Suger Ray Leonard QE2

[leigh ashton]

Anybody out there that was onboard the qe2 when sugar ray was a passenger ,he did a exibition fight whilst onboard against one of the stewards a lad called steve sinclair who had done a bit of boxing.it is mentioned in his biography titled the blackpool rock a very interesting read.

[Doc Vernon]

Hi Leigh
This extract from a cutting! Wonder if he was a Chef or Waiter!

Have I enjoyed a good fight? (Steve Sinclair) Oh yeah, too right. In 1982 I was working in the store room on the QE2, and Sugar Ray Leonard came on board. It was just before he fought Hagler, he was light middleweight champion of the world. The boss said would I fight him - just sparring, for the passengers. I did five 2-minute rounds with him; his speed was awesome." He unfolds a magazine cutting, showing a photograph of his young self in the ring, flushed and keen in silk red shorts, dancing round the champ.

By his own admission, Steve's got away with quite a bit over the years. 'I've been 15 or 16 times in crown court on different charges. Wounding, GBH, affray, endangering the public. I've had major trials, where they had to move us out of Blackpool. I've been arrested for bank robbery. They've accused me of contract hits. I was a minder for a big drug dealer. One time police came to my place and searched the deep freezer, looking for a body.


The other night he was signing gloves for the punters and posing for pictures, which he did after every show, and this big lad stepped up and said, ‘Do you remember me?’ Straight away Ray laughed. The guy was a chef on the QE2 20-odd years ago when Ray came across with his wife.

“They’d put up a ring on the ship and the chef, a guy called Steve Sinclair, went in and sparred with Ray and got a bit excited, hitting him hard in one of his eyes and Ray had just had surgery for a detached retina. Before the poor guy knew it he was down on the floor from a left hook to the body and the spar was over.


On UK tv last night i saw as part of an unrelated programme a clip of Sugar Ray on the QE2 sparring five rounds with an amateur boxer (QE2 waiter Steve Sinclair). Sugar Ray was World champion at the time but recovering from an eye injury. The bout looked like it was set in the Queens room with a roped ring. After gingerley sparring the waiter chanced his arm and hit Sugar Ray with two hard head shots, this was not a good idea as Leonard promptly winded him with a heavy bodypunch, when asked if it hurt (no reply) he hit him again and said that one did. Leonard won the fight

Cheers

[leigh ashton]

Thanks for the info Vernon ,i am pretty sure i was at Gravesend sea school with steve sinclair in 1971 oct nov time we got on well together but lost touch once going to sea.

[Malcolm S]

I was on board that trip as well. I remember Sugar Ray ran circles around Steve. But he did try!
Malcolm