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Show Sunday, March 27. 1977. THE HERALD, Provo, Utah-P- 9 age 'Sesame Street Gang' Follows Sugar Ray's Progress By SAM FOGG The other guy and I are good friends now." Inside the ropes for his L'Pl Sports Writer WASHINGTON (UPH The "fight mob" that hangs around the gym - where ' Sugar workout against heavier sparring partner, Sugar Ray is all intent businessman against his heavier sparring partner. Get the hands up, get Ray Leonard trains can best be described as the Sesame Street Gang. While the Olympic gold medal winner works out in a corner of the room. Jeff and his brother, Greg, solemnly shadow box in the ring. When he creates a blur of motion skipping rope, the hands up." his in- trainer, Dave Jacobs, structs. He fires a series of jabs. "Don't reach for him, wait till you're there," comes the advice from Debbie, 7, and Rovenia, 8, watch in pigtailed awe from the sidelines. They're a few of a coterie of admiring neighborhood youngsters from the Washington suburban Crestview Heights area who flock every afternoon after school to the community center where the hopeful readies himself for his second pro bout. The where gym a Leonard first took up boxcould ing as a come right out of an old John Garfield movie with the walls hung with posters of previous fight cards in the Baltimore Washington area (including Sugar Ray's first pro bout against Luis "Bull" Vega on Feb. 5). But there's nothing e about Leonard. He's a handsome youth, quick to smile and friendly with strangers. His face is unmarked, his ears uncauliflowered. At a trim pug-lik- the Olympic junior welterweight champion resembles a tennis player more than a fighter until he sheds his terrycloth robe to go three rounds with a sparring partner. His shoulders and back, his biceps bulge with solid muscle. "I wasn't much of a fighter as a kid on the school grounds," Leonard recalls. "I just wasn't aggressive. I stayed in the house a lot. I was pretty much on the shy side. "I think I might have had one fight when I was a little older but it was mostly a pushing match. Jacobs Ot his upcoming opponent, Rodriquez. he has said "I know Willie intends to beat me and 1 The payday may be even more against Rodriquez. But Sugar turned pro respect him for that. Every fighter who steps into the ring has to have a positive attitude and I wish him from the bottom of my heart the verv as twice-a-mont- ad- ministration major only after his father was hospitalized with illness and his mother had to give up nursing because of a mild heart attack. He made his decision at a quiet hideaway in Vermont where he went to day." Leonard's purse for his unanimous decision over Vega was $40,044 with a of business a 10,270 developed him into a shelling out $72,320 to see member of last year's his debut at Baltimore's triumphant Olympic Civic Center. team. A solid hook off a swift jab elicits Jacobs' praise: "That was a good one that's real good, Ray." There's a sheen of sweat but no hard s breathing when the in iuiivii mm lujiiiuiMJ are finished. "Good work, Richard," Leonard tells the sparring partner, adding a friendly pat on the fanny. He has his second pro a bout against Willie "Fireball" Rodriquez coming up in Baltimore April 2. escape a preneurs. A promoters people They gave me good recognition that h - lucrative spin-of- f a boxing commentator's job with a television network. The quick smile flashes again when he's asked about his broadcasting siege ot career and entregroup of 24 it's when helped within tour years at 8 per cent interest. Leonard draws a salary of $475 from the fund and the rest is invested for him. But there's a new and reluctantly, abandoning plans to enroll at the University of Maryland best of luck. But frankly. 1 think it's going to be niv who record crowd backers put up a kittv ot $21,000 to stake him. The sum is to be paid back easier than boxing and a lot safer. I love it. like the media 1 was an I amateur." What will he do with the monev that's coming in" First off will be "a home out in the country" for his parents and son, Charles Ray Leonard, Jr. He's test driving an $8,200 Lincoln Mercury but hasn't decided to buy yet His brown and white sweater, black silk slacks and tan shoes are those you see in the windows of an expensive but not ex travagant Georgetown attention and recognition men's shop. now but the promising Leonard also has a newcomer to the sports highpriced manager -- scene sounds as if he'll Angelo Dundee who has handle it with grace. handled Muhammad Ah "I don't think my life is and nine other world changing much except for champions and signed on more demands for apfor 15 per cent of what pearances," he comSugar Ray makes as a ments. "1 do as many as I can because I like dealing fighter. "He's left my basic with people and kids. If style alone but he's