If Ray Leonard was boxing today....what kind of PPV numbers would he draw?

[BUNGALOWS]

I'm not complaining. I'm stating a fact. Boxers have always padded out their records. It's just funny to see someone bashing Floyd for fighting someone like the Ghost, while simultaneously praising the older fighters who did the exact same stuff back in their day.

You're a moron. Floyd doesn't even have 1 fight that's 1/10th on par with Duran/Hearns/Benitez/Hagler. That's the point.

He spent the years he could have compiled those wins, on vacation, shooting up his steroids.

Ray Leonard took a vacation, because he had a detached retina.

[Augustane]

I would imagine Pacquiao-style numbers.

[Grimgash]

It's true that when Leonard won his gold medal it meant a lot more than it does today; but Ray would still be a superstar. He had the skills, talent, style and charisma to appeal to the masses; and Leonard had the smarts to market himself to millions.

We're talking about an ATG that beat several other ATGs. Ray lost his first fight to Duran (my favorite fighter) by playing into Roberto's style. But he came back to utterly embarrass Duran in their second meeting. Leonard beat Hearns in an all-time classic, come from behind victory. He went on to beat one of the greatest middleweights of all time, Marvin Hagler (although I thought Marvin edged it out).

How can a fighter such as this not draw huge PPV numbers?

How could he not? It's fairly easy. Like you said a Gold Medal in boxing isn't much these days. Boxing has a lot smaller fanbase. Also him beating all those ATGs wouldn't happen in this era, he'd fight them same fighters everyone else is. His personality doesn't resonate with the current culture like someone said it was sort of like Andre Ward but in his time that was more fitting for the culture.

He'd be compared to people like Hagler, Hearns, and Duran and people would say he'd lose because those guys back then were just too good. You're thinking of SRL of that era somehow with all that placed in this...in this era he'd fight different opponents, in a different market, and different cultural values.

I think he'd still do decently well though but he wouldn't be as big as he was then. He wouldn't get the TV exposure he had then either because it doesn't really exist in this era.

Like I said think outside the box and how this forum generally treats boxers. Pretend his skill level is just what you see, and his resume of then didn't exist. He would simply not be the same person he is now...who do we have to compare to people like Hearns, Hagler, and Duran? Manny and Floyd...unless you want to come in earlier he'd be able to fight a young RJJ but then he'd wouldn't have been able to be around to fight Manny/Floyd.

Think outside the box and tell me if you still feel the same way, if so tell me where I went wrong

[BUNGALOWS]

How could he not? It's fairly easy. Like you said a Gold Medal in boxing isn't much these days. Boxing has a lot smaller fanbase. Also him beating all those ATGs wouldn't happen in this era, he'd fight them same fighters everyone else is. His personality doesn't resonate with the current culture like someone said it was sort of like Andre Ward but in his time that was more fitting for the culture.

He'd be compared to people like Hagler, Hearns, and Duran and people would say he'd lose because those guys back then were just too good. You're thinking of SRL of that era somehow with all that placed in this...in this era he'd fight different opponents, in a different market, and different cultural values.

I think he'd still do decently well though but he wouldn't be as big as he was then. He wouldn't get the TV exposure he had then either because it doesn't really exist in this era.

Like I said think outside the box and how this forum generally treats boxers. Pretend his skill level is just what you see, and his resume of then didn't exist. He would simply not be the same person he is now...who do we have to compare to people like Hearns, Hagler, and Duran? Manny and Floyd...unless you want to come in earlier he'd be able to fight a young RJJ but then he'd wouldn't have been able to be around to fight Manny/Floyd.

Think outside the box and tell me if you still feel the same way, if so tell me where I went wrong

This is all moot. Sugar Ray can fight in every division with the biggest money fighters. He beats them all.

If there's a Sugar Ray in boxing, there's no allure of a Floyd Mayweather type. There's no allure of a Ward.

It's really as simple as that. Floyd would be regulated to Benitez status. Sugar Ray would get the allure as the best P4P #1 fighter, while also having the opponents to prove it.

Floyd didn't want to, since he retired. Sugar Ray would sit on the throne as the one to beat.

[Fists_of_Fury]

It's sad but he would be accused of being a runner, ducker, dodger, and catchweight king. He would be made fun of also for being sodomized as a child.

[Daddy T]

he'd probably top the billion dollar mark in career earnings. He fight the best beat pac cotto etc and would clear out the welters (floyd would retire rather than fight him as health comes first)then ray would move up and take the lineal middleweight crown

[Grimgash]

This is all moot. Sugar Ray can fight in every division with the biggest money fighters. He beats them all.

If there's a Sugar Ray in boxing, there's no allure of a Floyd Mayweather type. There's no allure of a Ward.

It's really as simple as that. Floyd would be regulated to Benitez status. Sugar Ray would get the allure as the best P4P #1 fighter, while also having the opponents to prove it.

Floyd didn't want to, since he retired. Sugar Ray would sit on the throne as the one to beat.

What big money fighters? There's Floyd and Pac ..then who Cotto and Canelo who aren't greats. It depends when he came in there era like I said, if it was earlier he'd have RJJ and Hop maybe Toney but no Floyd/Pac. If he came later he'd have Pac/Floyd and...who? There aren't many fighters in this era to be considered greats, Floyd, Pac, RJJ, Hopkins...that's it unless you say he's going to jump to HW and fight Wlad. Sure he'd beat the JMMs and Cottos of the world, but that's just paycheck fights at those weights and there landscape is good for the era, but not for greats. Pac and Floyd are favorites vs everyone around them and SRL would be too no difference.

[BUNGALOWS]

What big money fighters? There's Floyd and Pac ..then who Cotto and Canelo who aren't greats. It depends when he came in there era like I said, if it was earlier he'd have RJJ and Hop maybe Toney but no Floyd/Pac. If he came later he'd have Pac/Floyd and...who? There aren't many fighters in this era to be considered greats, Floyd, Pac, RJJ, Hopkins...that's it unless you say he's going to jump to HW and fight Wlad. Sure he'd beat the JMMs and Cottos of the world, but that's just paycheck fights at those weights and there landscape is good for the era, but not for greats. Pac and Floyd are favorites vs everyone around them and SRL would be too no difference.

He's in the money making divisions, and HW sucks. He'd be the top money maker in the sport, and relative to the condition of boxing, he'd be the biggest thing.

You didn't say anything about depending on when he came in. You just said he couldn't get fights with Hagler, etc. and he'd have even less television exposure.

He'd be boxing's biggest draw, and the undisputed #1. He'd get all the television exposure that's available for boxing.

And yes, Manny, Floyd, and Canelo are the biggest draws. If there was a Sugar Ray in the mix, he'd be THE biggest draw. It's pretty simple.

If there's a Sugar Ray in the picture, there's not enough hype left for those guys.

[R_Walken]

People are glamorizing the past too much with this post. SRL was is a great fighter but he's not doing close to 10 million PPV and he wouldn't single handily revitalize boxing.

I'd say he does similar to Oscar #s both gold medalists, clean cut , well spoken able to attract non boxing fans and women to the mix I'd say 1-2 million depending on the opponent.

[mezoomozaa]

He would probably be a huge star in this era, i just dont think he would be as big now as he was when he was active. Boxing is less popular, there are less name fighters to make his mark and the cold war of our two main promotional outfits would rule out a good few fights

You assume that boxing was big / isn't popular without referring to that fact that it is basically because of the active stars at the time !

Boxing isn't big because it has Mayweather, Boxing was big because it had Ali and Tyson .

If Mayweather was in 70s or 80s, he would be fighting in the shade