The fight that should have happened but never did...

[mickyward5656]

Sugar Ray Lennord vs Aaron Pryor
Who Wins?

Honestly i like Pryor in this one. I think he had what it took to beat SRL. Pryor pubicly called out SRL several times, and every time SRL ignored him, wanted no part of him.

What do you guys think???

[TheGreatA]

Leonard would win a decision.

The fight only made sense after 1982, unfortunately Leonard had to retire that year due to the eye injury he sustained during the fight against Thomas Hearns. Even then I would've rather seen Leonard fight Marvin Hagler, not Pryor who was a small light welterweight.

[StarshipTrooper]

I think Pryor was a good fighter but I've never joined the cult that's cropped up around him. Pryor made his reputation off of beating a washed up Alexis Arguello two weight classes over his optimal division. Who else did Pryor beat? No one. Certainly no one that would make me think Aaron had the physical tools and boxing skills to beat a fighter the calibre of Ray Leonard. Or Tommy Hearns and Wilfred Benitez for that matter.

Poet

[warp1432]

I think Pryor was a good fighter but I've never joined the cult that's cropped up around him. Pryor made his reputation off of beating a washed up Alexis Arguello two weight classes over his optimal division. Who else did Pryor beat? No one. Certainly no one that would make me think Aaron had the physical tools and boxing skills to beat a fighter the calibre of Ray Leonard. Or Tommy Hearns and Wilfred Benitez for that matter.

Poet

Aaron Pryor beat Tommy Hearns in the amateurs. He also beat Antonio Cervantes, Sang Hyu Kim, and Dujan Johnson who were top 140 pounders.

Also as for the topic, Lennox Lewis-Rid**** Bowe and Roy Jones Jr and DM. Especially the later one.

[TheGreatA]

Aaron Pryor beat Tommy Hearns in the amateurs. He also beat Antonio Cervantes, Sang Hyu Kim, and Dujan Johnson who were top 140 pounders.

Also as for the topic, Lennox Lewis-Rid**** Bowe and Roy Jones Jr and DM. Especially the later one.

I don't really think too much of the win over Hearns. Hearns weighed around 130-135 lbs and was only 17 years old from what I remember while Pryor was years older. I believe Hearns would've KO'd Pryor at 147 lbs.

Pryor had some good wins and I certainly rate him as a 140 lber but I do not understand why people think that Ray Leonard, who fought Benitez, Duran and Hearns almost back-to-back at 147 lbs, was ducking a light welterweight Aaron Pryor who until 1982, when Leonard had already retired, had not beaten a name aside from an ancient Antonio Cervantes.

It's not like Pryor ever did anything at welterweight to push for the fight to happen unlike Duran and Hearns.

[Southpaw16BF]

I think Pryor was a good fighter but I've never joined the cult that's cropped up around him. Pryor made his reputation off of beating a washed up Alexis Arguello two weight classes over his optimal division. Who else did Pryor beat? No one. Certainly no one that would make me think Aaron had the physical tools and boxing skills to beat a fighter the calibre of Ray Leonard. Or Tommy Hearns and Wilfred Benitez for that matter.

Poet

Think your disrepecting the Hawk to much here in your post.

Yes the reason we never got to see more of him was due to drugs addiction. But in his prime he was one hell of a fighter. You say a washed up Alexis Arguello.

How does this work out.When Arguello fought Pryor the first time going into that fight he hadn't been beat in 4 years, and going into the Pryor fight his last five fights had all been by KO and was looking as destrutive as ever, he was not washed up.

You also forgot to metion his 8 WBA title defences at light welterweight and won them all with tko wins, you say who else did he beat beisdes Arguello, he also stopped Antonio Cervantes who had not been beat in 4 years, and was on his 6th defence of his WBA title, and the last fighter to beat him was Wilfred Benitez on a SD, and Benitez would never give him the rematch. Pyor stopped him in 4.

You also say he wasn't on the level of a Hearns or Benitez? which i can't understand. As when Pryor was in his prime he was more consistet and dominate than Benitez and just as good as Hearns.And am not the only one who thinks this as when ''Ring Magzaine done a list of the 80 greatest fighters of the last 80 years they ranked Pryor 35th, Hearns 67th, and Benitez 68th. So he was 23 places above Hearns and 24 above Benitez.

You also say he had no physical tools or boxing skills to beat the likes of Leonard.

Well maybe he didn't have great skills, but should that make not any less of a fighter, because it didn't make Armstrong or Marcaino any less of a fighter. he had unbeliavble cardio, cast iron chin and a workrate that hadn't been seen since Henry Armstrong.

