It was the surge in boxing movies and Sugar Ray Leonard that influenced me to put on the gloves at 14 and box for four years with the National Golden Gloves. Meeting President Reagan was the highlight. Six broken noses, closed reduction of the nasal passage, four broken metacarpals, and then the 1980 boycott of the Olympics were the low points. Things still rattle when I shake my head to hard, ha ha. LaMatta (or at least De Niro's portrayal of him) was an inspiration. But, Stallone brought boxing to a new level on the screen. Raging Bull is sort of an artsy movie for it's subject matter, IMO.
But, it's sad that so many younger folks don't remember Sugar Ray at all. Ali had so much more media, books, movies... he was a Pop icon. But, Sugar Ray kept it real. He was flamboyant at times, but he always kept it grounded and real.
