Posted by | Ray Cornelius
In October, we reported that R&B/pop star Usher was on the cover of Men’s Health magazine 25th Anniversary issue showing off his new bod for the upcoming biopic about legendary boxer Sugar Ray Leonard titled Hands of Stone.
Well, new visuals of the Grammy-winning singer on set as Leonard have hit the web and their resemblance is a bit scary. Usher told Men’s Health that he wanted to embody everything about the iconic athlete and by the looks of the photos below, he has accomplished his goal.
“My commitment to this character demands that I not only physically get ready, but also become him,” he says. “I have to have his hair, his personality, the manner he conducts himself in—all that. He’s an incredible man.”
Usher also compared his dance moves to that of Leonard fancy footwork in the boxing ring. “What he did as a boxer is no different from what I do as a dancer… 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.”
As previously reported, Hands of Stone is based the life of world champion boxer Roberto Duran, who rose from the slums of Panama to defeat an unbeaten Leonard in 1980 and claim the WBC welterweight title, only to lose the rematch several months later in the infamous “no mas” fight. The film also stars Zero Dark Thirty’s Edgar Ramirez as Duran and Robert De Niro as Duran’s Hall of Fame trainer, Ray Arcel.
Hands of Stone is due in theaters in 2014.
Photo Credit: nydailynews.com