And you say he wound't of beat a fighter of Ray Leonard, did you know something that Ray didn't because Ray avoided him enough, and they sparred numerous rounds and had both dropped each other , so i think the Hawk was in Ray's league, no dout.

You also say he cound't of beat a fighter of Thomas Hearns, well it not much to go of but they fought a year before both turning pro, with no headguards on and Pryor had the ''physical tools'' to dominate him start to finish to get a UD points win. and i think he could of done the same in the Pro's.

So my point is you don't have to be a huge fan of Pryors, but just show him more respect and to say he wasn't in the league or wound of not had the skills or physical tools to not beat Leanord or even Hearns or Benitez a pretty silly comment.

[sleazyfellow]

If you think pryor would have his way with hearns just because he won in the amateurs, then you need to look more at hearns, he wasnt a KO artist he became when he fought pryor. Arguello had pryor hurt alot in the first fight, hearns punched harder than he did, im not saying a KO for hearns but definetely a decison in his favor.

As for srl/pryor, i beleive srl would decision him easy. One fight that never happend but should of was foreman/holmes.

[Southpaw16BF]

If you think pryor would have his way with hearns just because he won in the amateurs, then you need to look more at hearns, he wasnt a KO artist he became when he fought pryor. Arguello had pryor hurt alot in the first fight, hearns punched harder than he did, im not saying a KO for hearns but definetely a decison in his favor.

As for srl/pryor, i beleive srl would decision him easy. One fight that never happend but should of was foreman/holmes.

But your forgetting that Hearns alywas struggled with pressure fighters, when Leoanrd put pressure on him he he sunk, when Hagler put pressure he sunk, and when Barkley upped the pressure he sunk. And Hearns also never had the most steady of chins either and i think Hawk may of hurt Hearns.

[Southpaw16BF]

Leonard would win a decision.

The fight only made sense after 1982, unfortunately Leonard had to retire that year due to the eye injury he sustained during the fight against Thomas Hearns. Even then I would've rather seen Leonard fight Marvin Hagler, not Pryor who was a small light welterweight.

You don't give Pryor enough credit as a fighter. I corrected you a couple of months back when you said he wasn't in the league of Hears.

Quote:
Originally Posted by TheManchine
Pryor was not on the level of Hearns and Leonard in my opinion. He's smaller too.

Hmmmm, very interesting that you claim Pryor wasn't on level of Leonard or Hearns.

Maybe he didn't achieve as much as they did in terms of legacy, but when they were all in their prime i think Pryor was on the level of both fighters . But what people forget is Pryor was never defeated in his prime.

Was the number #1 lighweight contender but the was avoided so moved up to the Lw division, were he stopped hall of famer Antonio Cervantes in 4 for the WBA title, and would go on to make 8 title defecnes and in those defences stopped the great Alexis Arguello x2 and then would go on to win the IBF title and make a defence.

In my mind he was also avoided my Ray Lenoard, people even say Ray moved up a weight class to avoided Pryor in the amature's. And also he would never accept the challage of Pryor.

It just such a shame that drugs got hold of Aaron Pryor, because i belive The Hawk could of been up there with the likes of Leanord, Armsrotng, Greb, Robinson etc if drugs had not got hold of him.

He also beat Thomas Hearns in the Golden Glove final(Amature), and i think he could of beat Tommy in his prime in the pro ranks.

Your avater shows a Ring Magzine cover, the same Ring Magzine that done a list The 80 Best Fighters of the Last 80 Years in 2003 - in which they ranked Aaron Pryor number #35 and Thomas Hearns number #67. 32 Places, so Ring also think Pryor had a better legacy.

So to say Pryor was not on the level of Hearns and Leonard in his prime is a pretty silly comment.

[Thread Stealer]

Sugar Ray Lennord vs Aaron Pryor
Who Wins?

Honestly i like Pryor in this one. I think he had what it took to beat SRL. Pryor pubicly called out SRL several times, and every time SRL ignored him, wanted no part of him.

What do you guys think???

Leonard offered Pryor a fight, but Pryor wasn't happy with $500,000. According to a really good Sports Illustrated article around that time.

Leonard by UD.

I don't like Pryor's chances at welterweight, especially at that time period with such excellent fighters at 147. Especially Hearns. As a pro, at 147, that would've been an ugly loss to the Hawk.

Pryor's legacy/standing is hurt more by the champs at 135 (whom Pryor most likely would've beat) not wanting to fight him, not the fact that he never fought guys like Leonard and Hearns who would've most likely beat him.