Sugar Ray Leonard Is NOT at Top 15 ATG!!!!!!

[bklynboy]

Beating Benitez, Duran, Hearns, Hagler, in other words beating all the best fighters of his era who also happen to be all-time greats, being champion in 5 weight classes (let's say 4), only losing once while he was in his prime, I believe those are strong arguments to make him top 15, but I would not enter him in a top 10.

Should be noted that Leonard is in the top 10 of many respected historians/writers.

I think SRL's wins over Benitez, Duran and Hearns shows that he is one of the top welterweights of all-time. I would place Leonard in the TOP 10 of the last 40 years but, as said elsewhere I think he barely cracks the TOP 25 of all-time.

[Snopkins]

Assuming you took exception to the ones you underlined and thought the others were reasonable you can still make a case that SRL barely makes the TOP 10 in the last 40 years.

I underlined the names that were ridiculous to even suggest.

I think that it wouldn't be difficult to come up with 15 names that would be above SRL over the last 100 years.

Where did I even mention the last 100 years? I responded to the post in which you questioned Leonard's place as a top 15 fighter of the last 40 years.....not 100 years

[bklynboy]

I underlined the names that were ridiculous to even suggest.





Where did I even mention the last 100 years? I responded to the post in which you questioned Leonard's place as a top 15 fighter of the last 40 years.....not 100 years

The thread is about SRL being in the TOP 15 of All-Time. All time goes back 100 years+.

[Snopkins]

That was a mistype on my part.I mean to say "as a top 10 fighter of the last 40 years",not 15.


This is what you posted of which I originally responded to.

SRL was an excellent fighter, but was he even in the TOP 10 of the past 40years?.

[bklynboy]

That was a mistype on my part.I mean to say "as a top 10 fighter of the last 40 years",not 15.


This is what you posted of which I originally responded to.

I think that SRL is a TOP 10 fighter over the last 40 years.

The points I was making were

1. that there are a lot of great fighters.
2. it's very difficult to compare fighters of far different weight classes and eras.

In the last 40 years there were great fighters that could be listed above SRL and I wasn't even including the lower weights. (I must admit that I rarely pay attention to fighters under featherweight.)

In my opinion SRL is a
TOP 10 over 40 years.
TOP 15 over 60 years. (Ali, SRR for sure) Basilio, Emile Griffith probably
TOP 20 over 80 years. (Armstrong, Greb for sure)

and probably TOP 25 overall.

Let's not quibble over TOP 20 and TOP 25. These are just rough categories.

Talking about just the last 40 years good arguments can be made for SRL being above Duran and Hagler (he beat them) and below them. Who's better SRL or Whitaker? Whitaker's D is better (best I've seen) but I would place SRL above Whitaker. How about Mayweather? Great fight between them there.

This can go on and on -- and no matter what we can't prove ****.

[wmute]

Had he had a real MW campaign instead of fighting old men at weird weights,
had he not "retired" to avoid rematching hagler,
had other rematches happened more timely (not his fault, but they did not happen)

He would

but it didnt go that way, so basically no way in hell.

This is a sport with a 100+ years of history, TOP 15 is a lot to ask.

[carlos slim]

SRL has one of the most quality resumes of alltime....hagler hearns duran benitez, even some of the contenders he faced coming up were very good fighters....also he had supberb handspeed and footwork he is one of the 15 alltime greats yes he is....

[mickey malone]

SRL has one of the most quality resumes of alltime....hagler hearns duran benitez, even some of the contenders he faced coming up were very good fighters....also he had supberb handspeed and footwork he is one of the 15 alltime greats yes he is....

Even Jimmy Bivins has a better resume of ATG's than that.. Not to mention Charles, Moore, Burley, Angott, Ali, Robinson, Pep, Greb, Loughran, Walker, Ross, Duran, Gans, Chavez, McLarnin, Britton, Canzoneri, Ike Williams, B. Leonard, Arguello, Pacquiao, Monzon, all have better winning resumes against greats than SRL.. He's between 25 and 30 in my opinion..

[gibo]

Didn't he get KO'D by Hector "Macho" Camacho?

[BennyST]

Didn't he get KO'D by Hector "Macho" Camacho?

...and? Getting knocked out by a fellow great when you're forty years old is better than being knocked out twice in your prime years by two nobodies.

Anyway, it's a very personal thing this one, as any top lists are. You could make a case for him in the top 15 and a case against him in the top 15. Either way you wouldn't be wrong or right.