After 60+ years as a Sportsphile….I have seen many things that world class athletes have used to stimulate themselves just prior taking “center stage”…..be it a moment of silent prayer with the All Mighty….even a “mental psyche job” from a coach or trainer like Bundini Brown did for Muhammad Ali prior to him entering the ring for a fight…..or even destroying a locker room metal locker or Pepsi machine before taking the field….but I have never seen anything that actually affected the outcome of the event like is seen in this video herewith….for within these 3 short minutes…..the performance of Ray Charles in singing America The Beautiful prior the fight # 2 between two legends of boxing….Sugar Ray Leonard and Manos de Piedras Roberto Duran…..is living proof of what is clearly just the right inspiration needed to go out and put “the whup ass” on a legend…..that he decides to quit in a clear statement of NO MAS…NO MAS!!
Even though this video is no more than 3 minutes long….just watch the face and body of challenger Sugar Ray Leonard before, during and after Ray Charles provides his inspirational rendition of America The Beautiful….and tell me that it didn’t put Sugar Ray in the right frame of mind to go out and embarrass a boxing legend. For that matter, watch Duran’s face as Brother Ray is singing…..and even he knew that Sugar had been inspired.
