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Ray with a close, but clear, UD. Too tall, too quick, too strong. Did someone really say that Floyd would win with his physical strength over Leonard? Anyway, Leonard has the ability to counter Floyd's counter and get off combinations that don't allow Floyd to counter.
When you get caught with the third or fourth punch of a combination because you open up with a counter against a guy faster, taller who throws combinations instead of single shots, it nullifies a lot of what you do.
Not only that, but Leonard's jab alone would give Floyd serious problems, and unlike Oscar, Floyd wouldn't be able to easily take it away. The only guy I've seen effectively take Leonard's jab away and make him stop using it was Duran, and I know a lot of tossbags will laugh at this, but Duran was not only one of the best counter punchers but he had one of the greatest jab counters ever. Unlike Floyd though, Duran used combinations off that counter to stop Leonard's own counter back which was one of Leonard's great strengths. Floyd doesn't, and I don't think actually can, do it. It's just not something he does.
Things aren't as simple as "Floyd greatest counter puncher ever! Pwns Leonard with counters all night! LAMO" when you have a guy with faster hands who can hurt you with counter shots against counter shots. At WW, Leonard wins. I think he would do a lot of it on the outside boxing, until Floyd starts to adjust to it and get close in the chess-match then Leonard takes it up a notch further, as he was always able to do, and starts to simply outfight him, and sort of overwhelm him winning the exchanges by punching first and punching last.
We've seen Leonard in with some of the greatest counter punchers, defensive fighters, fast, skilled boxers ever. We haven't seen Floyd in with someone close to Leonard's skill, will, heart, speed, combination punching, jab etc. Of you think Oscar's jab gave Floyd trouble early on and Zab's speed also gave him trouble early on, Leonard's jab gives him trouble all night as does his speed and skill. Floyd would not be able to adjust to Leonard easily as Leonard had ten gears and as many games.
Floyd would have to win this as a defensive counter puncher, hoping that single shots would get it done. It wouldn't. Leonard could win it more ways than Floyd could. On the outside, jabbing with short, sharp combination punching before Floyd had the chance to counter and he could stand and walk Floyd down throwing first and last. As Slick said, if Floyd stands his ground and tries to walk Leonard down as he has been want to do, he gets the single pounding of his career. If he uses the ropes as often as he usually does, he loses the fight there. Leonard isn't ****** enough to do what most of Floyd's opponents have done and try to get close to rough Floyd up inside when he stays on the ropes. He would use it to his complete advantage by staying at his own range where Floyd would need to step off to get his counter off and he would get tagged doing it. Leonard had the great ability to be able to simply overwhelm someone's defensive counter punching with offense alone based on leading and finishing.
Floyd is great, but Leonard is greater.
When you get caught with the third or fourth punch of a combination because you open up with a counter against a guy faster, taller who throws combinations instead of single shots, it nullifies a lot of what you do.
Not only that, but Leonard's jab alone would give Floyd serious problems, and unlike Oscar, Floyd wouldn't be able to easily take it away. The only guy I've seen effectively take Leonard's jab away and make him stop using it was Duran, and I know a lot of tossbags will laugh at this, but Duran was not only one of the best counter punchers but he had one of the greatest jab counters ever. Unlike Floyd though, Duran used combinations off that counter to stop Leonard's own counter back which was one of Leonard's great strengths. Floyd doesn't, and I don't think actually can, do it. It's just not something he does.
Things aren't as simple as "Floyd greatest counter puncher ever! Pwns Leonard with counters all night! LAMO" when you have a guy with faster hands who can hurt you with counter shots against counter shots. At WW, Leonard wins. I think he would do a lot of it on the outside boxing, until Floyd starts to adjust to it and get close in the chess-match then Leonard takes it up a notch further, as he was always able to do, and starts to simply outfight him, and sort of overwhelm him winning the exchanges by punching first and punching last.
We've seen Leonard in with some of the greatest counter punchers, defensive fighters, fast, skilled boxers ever. We haven't seen Floyd in with someone close to Leonard's skill, will, heart, speed, combination punching, jab etc. Of you think Oscar's jab gave Floyd trouble early on and Zab's speed also gave him trouble early on, Leonard's jab gives him trouble all night as does his speed and skill. Floyd would not be able to adjust to Leonard easily as Leonard had ten gears and as many games.
Floyd would have to win this as a defensive counter puncher, hoping that single shots would get it done. It wouldn't. Leonard could win it more ways than Floyd could. On the outside, jabbing with short, sharp combination punching before Floyd had the chance to counter and he could stand and walk Floyd down throwing first and last. As Slick said, if Floyd stands his ground and tries to walk Leonard down as he has been want to do, he gets the single pounding of his career. If he uses the ropes as often as he usually does, he loses the fight there. Leonard isn't ****** enough to do what most of Floyd's opponents have done and try to get close to rough Floyd up inside when he stays on the ropes. He would use it to his complete advantage by staying at his own range where Floyd would need to step off to get his counter off and he would get tagged doing it. Leonard had the great ability to be able to simply overwhelm someone's defensive counter punching with offense alone based on leading and finishing.
Floyd is great, but Leonard is greater.
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