Aaron Pryor was worthless

[MWCOFSU]

He could have fought Leanord, or HEarns, or Curry, but he chose crack.

maybe he just got tired of chasing Leonard around, challenging him at press conferences, etc. he didnt fight srl because srl didnt want none of hawktime.

only arguello had the balls to fight the guy. srl fought at welterweight to get away from pryor.

[xrhythmxnxbluesx]

aaron pryor is one of the best fighters i've seen ever... quick skilled and can take a punch... and there is no doubt in my mind that leonard went up in weight to avoid a fight with pryor.. unfortunate how drugs can take over a person..

[Tha Greatest]

After watching Pryor beat Arguello in the second fight, I'm reminded what a boxing historian said about Pryor: "He could go hang out with the Pope one night, and he would go smoke crack with some street thug the next" There is nothing more common in this world than wasted talent. Aaron Pryor was that. Alot of people think he could have beat both Leanord and Hearns (who he did as an amatuer) as a pro, but we will never know, because he was such a worthless piece of scum ****. I guess he'll just have to tell people how great he could have been. We can all do that. I hope all the CRACK you smoked Pryor was worth it.

How can u call my favorite fighter a piece of scum ****!

U dunno what Pryors gone through his life and he learned well from his mistakes...If I can meet one boxer in this world it would be him.......

He would be Leonard, Chavez, Taylor ....I doubt he'd beat hearns though

[Tha Greatest]

i wish i could give u all karma except for the hater

u guys all finally realise how good pryor was

and ya he had been chasin leonard since amateur years

That's why I don't like Leonard!

[Bozo_no no]

I wrote Pryor to ask him about fighting SRL:

I'm a big fan and can't say enough about what an inspiration your career was to me as a boxing fan. Your fights with Alexis Arguello were some of the best fights ever!

I had a question for you:

I was wondering if at any point you considered moving up to welter, and if you ever had a desire to fight Ray Leonard?

I don't know what the timing was like between 80-83 for both of you, but was there ever any discussions? Was it something you were interested in?

I know you would have given him hell!

Thanks Champ.

Here's the response I got from Mrs Pryor:



Thanks so much for writing. It's always great hearing from boxing fans, especially those in Canada. Without the fans, there would be no boxing! This is Frankie Pryor, Aaron's wife. I have to let you know that while Aaron may have had some of the best hands in the business, they aren't worth anything on a computer keyboard. Aaron doesn't even know how to turn on the computer so you get me as a go between.

First of all, I was a little scared to go ask Aaron your two questions. I knew that I was going to get an ear full reading your questions about his being hesitant to move up in weight or fight Ray! Let me tell you something about my husband. He was a warrior and had the desire to fight anyone, anywhere, anytime and at any weight. Aaron never held back on anything. That's what makes champions and that's why my husband was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame at 41 years of age and named the #1 Jr. Welterweight of the Century by the Sports Writers Associated in 1999.

We just returned from an event in Washington, DC with Larry Holmes, Gerry Cooney, Joe Frazier, Leon & Michael Spinks, Carmen Basilio, Jake LaMotta, Hector Comacho, among others. We were having dinner one night and the conversation turned to how small the world of boxing really is. Once you get down to it, there are just a limited number of fighters at the top at any given time. Think about back in the 80's. The guys who were champs back then for the most part started out fighting in the amateur ranks together as kids. Pryor, Holmes, Michael Spinks, Leon Spinks, Ray Leonard, etc., all knew each other as teens and grew up together in the world of boxing. We stay in touch with each other on a regular basis still to this day. It's like a class reunion. All the wives are friends and it's a lot of fun. Back then when they were amateurs and early pro's, Aaron would live for months at a time at Ray Leonards' Mom's house -- training and sparring with Ray. From the time they turned pro to their retirement, Aaron hounded Ray for a fight. There were many, many discussions of a possible bout in the 80's between their managers. I'm not sure of your age, but every boxing event, every boxing magazine, every boxing show would have some mention of if that fight would ever happen between Aaron & Ray. Aaron would show up at Ray's press conferences, award dinners, etc., Angelo Dundee, Ray's trainer/manager, told us a couple of years ago that there was no way he would have ever let Ray fight Aaron. Contrary to what the public saw with all the arguing and bantering back and forth about a fight, Aaron and Ray have been great friends since they were kids and still are to this day. We see him 3-4 times a year and he's a terrific guy. Personally, I think that is the number one reason it never happened. They just knew each other too well. By the way, Aaron lost his job sparring with Ray when they first turned pro because he kept knocking Ray down. I do know that Aaron would have loved to fight Ray for real. FYI -- Alexis Arguello and Aaron are very close friends and have been since the Arguello/Pryor II. We went for a two week vacation to Nicaragua this past summer to visit him and help him campaign for Vice-Mayor of Managua. Kind of funny how life works out.

Thanks for the email!

Frankie Pryor

[Tha Greatest]

I love Aaron Pryor as a fighter....he's my fav fighter ever

I wish I could meet him, that would be the coolest thing ever...

He was the greatest 140 pounder EVER

I also emailed him and got a msg from his wife, shes nice..

I asked if they had a shirt that said, "what time is it....HAWK TIME!!"

[SnoopySmurf]

u guys all finally realise how good pryor was

Finally?

Ha! I knew he was unstoppable after he took Arguello's best shots in the first fight. And as a teen back then, I was rooting for Arguello. But Pryor was like a cross breed of the Terminator and Tazmanian Devil. Indestructible and a destroyer.

When he fought Arguello a second time, I was an Aaron Pryor fan.

Ahh....but the 80's was the glory years of the yayo. Aaron couldn't resist the yayo.

[JOM'S]

as a kid in the PI I did not know the hawk, but i know of Arguello who became one of my favorite after he beat and Koed my fighter Andy "The Hawian Punch" Ganigan who is a Fil-Am ...

But after i saw that destruction of Alexis, the sight is forever etched in my memory, and I think the Hawk is a legend in his own right...

[marvdave]

maybe he just got tired of chasing Leonard around, challenging him at press conferences, etc. he didnt fight srl because srl didnt want none of hawktime.

only arguello had the balls to fight the guy. srl fought at welterweight to get away from pryor.

old wive's tale. Leonard did not duck Pryor. If Pryor could have kept his head straight, the fight might have happened later. Leonard had bigger fish to fry at that point. I doubt a guy who fought Duran,Hearns,Hagler would be afraid of little Pryor. Leonard wouldn't stand in front of the wild Pryor like Arguello did. He would outsmart Pryor and win a decision.

[MuscleBobBuffPants]

what time is it????