There’s been some speculation in the past that singer Usher Raymond would be playing Sugar Ray Leonard in a new film, and now it’s been confirmed. The Grammy-winning singer will be playing the legendary boxer in a new boxing movie about the great brawler Roberto Duran called “Hands of Stone.”
Usher said he was honored to play Sugar Ray Leonard in the film.
“You couldn’t find a more stylized boxer than Sugar Ray Leonard,” Usher said. “He was an incredible motion guy, the way he moved around the ring, and I think my dancing will make it easier for me to pick up his moves. I’ve been working on familiarizing myself with the ring, sparring and just understanding how to move in the ring.”
The 34-year-old singer has been preparing to play Leonard — a fighter with fast hands, smooth feet and a wide smile — for more than a year. The new role will also require Usher to lose drop some pounds. He will need to lose nearly 25 pounds to get down to about 150.
The movie is based on Roberto Duran, who was nicknamed “Hands of Stone,” is a world champion in four weight divisions over a career that spanned five decades. He was raised in the slums of Panama and rose to defeat an undefeated Sugar Ray Leonard in 1980. Duran claim the WBC welterweight title. only to lose the rematch several months later in the infamous “no mas” fight.
What do you think about Usher acting on the big screen in this new film?