show- people are going to suping me different techniport you, you should take how to turn an op- the time out from your ques own affairs to respond." ponent, how to make a litA ! e v tle extra move." Leonard a in o m e n t s relates. "I still have retlection. Leonard, a things to learn " Baptist, adds: "I'm There's a lot of public religious to the extent CITY Wildlife Resources Division of- ficials say a study done in New Mexico indicates the entire West may have a serious problem with poachers. The study on the effect of poaching on big game herds was released o Fish and Game Department and showed that illegal hunting takes a significant toll of animals. John Nagel, chief of law enforcement for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, -- aid it is difficult to adapt the results of the New Mexico study to conditions in other states, but the similarity in terrain and wildlife population and species in the West "tends to support the belief that Utah and other Western stales have a serious poaching " problem According to the study, poaching during closed seasons is responsible for iiiiii.i Him in a n.iiiijui ii mu iiiiiiiu w u in jtoiuiuuiiuiiijiuim auuiini i.m umujiw in ,j s ' - Chatting afterwards outside the whitewashed concrete boxing center on a day of Spring sunshine and puffball clouds, he says with a laugh: "I dream quite a bit about my fights, sometimes before they happen, sometimes after. But I always win and its always unanimous. Maybe because in the dream, I'm the only guy scoring it." lost since Jan. 17, 1973, mmmmrmry games as well as the Olympic gold "Outsidp the ring, he's p. ,:A - . 1 ! r" I ,1 J "A - "v- A i : : - f - I Wtm5fSiBi a N Kf . qstKtii and finished his amateur career with 145 victories in 150 bouts, winning three Golden Gloves, two AAU crowns and at the gentle, kind human being," Jacobs says. "In that ring, he becomes a killer." "I don't think I've ever hated an opponent," Leonard demurs in a rare disagreement with his long-tim- e mentor. vxS 3m2j$ In real life, the Palmer Park, Md., fighter hasn't 1 i ''; ment to deal with poachers. Election of justices of the peace who will keep a close eye on wildlife mat ters and more conserva tion officers to patrol the outdoors. New Mexico hired a "poacher" who spent one year simulating viola tions of wildlife laws. Although he said he was observed by the public in during (he regular seasons The study also showed that crippling losses associated with poaching are very high and might be as much as one animal left to die for every poached and taken from the scene. New Mexico officials made several suggestions for controlling poaching and Nagel said they were directly applicable to Utah Among the suggestions were the levying of fines By comparing the number of simulations and the apprehensions ac tually detected by officers, the fish and game - , department estimated that as many as 34,000 head of deer and 3,000 antelope may be lost to i UPII a lormer star renter at Western Illinois University, has been named defensive ba kfield coai h at Northwestern University, Northwestern football Coach John Pont announced Monday. " ;. v v?-- j .' ; - 1 l''--'' ' 4. vn closed season months in any given year. - 1973 4.4, sharp SCOUT mt I for, automatic tufei dean, km Twt Futt; 3-35- I '"' i trans. v. v. " ' " ,. : ; ... l i vY - r i'". T f - v 4 - I v - Z v.'ji.-r- V:;iYvY t i i S : - v .' 'I " 1 t r" "V.V. $ t-- 1 I f--' ", .t I - ' 1 i ; i- - miles. ciiuinm ANYONE Morn 1J7J i ' i ',' - .'I 0 out AOBST .: Y .'.- -v check '" '': : FORD LTD I S 3395 1974 i ; iictSmt , '"-','- ! ; x s f I tt Can Ctt ' III ' ' ... , poachers during the to deter Larry Mortier. t j some obvious violation on at least 43 occasions, he was reported just once. Losses in New Mexico often exceed the legal harvest for some species taken by licensed hunters lA'ANSTON, j sentences for repeaters; increased awareness and public input and involve- - other big game animals. high enough from a little distance. It reminds him that Ray Jr., told him recently: "I don't want to grow up and be a fighter. I want to play football or basketball." And the smile becomes a proud father's grin as Sugar Ray Leonard takes his departure. - Hraapiuuiii.iiiiwiiww- - the killing of large numbers of deer and animal His contingent of young followers are still watching attentively poachers with jail LAKE (UPIi Mex-ic- you should use the abilities God gave you to help others out." three-round- Poacher Problem One of Biggest Managers Face recently by the New 1 ' I ' SALT that feel if you're gifted with some natural skills, kmkm I HTM Cuaranttt ir. iii Car Yian in frwa fyl lint Itpik 21 Comittmtlf ImrrYkts HIIKDLEV GARAGE 207W.JOfll.frw 373 1171 -- Mv.. -f- - " 4. ;- ' '. , i V 1 -- -- t " . ? Vj ' ' : ; 1 I - ; , f- i-. -ir r r - -- it' ' - - i- i '-----;- :? i :J; . ten, .tf ,4 vA. |