I was watching Sugar Ray Leonard on Ringside on ESPN Classics

[Larry the boss]

Come on man. Leonard was a great boxer that can punch but Floyd is just to technically sound. Leonard was a WW that lost to a LW moving up 2 divisions. Stop with this older generation being unbeatable just because we like them. Now before someone pulls the Leonard would KO Floyd sh_it Leonard couldnt even KO Big Floyd.

Well lets not act like Duran was some small guy tho..he went up to 168

[Frank Ducketts]

Who is going to explain how Floyd beats Sugar?

[Frank Ducketts]

Well lets not act like Duran was some small guy tho..he went up to 168

Exactly.

Weight was not a problem in this fight. Duran was stronger than Sugar. Later, Sugar adapted, Duran couldn't...

[boxingfan_123]

Who is going to explain how Floyd beats Sugar?

leanord is too good he figured out that shoulder roll defense when he went against floyd senior

[ModernTalking]

Floyd-Leonard would be a damn good fight imo,both would have to bring their A game

Health would come first for Floyd or they would not be fighting to see who the best is.

[jvsnypes]

Floyd is simply not his best at 147. If you put this Floyd in with Leonard, he gets KO'd. Now if you took Floyd at his best and put him in with Ray ay his best, same results. Floyd beats most of his opponents with his ring smarts and speed. He would have neither advantage with Ray. Floyd is the better defensive fighter, but Ray by far, is the better offensive fighter. Floyd would have to hope that Ray would try to outbox him, that would be his only chance. I think this fight would be parellel to Leonard vs Benetiz. It would be scientific and a show of skill until Ray realized Floyd couldn't hurt him. Ray ended up walking through Benetiz, and I could see him doing the same to Floyd. Another fight to compare it to would be Floyd vs Zab Judah. Zab matched Floyd speed for speed, dropped him and even had him hurt on the ropes. (It was not called an official knock down because the ref missed the punch but replay clearly shows it.) But, Zab was a front runner, meaning he started off fast but by middle rounds was burned out. Floyd then started breaking him down mentally and physically. When have any fighter in Ray's prime ever broke him down in that manner? Never, and neither would Floyd. If Ray ever got Floyd hurt the way Zab did, he would finish him. Someone please refresh my memory when Leonard, in his prime, hurt an opponent and let him off the hook. Leonard lost to a lightweight...but it was the greatest lightweight of all time. Duran, on that night, would have destroyed Floyd. The problem is, there truly is no comparison between Ray and Floyd. Floyd Mayweather is a hall of famer hands down. Sugar Ray Leonard is a boxing legend. There is a huge difference. Floyd has never faced the type of opponents that Ray has.He's never faced a freak of nature like Hearns. He's never faced 2 viscious KO legends like Duran or Hagler. Who has this man ever beat for anyone to think he belonged in the same ring with Ray??? Truthfully.Who has Floyd beat that Ray wouldn't have obliterated? Hatton? Oscar? Ortiz? Cotto? Really??? Boxing is not the same anymore. Floyd has beat some good fighters of this era, but he has never been in the ring with killers or fighters cut from the cloth of Leonard, Duran, Hagler, and Hearns.If those guys were in his era, Floyd would be 43 and 4. I think Floyd would have caught hell with Camacho and Pryor back in those days. Thats not taking anything away from Floyd, he was just blessed to fight in a weaker generation.

[jvsnypes]

For those that need for me to be more technical, think about this. What's Floyd's best punches? Its his straight right hand and check hook. Both would be nullified because one of Ray's best punches was his left hook. Floyd is schooled enough to know that you don't hook with a hooker. And by throwing a lead right would always put him in a bad position to get countered by a big left hook that Ray was definitely fast enough to deliver. What punch always consistently lands on Floyd? The jab. Name a welterweight with a jab better than Ray's. The pot shotting that Floyd is known for, how would that be effective on a fighter that uses his legs a lot and give angles? Floyd would be forced at some point to open up on Ray. And Ray does get hit. But what happens if they exchange flurries or combos? Ray is the bigger fighter and had a granite chin in his prime. If he could stand up to the punches of "The Hands of Stone", "The Hit Man", and the "Marvelous" one, what makes anyone think he would be fazed by a brittle handed Floyd? How do you outpoint a busier fighter and a guy that knew how to dazzle the crowd and the judges? Floyd would be forced to go after Ray. George Foreman always said when he commentated that you never follow a puncher around the ring.Ray could punch! When I try to break it down and figure out a way Floyd could beat Ray, I just can't find it. The type of guy to beat Ray would be a long rangy fighter with skills and pop. Ray then would be forced to reach. Even Terry Norris would have given Ray problems in his prime. They were almost a mirror image of each other except Terry wasn't as smart and was too emotional. He could be ****** into a brawl. But I think Terry would have beaten Floyd as well. You just don't see guys of today with the total package. Guys back then had the physical ability plus boxing skills. You just don't see guys with both now days and that's why Floyd can dominate so much in this era. The one guy with both,Pacquiao, Floyd is , for whatever reason, not fighting him. Other guys with both ability and skills are Chad Dawson and Andre Ward. But they are too big for Floyd to challenge. Before I could honestly envision floyd fighting Ray, he would have to fight and beat Manny and Sergio Martinez. If he accomplish that, then we can talk about the subject.

