movies: The Godfather movies. Scarface.
Favorite TV Shows: Game shows, Wheel Of Fortune. 60 Minutes.
Hobbies/Interests: Golf, tennis.
Early Boxing Memory: When I was an amateur I was in Italy (age 18). I was a young kid. We stayed at some kind of church in the mountains. I strolled around the grounds and was standing near a monument. A little girl saw me, then ran away. She came back with other kids and they touched my hair and skin. I guess they never saw a black man before. Then there was a guide or instructor with them and they started to sing a song in Italian. It was very sweet.
First Job: Working in the produce section at a Washington DC supermarket (age 15).
First Car: 1967 dark blue Chevy Nova. I paid for that car with my own money – $250.
Childhood Ambition: To be successful. To be champ and to be in the movies. I’ve done one, now I’m working on the next one.
Musical Tastes: Jazz, R&B, Blues, Country, Johnny Gill, Luther Vandross. Anything that stimulates me.
Favorite Meal: Fried Calamari.
Favorite Breakfast Cereal: Honey Nut Cheerios.
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Macadamian Nut – Haagen Dasz.
Greatest Sports Moment: Unifying the welterweight title versus Thomas Hearns. Beating Marvin Hagler. Nobody thought I’d beat Hagler. He didn’t think I could do it either. That was my Mount Everest. That was IT for me.
Favorite Vacation Spot: Vail, Colorado. For skiing. Maui.
Favorite Books: Autobiography of Ray Charles. Kaffir Boy In America. A Taste Of Power. Homecoming.
Funniest Boxer Encountered: Odell Leonard. Here was a guy who claimed to be my cousin. And he knew all of my relatives. He was a real character. And real strange.
Interesting Fact: I’m extremely sensitive. Very benevolent, very caring. And committed.
Favorite Fight: Salvador Sanchez TKO 8 Wilfredo Gomez. It was a great one. It was such an intense contest between two powerful, little men. Punch for punch. It was so exciting.
Favorite Boxers To Watch Today: Mike Tyson, Pernell Whitaker.
People Most Admired: Arthur Ashe. My father Cicero. And Nelson Mandela.
Future Ambition: To be on the silver screen. Because I don’t want to be stereotyped. I’d like to do dramatic roles, to action/adventure, to comedy. Boxing wasn’t easy, it took years and years. I think it’s the same with acting, the same energies to be applied.
You can read more Biofiles at www.mrbiofile.com
