Question about Sugar Ray Leonard

[Ged21]

What up yall I'm a young guy who has always been a boxing fan but never really followed in depth as I have since 2005, since then I have really been drawn to highly skilled defensive fighters as well as offensive tacticians so needless to say I'm a big floyd fan...now many people here love or hate floyd where I fall in between...hes by far my favorite boxer but I do feel that if he's gonna be fighting at welterweight (which I think is a weight class too big for him) he should fight anyone that is a top contender...now my question is this, did Sugar Ray Leonard have people pleading to fight someone like people are with floyd fighting cotto and williams and if so did he fight them, I guess my question is did leonard "duck" (for lack of a better word and I hate that word by the way) anyone even if it was someone that may not have been great per say but a contender none the less that may not have been "worthy" of a shot, a margarito of his day if you will? Your replies are greatly appreciated.

[Scott9945]

What up yall I'm a young guy who has always been a boxing fan but never really followed in depth as I have since 2005, since then I have really been drawn to highly skilled defensive fighters as well as offensive tacticians so needless to say I'm a big floyd fan...now many people here love or hate floyd where I fall in between...hes by far my favorite boxer but I do feel that if he's gonna be fighting at welterweight (which I think is a weight class too big for him) he should fight anyone that is a top contender...now my question is this, did Sugar Ray Leonard have people pleading to fight someone like people are with floyd fighting cotto and williams and if so did he fight them, I guess my question is did leonard "duck" (for lack of a better word and I hate that word by the way) anyone even if it was someone that may not have been great per say but a contender none the less that may not have been "worthy" of a shot, a margarito of his day if you will? Your replies are greatly appreciated.

The only fighter Leonard was ever accused by some of ducking (as a welterweight champion) was Aaron Pryor, the outstanding 140 lb champion. It would be equal to Floyd being accused of ducking Hatton (obviously before they fought), although unlike Hatton, Pryor didn't have any fights at 147. Leonard did fight and beat all the top welterweights of his time. In later years fighters like Donald Curry and Michael Nunn would accuse Leonard of ducking them, but Leonard usually didn't have a world title and the truth is that they just were looking for a big payoff cashing in on Ray's name.

[-EX-]

Many say Leonard ducked Aaron Pryor, and some say he waited for Marvin Hagler to start to fall out of his prime before they fought(that fight was at 160 though not 147).

Difference is those guys were established. Floyd should fight Cotto, Williams, or Mosley but Margarito and Cintron are B- or C level fighters. They would get outclassed.

[Silencers]

Aaron Pryor is the only guy that I know of.

I know Mike McCallum wanted to fight him but I'm not sure what happened there. You could also argue that he took the second Hearns fight because he thought Tommy was done.