How is ray Leonard beter than mayweather??

[illmaticfighter]

No, guys like you are funny. Where did I predict anything that even suggested the outcome of a fight between Floyd and Hearns? You immediately assume I'm some kind of Floyd hater right?

Floyd potshotting Hearns to a decision is funny. Considering Hearns' jab, speed, reach, height, power and boxing skill, to think Floyd, at 147, could pot shot his way to victory is near ludicrous. But hey, Hearns is just some dude that has a soft chin, and is easy to frustrate. No problems for Floyd!

You can't pot shot someone unless they are coming at you, following and reaching for you. Hearns didn't do that. He would stay on the outside, at his length, where he is most comfortable and he would be the one to take pot shots at Floyd.

so hearns didn't take the fight to duran? he didn't take the fight to hagler?

hearns did not always use his advantages, he brawled at times.

i believe he would see how small floyd is and go at him, i don't believe would hearns would fight hesitant or let lil floyd come at him all night floyd doesn't have the power to make hearns do that.

hearns also brawled and took to it srl then he got hurt and boxed. so even when hearns fought guys he should fear not always did he box from the outside.

never once did i say hearns had a soft chin or get's frustrated just like you aren't a floyd hater im not a hearns hater.

i see the fight playing out a different way than you, but im not scared to say i could be wrong are you?

[Walt Liquor]

Well ...

The idea that yesterday's fighters had superior weaponry, styles and talent is equally conjecture.

You can't have it both ways.

And I only mentioned the Corrales fight to demonstrate that Floyd has often times HAD TO rely on his superior skills since the beginning because he was the smaller man in most of his fights as a professional.

Ya know ... just to put **** into context and stuff.

Duran being > Hatton and Corrales is conjecture?

[T.Horton]

I have a hard time figuring out how floyd beats duran as well.

Hagler's not really a convo, that fight would never happen. Floyd wont go fight sergio at 160, we KNOW he wouldnt even look in Hagler's general direction.

Could you see Floyd, with those brittle hands, keeping Hagler's head off his chest and just crushing those ribs?

[110110110]

It's a sad day in boxing when Floyd Mayweather Jr is actually underrated. Never thought I'd say that.

So because people question floyds selfproclaimed GOAT status, that means that people are undderrating him???

No disrespect, but you have your head soo far up floyds ass that its blinding your judgment

[Ray Corso]

This is directed to the OP of the thread!
I think Leonartd is a much better fighter/boxer than Mayweather because Mayweather is defense first and then his offense begins off countering! I find it boring in comparison to a boxer who thinks offense first! Thats not to say Mayweather has less talents but it does mean he's less appealing to me as a viewer!
I think their techniques are comparible in the hand & foot speed departments. Their combinations are simular except that Leonard is a more powerfull man and he will come forward during his initial attack far more than Floyd does! Again styles and methodology leads me to enjoy Leonards fights compared to Floyds.
Mayweather is a very small WW who has average to below average power and thats another flaw to me. I enjoy watching a high caliber boxer but I also want the increased interests from a boxer who has punching power, Leonard was not a huge puncher by anymeans but much better than Floyd!

As far as comparing opponents I leave that to the fans who don't understand techniques and methods, to say one guy beat this guy and that couldn't beat the other guy gets to be he said she said after a while!
Leonard had much better competition for sure and he did fight beyond his best and lost to men he could have beat in his prime but thats a big part of boxing.
I guess another chapter that doesn't sit well to me is Floyds ducking of Pacman all these years. I believe he has the tools to defeat him but it would be a toss em' fight! Most fighters look at challenges like that with open arms, I guess he's not like the average competitor who accepts challenges! Ray

[Walt Liquor]

Could you see Floyd, with those brittle hands, keeping Hagler's head off his chest and just crushing those ribs?

Absolutely not, just cant see the fight ever happenning, even if hagler was considered to be slowing down a little. The only guy of the big 4 i think floyd would have ever gotten in the ring with close to prime is duran. And thats iffy.

If floyd had shown more balls in his career moves, id have more faith in him. But we clearly know he's not out to be the best, he's out to make the most. Thats a huge disadvantage to a guy with elite talent that shows the true heart of a champ in the ring against another prime talent that had also shown incredible heart vs elite guys.

[Priest Andretti]

So because people question floyds selfproclaimed GOAT status, that means that people are undderrating him???

No disrespect, but you have your head soo far up floyds ass that its blinding your judgment

No disrespect but when did I call him the GOAT or can you not read? I said hes underrated and sadly he is.

[Brother Jay]

The one universal truth *****s dont seem to undestand, is that it dossent matter have good you say you are, its have good you prove you are.

Other then cico corrales witch really is THAT impressiv, floyd have avoided the most dangerous apponents around his weightclass through out his carrer, and that simply means that he hassent proven that he is an ATG.

