Where do you rank Ray Leonard?

[Daddy T]

i think people get over emotional when comparing the old time fighters to those of the modern era they were different times. many of the old guys fought way more often. That doesn't mean they are by default better than somebody like Leonard who may only have had 40 fights, but beat some of the greatest fighters ever.

The sport has changed over the years and that doesn't mean somebody born into a more modern era by default cannot be greater than somebody from the 40s or 50s.

[StarshipTrooper]

See. This is where crossing eras can be complicated. Robinson was great and one of the greats BUT his ring IQ and athleticism couldn't match Ray's. Ray is as smart as they come and he would KO Robinson. Robinson had poor technique and he got hit too much. Ray's hand speed, quick feet, quick reflexes, and ability to outthink his opponents, gives him the advantage. Robinson held his hands low in that old school form of fighting and he would get knocked out. SRL was better than Robinson. I don't care how many fights he had. I am tired of the so called experts automatically saying Robinson is the greatest. Based on what? What did he do better than Ray Leonard? Don't worry, I'll wait.

^^^^^ All I need to know that you're basically full of ****. If you have watched any Robinson fights (which I doubt) you clearly had no idea what you were watching. In short, you don't know what the **** you're talking about.

And btw, I'M tired of having to read nuthuggers like you verbally fellating your favorite fighters.

[GOD-FR33]

Dido.......

Someone is upset. GOOD! Now get the **** off my page. IN your dreams and fantasy fights would Robinson beat Leonard. I guess he'd beat Hagler as well. ey? LoL. Okay. Goodbye.

[IronDanHamza]

It's just my opinion I'm NOT selling it!
I knew Ray when he was 12 yrs old. I knew him through his amateur career and worked against him a couple of times as he was groomed coming up. He also trained at my gym for his 8th or 9th fight and I watched him fight at least 10 times as an amateur and 5 or 6 times as a pro.

I have no emotional attachment to any fighter and when a trainer gets that way it's time to find another trainer for the fighter.

All of you are welcomed to your choices regardless what its based on, mine is based on over 50 years and actually witnessing the fighter from his inception to his finish! I trained with Pat Nappi who was the head USA trainer when Leonard fought on the USA team.

Wilfred was a great talent who often trained horribly if at all. He never lived up to his total abilities. You folks don't know that but I do. He won a split decs. over a Cervantes who was well passed his prime. He lost 8 fights and was stopped 4 times! If you look at his early 22 fights they were against debut guys or really bad fill ins.
...3!!!! were fifteen round bouts WOW a whole 3 seriously?

Hagler was "picked" everyone knew it, not fans but we knew Hagler had to stop Ray to win and he wasn't in prime form anymore to chase Ray all over the place.

No I'm not making much sense to you, your a fan and I was a professional manager, trainer, and fighter! So of course you have the experience in judgment and evaluations.

I didn't say he wasn't a great welterweight! I have him in my top fifteen!
To me the 15 best all time is very impressive, and the men from 6 to 15 are capable of beating each other with the top 4 or 5 having a better winning percentage above all.
I'm not degrading anyone I simply don't put him in the higher percentile.
He lacks experience compared to all the others. He also will loose focus and forget to sit down on his punches.
With only 40 bouts he only has about 7 career changing encounters.
Hell Robinson had 5 fights with one guy that were equal and surpassing anyone Leonard fought!

I don't have favorites, I'm not a fan of boxers. I'm a fan of boxing and do appreciate high rate volume fighters who know how to box and know when to fight. I appreciate the long careers the greats live and their activeness too.

It's ok to disagree but if you stop having your feelings (hero's) hurt and listen and research you may have a different out look. Or not!
Ray. good nite.

You're a clown I can't even be bothered to respond to your garbage.

[billeau2]

What is amusing to me is that Ray is placing Ray appropriately to most people's ranking yet is being percieved as downgrading Leanard. Why the hostility? Saying a guy is top 15 is pretty much putting a guy in the running for one of the ATG's.

Why create **** just to create? Nobody with any sense believes that Ray would dominate Sugar Ray Robinson and nobody would not put him on a relatively short list.

One interesting encounter would be an Armstrong fight....its very important to remember that guys like Homicidal Hank fight in a manner that considers reach. They are constantly getting inside with punch volume and by closing the distance. Under these conditions reach as an advantage is curtailed considerably.

I saw this training my martial arts guys. I had a cracking Brown Belt...tall and lanky, this guy could generate some force, especially on his kicks. Well he almost had a tourney won and went up against a good short swarmer. The swarmer held his own and won....barely! But the thing was you could see that the swarmer knew how to deal with reach because he had to! By the same token I would put down a lot of short muscle swarmers who were aggressive with reach because until being trained these individuals did not know about defending against reach.

My point is that one cannot account for Ray's reach as an advantage without considering Armstrong's swarming and incredible punch count. Who would win? I don't know!!

[Scott9945]

Someone is upset. GOOD! Now get the **** off my page. IN your dreams and fantasy fights would Robinson beat Leonard. I guess he'd beat Hagler as well. ey? LoL. Okay. Goodbye.

Your page? LOL. You really are an obnoxious fanboy. And Robinson would very possibly win more clearly than Leonard did over Hagler.

[joemama]

I rank him pretty high- top 8 welterweight. Time off for that detached retina hurt a little but he had it all, speed, technique, power, chin and heart.

[Ray Corso]

Now its completed...................even the History and Training section has been
injected with kids who actually think that Ray Leonard could "out think" and out box the Greatest Fighter from any weight class?

Robinson in his 24th year as a pro loosing to Stan Harrington in Harrington home base, twice inside 2 months, is as good as Leonard winning over "Donny LaLonde".

Robinson goes to Hawawii for a two month "vacation" boxing tuff Stan Harrington and loosing to Stan a fellow who was a solid fighter with wins over top notch contenders but who needed some monitorial help and got it from Robinson coming there and fighting him TWICE!
The fans in Hawawii were thrilled just see Robinson let alone watch him go 10 twice! He was not the prime Robinson but fans don't care because they KNOW he's not prime!
Not only are the greats from the past greater than the men now so were the fans hahahaha!!!!
Well now that the best parts of the site has these jerks who actually think Mayweather or Leonard are the greatest welters or fighters ever its time to get scarce around here.


Try and learn something Scot545321 Robinson is considered by "people in the sport" not fans to be the number ONE welter & middle of all time.
If you knew anything about techniques and skill levels along with heart & desire you'd agree. However your a dumb azz fan who thinks with his heart and must wipe the brown off his nose daily.

What I forgot you'll never know!

Good luck Rockin' with these kids, I had no plans to discuss what was my business with fans. I thought boxing people would be in the training and history sections to discuss boxing not who could beat who BS!
good luck Ray Corso

[young_robbed]

No, Ray Corso, Leonard doesn't beat Robinson.

You gotta draw the line somewhere. Robinson basically is better than Leonard at everything. I give Leonard the edge for their top opponents, that's it.

[Anthony342]

I think a lot of people tend to have a negative reaction to Leonard and his legacy, but when you put things into perspective and realise his resume it's not hard to get passed that stuff and see how great he is.

I always thought he was great. I just wish he would have beaten Hagler sooner.