I was watching Sugar Ray Leonard on Ringside on ESPN Classics

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Let's stick to the topic.

Very good post though. Almost in full agreement. Duran didn't need to plant, but if Leonard boxes, Duran can't beat him.

ok i will, but look at the 2nd fight... leonard used back and forth movemnt and duran had to plant and replant, etc. Then he would lung in and ray woudl catch him coming in and in this fight he spent off the ropes and did not allow himself to get pint on the ropes.

[Frank Ducketts]

leoanrd vs Mayweather would not be a close fight. People when was the last time Mayweather fought a good fighter with a Jab. Hmmmm DLH, and he was being controlled with that the first 7 rounds and was avoiding the left hook, so he lay on the ropes and tried to smother his shots, and avoid them then whe DLH tired and picked him apart. What in the hell would he do with a peak SRL, who was bigger stronger, faster had a better jab (dropped people with his jab ask Benetiz a all time great) and a jaw out of this world until he came back from retirement...Plus unlike DLH Ray had not only a jab and left hook but he had a great right hand, what DLH did not have.

When was the last time Mayweather fought a great guy who was at his peak at welterwitght. Hmmm never maybe.

when was the last time maywether fought a all time great period that was peak.... Hmmm

When was the last time Mayweather fougght a great or good fighter with reach advantage and was not old. Corrales did not have the reach advantage.

So Mayweather some how fights a top 2-3 welterweight of all time, who is just as fast, has more reach than he has ever faced, faster, better jab, hits harder, has the foot speed how shown the ability to destroy the shoulder roll (his daddy) great jaw, Leonard alwasy had great stamina and would not tire out like dlh ( remember his 15 round war with duran).

Not sure what fighter at 147 you all saw in Peak ray, but Mayweather at 147 would get annilhated, as his entire counter punching and not getting his is based of of not having to deal with a jab, being faster, not dealing with reach advantage. Reach neutralizes speed a jab does too, combine all 3, you have mayweather having to take the fight to Ray leonard, who would welcome this all day long.

This fight at 147 is not close, just like if Ray leonard fought Roy jones at middleweight.

Very good post!

[Frank Ducketts]

ok i will, but look at the 2nd fight... leonard used back and forth movemnt and duran had to plant and replant, etc. Then he would lung in and ray woudl catch him coming in and in this fight he spent off the ropes and did not allow himself to get pint on the ropes.

Yet again, good post!

[djtmal]

not knocking floyd mayweather jr. too much, but how many elite natural welterweights has he beat or knocked out...not fighters like oscar de la hoya, zab judah, ricky hatton, or miguel cotto, etc...all those guys grew into the weightclass, as did floyd mayweather jr....it would be the great big man, beats great little man theory, when it comes to a fight between floyd mayweather jr., and sugar ray leonard, who was a natural welterweight, who beat several elite natural welterweights...

[Convicted_Felon]

I watched that as well...

So was I. I DVR'd that show. SRL was a bad mofo. When Emanuel Steward made a comment after the 8th round of Mayweather-Mosley that mentioned SRL, I didn't fully understand what he meant until I watched the Ringside. That was badazz.

[PED Salesman]

you have no idea what the hell your talking about. Leonard gave away the first fitht because he fought flat footed. After the 1st four rounds of the 1st fight, leonard actually won a majority of the final rounds as indicated by the final sore. losing by a total of 4 points between 3 scorecards. Now The 2nd figght your on her hyping a false myth. Duran was training as good in the 2nd fight as he did the first fight. Get his book, not a other author but his autobiography, hands of stone where he set the record straight. He was in perfect shape. You can get the youtube vids of him at the ali fight before their 2nd fight when he was already within 5 pounds of his target weight. Leoanrd easily was and always will outbox duran if he decided to box. Duran was a ll time great, but he had to get planted just like hagler to throw, and leonard lateral movement kept him off balance and reaching. Then as the fight was going on, leonard was setting traps for duran and catching him with shot after shot. Go look at the 8th round. Oh I always love to discredit those that try to say leonard rushed this rematch. You do know that Duran has more time off in this fight between fights than he had with all others since 1973. 5 full months. Many duran followers never accept that boxing is about styles and leonard when he boxed would always beat duran, when he slugged it was a close fight, but duran being the aggressor and backing ray straight back got the nod, deservingly so.

Sorry about the thread hijack Frank, but I have to answer this.

A longer layoff just means more time for Duran to get even heavier than he ever has before, right?

But regardless, Duran had some of the slickest and fastest footwork in boxing himself. People dismiss the first fight as Leonard using the wrong strategy, but if you look at the first few rounds, Leonard tried to move around Duran's crazy charges to the ropes and he couldn't get away from him. He ended up having to clinch or fight back because there was no other option. Khan vs Peterson is a similar scenario, where Peterson rushed him and Khan couldn't use his quick footwork. Peterson was fast enough to cut off the ring like no one's ever done with Khan. The only difference is Leonard was great at holding his ground in close (unlike Khan), and the first fight could have easily gone his way as well.

The second fight had Duran charging, but not quite fast enough to catch Leonard. Leonard had enough time to take a step back and then shift to the sides. Call it a weight troubles, call it a brain fart on Duran's part... but for whatever reason he was noticeably slower in my opinion, regardless of what Leonard did.

[InsideMan]

Id say SRL by knockout he was just vicious in the ring

[ocelot]

Floyd's an ATG, but SRL is likely #2 all time at WW behind SRR.Floyd would have no answer for the reach, height, speed and most of all Power that SRL would bring in combination. Floyd's worst nightmare.

[wpink1]

Sorry about the thread hijack Frank, but I have to answer this.

A longer layoff just means more time for Duran to get even heavier than he ever has before, right?

But regardless, Duran had some of the slickest and fastest footwork in boxing himself. People dismiss the first fight as Leonard using the wrong strategy, but if you look at the first few rounds, Leonard tried to move around Duran's crazy charges to the ropes and he couldn't get away from him. He ended up having to clinch or fight back because there was no other option. Khan vs Peterson is a similar scenario, where Peterson rushed him and Khan couldn't use his quick footwork. Peterson was fast enough to cut off the ring like no one's ever done with Khan. The only difference is Leonard was great at holding his ground in close (unlike Khan), and the first fight could have easily gone his way as well.

The second fight had Duran charging, but not quite fast enough to catch Leonard. Leonard had enough time to take a step back and then shift to the sides. Call it a weight troubles, call it a brain fart on Duran's part... but for whatever reason he was noticeably slower in my opinion, regardless of what Leonard did.

you always appear slower when he are lunging or you have to make up more ground to punch vs ray being right in front of him. Leonard gave him angles and lateral movement.

[wpink1]

Floyd's an ATG, but SRL is likely #2 all time at WW behind SRR.Floyd would have no answer for the reach, height, speed and most of all Power that SRL would bring in combination. Floyd's worst nightmare.

100nd percent i agree