Early stoppages.

[BattlingNelson]

Robinson-Turpin? Did you see the right hand that Robinson decked Turpin with 30 seconds before the ref waved it off? He was then getting battered on the ropes. No way that was an example of an early stoppage.

I kinda agree with you. By todays standards. But back then it was absolutely a controversial stoppage.

[MRBOOMER]

The one that destroyed me when I was kid was Leonard vs Hearns 1.

At the time I hated Leonard and Hearns was my favorite active fighter.

Hearns was still on his feet and still able to fight, he was a little gassed but right before the referee stopped the fight Hearns was still throwing back and the ref really did not take a good look at him he just pulled Leonard away and waved it off.

In a fight of that magnitude the referee should of been vilified for deciding the winner instead of letting the fighters decide who was best that night.

Still to IMO the worst stoppage I have seen.

Maybe that's why I don't rate Leonard as high as some do his career seems like a great example of being the favorite a little often and I don't wanna say cherry picking but I can't come up with anything else to call it

[Sugar Adam Ali]

Maybe that's why I don't rate Leonard as high as some do his career seems like a great example of being the favorite a little often and I don't wanna say cherry picking but I can't come up with anything else to call it

leonard-hearns 1 or 2 was not a cherrypick, neither was beneitz or duran or aybule,,

Yes leonard had some cherrypicks, but its silly to think that prime undefeated monster welter hearns was a cherrypick,,,, Kevin howard or bruce finch yes it was a cherrypick but not hearns 81

[Anthony342]

Leonard pretty much started cherry picking after the second Duran fight mostly.

[RINGG]

Leonard pretty much started cherry picking after the second Duran fight mostly.

Yes, because undefeated light middleweight champ Ayub Kalule and undefeated WBC welterweight sensation Thomas Hearns were cherry picks.

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[BennyST]

....yeah and coming off a three year layoff, with only one fight in five years, to move up from 147 and fight the number 1 P4P, undefeated as champion, Undisputed, lineal ATG middleweight is a cherry pick.

Whatever else you can say of Leonard, the one thing you can't is that he cherry picked fights. He tried to get small advantages in big fights, but they were far from cherry picks. Huge risks against ATG fighters. He was the underdog against both Hearns and Hagler.

Then you have Duran, Benitez and Kalule. I'd say his only cherry pick was Lalonde.

[BattlingNelson]

....yeah and coming off a three year layoff, with only one fight in five years, to move up from 147 and fight the number 1 P4P, undefeated as champion, Undisputed, lineal ATG middleweight is a cherry pick.

Whatever else you can say of Leonard, the one thing you can't is that he cherry picked fights. He tried to get small advantages in big fights, but they were far from cherry picks. Huge risks against ATG fighters. He was the underdog against both Hearns and Hagler.

Then you have Duran, Benitez and Kalule. I'd say his only cherry pick was Lalonde.

Fine post. But Lalonde was not his only cherrypick. Durán III was just as bad.

[mickey malone]

....yeah and coming off a three year layoff, with only one fight in five years, to move up from 147 and fight the number 1 P4P, undefeated as champion, Undisputed, lineal ATG middleweight is a cherry pick.

Whatever else you can say of Leonard, the one thing you can't is that he cherry picked fights. He tried to get small advantages in big fights, but they were far from cherry picks. Huge risks against ATG fighters. He was the underdog against both Hearns and Hagler.

Then you have Duran, Benitez and Kalule. I'd say his only cherry pick was Lalonde.

Lalonde was quite an outrageous cherry pick really..
Correct me if i'm wrong, but is'nt that how the smw division came about?
Was'nt it invented, so that SRL could become the first man to win titles in 5 different weights?.. Pretty sure Lalonde was made to come in at 168, but still had to put his wbc lhwt title on the line.

[Anthony342]

I didn't say they all definitely were. Hence the term "pretty much".

[Sugarj]

Fine post. But Lalonde was not his only cherrypick. Durán III was just as bad.

The thing is, at the time Duran had looked really good against Barkley in his previous fight. Whereas Leonard had looked vulnerable against Lalonde and Hearns in his recent fights.

On paper this looked like a pretty good fight. It probably would have been if the Duran from the Barkley fight showed up; but Roberto seemed to have no fire that night.