[Frank Ducketts]

Floyd is simply not his best at 147. If you put this Floyd in with Leonard, he gets KO'd. Now if you took Floyd at his best and put him in with Ray ay his best, same results. Floyd beats most of his opponents with his ring smarts and speed. He would have neither advantage with Ray. Floyd is the better defensive fighter, but Ray by far, is the better offensive fighter. Floyd would have to hope that Ray would try to outbox him, that would be his only chance. I think this fight would be parellel to Leonard vs Benetiz. It would be scientific and a show of skill until Ray realized Floyd couldn't hurt him. Ray ended up walking through Benetiz, and I could see him doing the same to Floyd. Another fight to compare it to would be Floyd vs Zab Judah. Zab matched Floyd speed for speed, dropped him and even had him hurt on the ropes. (It was not called an official knock down because the ref missed the punch but replay clearly shows it.) But, Zab was a front runner, meaning he started off fast but by middle rounds was burned out. Floyd then started breaking him down mentally and physically. When have any fighter in Ray's prime ever broke him down in that manner? Never, and neither would Floyd. If Ray ever got Floyd hurt the way Zab did, he would finish him. Someone please refresh my memory when Leonard, in his prime, hurt an opponent and let him off the hook. Leonard lost to a lightweight...but it was the greatest lightweight of all time. Duran, on that night, would have destroyed Floyd. The problem is, there truly is no comparison between Ray and Floyd. Floyd Mayweather is a hall of famer hands down. Sugar Ray Leonard is a boxing legend. There is a huge difference. Floyd has never faced the type of opponents that Ray has.He's never faced a freak of nature like Hearns. He's never faced 2 viscious KO legends like Duran or Hagler. Who has this man ever beat for anyone to think he belonged in the same ring with Ray??? Truthfully.Who has Floyd beat that Ray wouldn't have obliterated? Hatton? Oscar? Ortiz? Cotto? Really??? Boxing is not the same anymore. Floyd has beat some good fighters of this era, but he has never been in the ring with killers or fighters cut from the cloth of Leonard, Duran, Hagler, and Hearns.If those guys were in his era, Floyd would be 43 and 4. I think Floyd would have caught hell with Camacho and Pryor back in those days. Thats not taking anything away from Floyd, he was just blessed to fight in a weaker generation.

Other than saying Zab floored Floyd, and had Floyd hurt, good post.

[Frank Ducketts]

For those that need for me to be more technical, think about this. What's Floyd's best punches? Its his straight right hand and check hook. Both would be nullified because one of Ray's best punches was his left hook. Floyd is schooled enough to know that you don't hook with a hooker. And by throwing a lead right would always put him in a bad position to get countered by a big left hook that Ray was definitely fast enough to deliver. What punch always consistently lands on Floyd? The jab. Name a welterweight with a jab better than Ray's. The pot shotting that Floyd is known for, how would that be effective on a fighter that uses his legs a lot and give angles? Floyd would be forced at some point to open up on Ray. And Ray does get hit. But what happens if they exchange flurries or combos? Ray is the bigger fighter and had a granite chin in his prime. If he could stand up to the punches of "The Hands of Stone", "The Hit Man", and the "Marvelous" one, what makes anyone think he would be fazed by a brittle handed Floyd? How do you outpoint a busier fighter and a guy that knew how to dazzle the crowd and the judges? Floyd would be forced to go after Ray. George Foreman always said when he commentated that you never follow a puncher around the ring.Ray could punch! When I try to break it down and figure out a way Floyd could beat Ray, I just can't find it. The type of guy to beat Ray would be a long rangy fighter with skills and pop. Ray then would be forced to reach. Even Terry Norris would have given Ray problems in his prime. They were almost a mirror image of each other except Terry wasn't as smart and was too emotional. He could be ****** into a brawl. But I think Terry would have beaten Floyd as well. You just don't see guys of today with the total package. Guys back then had the physical ability plus boxing skills. You just don't see guys with both now days and that's why Floyd can dominate so much in this era. The one guy with both,Pacquiao, Floyd is , for whatever reason, not fighting him. Other guys with both ability and skills are Chad Dawson and Andre Ward. But they are too big for Floyd to challenge. Before I could honestly envision floyd fighting Ray, he would have to fight and beat Manny and Sergio Martinez. If he accomplish that, then we can talk about the subject.

Prime Ray would've knocked Terry Norris out.

[BattlingNelson]

I don't think there's any significant size difference. Leonard fought in an era of same day weigh-ins. I'm quite sure that Floyd weighs about the same as Leonard by fight-time.