Keynoter Sugar Ray Leonard KO's the SupplySideCrowd

Keynoter Sugar Ray Leonard KO's the SupplySideCrowd

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This year, SupplySide West's keynoter was Sugar Ray Leonard, anaccomplished boxer who struck gold at the '76 Olympics and who currently worksas a motivational speaker. Sponsored by Unigen Pharmaceuticals and Aloecorp, theDec. 5 address was the right note to kick off the opening of the trade showexhibit floor.

Walking in to a standing ovation, Leonard began his speech bystating the obvious--that he's stronger than he looks. "When I walked outhere, I knew exactly what you were thinking: Sugar Ray's not so big--I bet Icould take him," the 5'9", 170-pound boxing champ said. "I don'tstand out in a crowd. A lot of people don't stand out."

He went on to say that the skills of a champion boxer could beapplied to all aspects of one's life. For example, focus, the right frame ofmind and goals are paramount to "dreaming the dream."

Sugar Ray shared with the audience that when he was a kid, hewanted to be a superhero--and said as much in front of his class one day. Whenhe won the gold in Montreal and stood on the platform, with his medal around hisneck and the national anthem playing, he realized his dream. "Withoutdetermination, that dream never hatches," said Leonard, who shared thatevery morning at 5 a.m. he runs five miles--even at the age of 46. "We allhave a hidden reservoir of strength. The thing is finding out what activatesit."

The speech was peppered with video montages of some of Leonard'smore spectacular wins--the Rocky movies could have taken a few notes from thespeed and grace Leonard used on his opponents.

The keynote sponsors appreciated Leonard's heartfelt message."Sugar Ray certainly set the tone for the show," said Derek Hall,president of Unigen. He added that the company has already taken steps to lookinto having the boxer promote its joint health product.

Bob Smith, western sales manager for Aloecorp, said, "Wewere very impressed not only with Sugar Ray being so articulate andknowledgeable, but also with his positive outlook on life." Afterward,Leonard visited the sponsors' booth, signed autographs and posed for pictureswith fans.

Regan Miles, Unigen's vice president of sales and marketing,introduced Sugar Ray Leonard and posed with the champ.