If Floyd wanted to prove he was the best he would have and losses on his record

+ Floyd is not a warrior and he dossent fight with pride, he fight purly for money, who the **** would be a fan of this is beyond me

Its interesting that you'd ask how a man that is #1 at WW and #1 at jrMW could have fans.

Equally interesting would be your answer to the question: Who in this era has fought and defeated more top 3 ranked fighters in the divisions they've competed in to prove that they are #1?

What you perceive as "dangerous" seems to boil down to simply being your own personal interest in that particular match happening.

Any boxer who has two fists is dangerous. I'm sure Pauly Malignaggi would have his way with most on this site under the MOQ rules.

However, being perceived as "dangerous" means NOTHING if you can't back it up in the ring.

Please explain: Who did Floyd avoid?

Cotto .. whose biggest win came over Mosley and then less than a year later he was beaten bloody?

Margarito ... who was beaten by Williams before beating Cotto .. and then less than six months later got laid out by Shane Mosley?

Williams .. whose biggest win came over Margarito .. only to be embarrassed by journeyman Quintana 7 months later?

Who are these men that Mayweather avoided. I'd be very interested to know.

Were you referring to the above fighters? So is the fact that those "dangerous" men couldn't even maintain more than a year's worth of longevity at the top what warranted them being seen as "avoided"?

LOL ... maybe you have a point I've overlooked.

Maybe you were referring to Kostya Tszyu, who demanded for a 60/40 split in his favor in order to make a fight with the bigger draw Mayweather. We all know that wasn't going to happen.

But what happened next?

Floyd gave up waiting on Tszyu and gave a brutal performance against Gatti instead. While Tszyu got mugged in the ring by Ricky Hatton. Which gave Hatton the idea that as the conquerer of Tszyu, he could chase Mayweather and beat him. Didn't work out that way.

Oh the irony.

So when you get the time and your thoughts together, do us all a favor and explain to the forum who exactly Floyd Mayweather ducked by consistently facing the #1, 2 & 3 ranked fighters in every division with the exception of Tszyu.

We'll wait.

[Rk16]

Leonard blatantly avoided Hagler for years and he still gets a pass on here for it
Funny too how everyone says Floyd would duck Hagler despite taking in the obvious size and weight difference

[BennyST]

so hearns didn't take the fight to duran? he didn't take the fight to hagler?

hearns did not always use his advantages, he brawled at times.

i believe he would see how small floyd is and go at him, i don't believe would hearns would fight hesitant or let lil floyd come at him all night floyd doesn't have the power to make hearns do that.

hearns also brawled and took to it srl then he got hurt and boxed. so even when hearns fought guys he should fear not always did he box from the outside.

never once did i say hearns had a soft chin or get's frustrated just like you aren't a floyd hater im not a hearns hater.

i see the fight playing out a different way than you, but im not scared to say i could be wrong are you?

Of course Hearns would go at him, but he wouldn't be reaching, overextending and leaving himself to be pot shotted. Of course fights can go different, but Floyd pot shotting Hearns is a one in a million for me. Hearns would jab with Floyd, like he did with everyone. It's his biggest weapon. If ever there was an awful style match up for him, it's Hearns.

Floyd doesn't have fast enough feet to slip, get inside, counter and get away, just like Benitez couldn't counter Hearns because of the distance and reach or get inside because Hearns keeps his balance, distance and doesn't reach in. That's not to say he wouldn't go for the KO, but they are two different things entirely. Benitez spent all his time on defense and it was him that ended up reaching all the time because by the time he slipped a combination and tried to counter Hearns was already back at his own distance.

Pot shotting a guy who throws one or two punches, is a bit slow and plodding is fine, but doing it against a guy who stays at range with a long, fast jab, throws quick combinations and has a massive height and reach advantage is next to impossible.

Hearns is fast enough, skilled enough and his feet quick enough that Floyd couldn't pot shot. Floyd would have enough trouble reaching Hearns with anything significant and would probably end up fighting with his back against the ropes most of the fight, where he is very comfortable, but not in a good place to be against Hearns.

It's possible he (mayweather) gets taken out at some point early, but I see it more likely ending up a clear, albeit close, UD for Hearns with Mayweather simply not able to generate enough momentum and offence to win the exchanges. Hearns keeps it outside and then wins the rounds with his jab and boxing when he realises he can't get Floyd out of there after four rounds or so.

Now me saying winning it with his boxing doesn't mean Hearns is a better boxer. He just has the height, reach, comparable speed at 147 and more than enough skill to keep Floyd, who is just too small, at the end of his punches and if Floyds at the end of his punches and Hearns is getting off first, he wins. At 147 Hearns was too big, too fast, too skilled to outbox for someone of Floyds size, as we saw with Leonard and Benitez, and Floyd just doesn't have the necessary fire power and aggression to outfight him as Leonard could. It's one of the few matches in history that Floyd is a true underdog in.