Sugar Ray Leonard Fashions REAL STEEL's Monstrous Robot After George Foreman

11 October 2011

If you've watched REAL STEEL and one of the boxing robots remind you of George Foreman, that is no accident. Boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard and first-time boxing consultant on the film applied George Foreman's fighting skills (and grill) to one of REAL STEEL's robot.

In a sit down with the retired boxing champ in Beverly Hills, he told CineMovie he was first approached by Dreamworks executive Stacy Snyder to train Hugh Jackman and tO choreograph the rockem sockem robots in the futuristic action film. In REAL STEEL, Hugh Jackman's character is a small-time promoter and former boxer in the new high-tech sport of robot boxing. Sugar Ray lent his fighting skills to Hugh Jackman and choreographed the fight sequences between the mechanical boxers in the ring.

To capture the movement of the robots, actors in motion capture suits fought each other in the ring with blow by blow play from Sugar Ray. Sugar Ray applied different fighting styles to each robot depending on their size. For Zeus, one of the meanest and biggest robots in REAL STEEL, Sugar Ray immediately thought of former boxer George Foreman.

"With Zeus who is a monster, right away I thought of Foreman hitting us with his grill."

For Midas, an underground mohawk boxing robot, he applied Marvin Hagler's signature style. He joked the only difference was that Midas has hair. Sugar Ray also put a little of himself into one of the REAL STEAL robots. Atom, the mechanical hero of the film, reminded him of himself. The small, unassuming underdog robot spoke directly to the first-time film consultant.

"So I gave him all my little stuff, moves, and everything."

Sugar Ray knew he had hit a "home run" when sports writers who usually are critical of boxing movies commented to him that the robots looked like actual boxers. "We did our job," said Sugar Ray Leonard.

Asked if he would do the film consulting again, he replied with a definite "yes." With great reviews and word-of-mouth for REAL STEEL, Sugar Ray Leonard may get his wish for a replay in a sequel.

REAL STEEL is now playing in movie theatres.