Usher Raymond IV was spotted in front of Radio 1 studios in central London yesterday (March 23, 2012).

Raymond rocked leopard sneakers as he confirmed on British radio that he is set to play Sugar Ray Leonard in an upcoming boxing film entitled “Hands of Stone,” which will begin filming later this year.

Usher confirmed his selection for the role, indicating that he?s been in training for the role:

?I?m in preparation for a very incredible role. If you guys see me running around London that?s what it is. If you see me in the corners boxing. I?m doing that while working on this album.?

More photos + details about the new flick below…

The film is actually centered around legendary Panamanian boxer Roberto Duran, however Duran and Sugar Ray Leonard met several times during the course of their professional careers.

Sugar Ray actually lost the first fight of his professional career against Duran in 1980 after 15 rounds through a unanimous decision by the judges, giving Duran The Ring and the WBC Welterweight titles.

Usher also revealed that Robert De Niro and Gael Garc?a Bernal will be starring in the film.

No word on who Bernal will play, but De Niro is reportedly playing the role of boxing trainer Ray Arcell, who trained Duran, among 17 other world champions.

Usher’s acted in a few films but nothing as big as this.? His first starring role was in the urban high school drama Light It Up (1999) and his most recent role was a bit part in the 2010 flick, Killers which starred Ashton Kutcher.

While he’s “acted” in a ton of music videos, actually portraying a real live person may be a stretch for the superstar singer, but who knows.

Can you see Usher as boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard?

FULL PHOTO GALLERY