Donny Lalonde Says That Sugar Ray Leonard’s Psyche Job Will Backfire

When they talk in public about their Nov. 7 fight, Sugar Ray Leonard likes to remind Donny Lalonde he is more than a great boxer.

“I am a master of psychology,” Leonard says.

He goes on to point out how Lalonde has never been under the spotlight of a multi-million dollar bout that will attract coverage around the world.

Lalonde’s manager, Dave Wolf, smiles when he hears such talk from Leonard.

“Leonard’s already made a major mistake,” Wolf said. “First of all, a good psychologist doesn’t ace that’s what he does best.”

Besides, Lalonde says, nothing can approach the pressure he felt growing up in Kitchener, Ontario, long before he became the World Boxing Council’s light heavyweight champion.

“When you’re an 11-year-old kid getting beat up by a 220-pound man, then you get into the ring with a weight advantage, it’s ridiculous to think there’s pressure,” Lalonde said. “This is enjoyment compared to what I went through.”

What Lalonde, 28, went through were daily beatings from his step-father for four years. He escaped by leaving home when he was 15, but the mental scars remain. Lalonde says in the last two years he finally came to grips with is past, and realized he was not at fault.

Lalonde’s mother is no longer married to the man who made his life miserable, but Lalonde set up a meeting with his step-father in early 1987.

“I wanted to know what caused his actions,” he said. “We had a real nice talk, heart-to-heart. We shed a lot of tears. It turned out he was an abused child, too. I don’t know if I’ll talk to him again, but at least he let me clear my head.”

Lalonde has since devoted much of his time to helping abused children. On Sept. 8 he will be named a national spokesman for abused children by the federal government in a Washington ceremony. He also has been invited to speak before the House of Commons in Canada, where he has helped bring the problem into the open.

Lalonde’s message to abused children is: “It’s not your fault.” The more success he has in the ring, the easier it will be delivering that message.

“My goal is to initiate programs through the government,” Lalonde said. “A lot of kids are relying on me winning this fight, whether they know it or not. It’s important for kids to realize people do care and they’re not the one causing the problem, they’re the victim.

“The toughest thing about the Eddie Davis fight (a first-round knockout to earn Lalonde his title last Nov. 17), was me feeling self-worth. I didn’t feel worthy of being a world champion.”

In his only defense, Lalonde traveled to Trinidad to meet former champion Leslie Stewart in his hometown. Lalonde won on a fifth-round knockout, but the fight could have gone either way for four rounds. It was then Lalonde felt the intense Caribbean heat, which was nothing new to his opponent.

“When the heat was getting to me during that fight, I thought of the kids and it was so easy for me to go on,” he said.

Lalonde has gotten even Leonard into the act. When the fight was announced last month in Washington, Leonard showed up with a “Fight Back Against Child Abuse” button. Lalonde reciprocated by wearing an anti-apartheid button.

But Lalonde said there will be no cooperation in the ring when they meet for his title and the new WBC super middleweight (168-pound) championship. If Leonard wins, he would have titles in five weight classes over the course of his 12-year career. No fighter has accomplished that.

“I feel like there’s a lot more purpose in my life to be a footnote in the history of Sugar Ray Leonard,” Lalonde said. “I see this as the end of the Ray Leonard era and the beginning of the next era.”

Lalonde, with soap-opera star looks and a pin his his left shoulder that limits the range of his left arm, hardly seems a boxer. Lalonde’s nickname, “The Golden Boy,” does not shake opponents. He refuses to play the part by talking tough, either. But even Leonard noticed Lalonde’s quiet determination.

“He strikes me as very confident,” Leonard said after his second meeting with Lalonde. “I’m expecting a cocky individual to get in the ring who expects his weight, strength and right hand to be a factor.”

Lalonde, who is 31-2 with 26 knockouts, has not nearly matched the success Leonard has enjoyed as a fighter. But he will probably weigh 168 pounds, giving him at least an eight-pound advantage in the 12-round bout at Caesars Palace at Las Vegas, Nev. He understands why Leonard is a 2-1 favorite, but says he’s surprised Leonard even took the fight.

“I’m afraid every day he’ll realize he he’s made a mistake,” Lalonde says. “I wouldn’t be surprised if it doesn’t happen.

“I’m more confident than for any other fight. I’m a light heavyweight, I have to be crazy to feel any other way whey fighting a welterweight.”

Lalonde will earn “well over $5 million,” according to Wolf. Leonard might triple that total, but Lalonde says he did not enter boxing solely to get rich. And he sees more to the sport than the thrill of a knockout victory.

“Winning a fight is a big thrill, but it’s nothing nearly as fulfilling as putting a smile on a kid’s face who was beaten the day before,” he says. “There’s no comparison.”