does any welter stop Ray Leonard

[rightsideup]

Sugar Ray stops Leonard once he gets him to stop running because he'd run!
Trinidad would have a shot but his overall skills don't match up against Leonards very well. I do think Gavilan would have a shot even though he didn't bring big power he was relentless and a very awkward opponent. He had size to match Leonard and was the original Cuban styled fighter with punches coming from all angles. I always thought it would be a great match up!

I don't think of KO artists at 147lbs. the good ones wore you down and stopped you only Robinson had KO power with one shot! You could add Trinidad but he doesn't have the skills others have.

Leonard at 147 was a very good fighter a top ten welter for sure.
Ray

Robinson I have read is to have said he took his training very serious for gavilan knowing he was in for a tremendous Challenge

[SCtrojansbaby]

My theory is fast fighters don't deal well with fighters faster then them. The only real power puncher who might be faster than Sugar Ray Leonard is Manny Pacquiao. I think he's probable the only guy who I think would have a legit shot of KOing Sugar Ray Leonard.

[Mugwump]

My theory is fast fighters don't deal well with fighters faster then them. The only real power puncher who might be faster than Sugar Ray Leonard is Manny Pacquiao. I think he's probable the only guy who I think would have a legit shot of KOing Sugar Ray Leonard.

I don't believe this for one moment. I mean, look at Tommy Hearns. People think that because he didn't put down Leonard this means he somehow lacked the power to do so.

But if Hearns caught Leonard with the same sweet shot he starched Duran with you can bet the outcome would be the same.

This might surprise some people but I've always thought Hearns wasn't particularly great at timing his punches. Yes, he caught and hurt countless opponents. But those punches invariably seemed to be slightly deflected, or ridden, or connecting just short or long of the optimal "sweet spot".

The Duran punch was one of the few times he actually unloaded with every last grain of power at his disposal - to devastating effect.

A lot of credit must go to Leonard who possessed remarkable reflexes and had the knack of just taking enough sting out of a punch to downgrade a KO hit to something that just hurt.

But make no mistake - had Leonard slipped up any one of Duran, Hearns and even Hagler could have put him to sleep.

[joseph5620]

As we all know - styles make fights. If you're going to pitch Leonard up against the entire set of welters going back to the beginnings of the sport he's bound to collide head-on with fighters whose physical attributes and/or skillsets are the "nightmare scenario" for a fighter such as Sugar Ray.

I have yet to see the fighter who found all shapes, sizes and styles equally easy to deal with. Southpaws are the example most often cited in this context - but it could just as easily be something like height (too tall, or too short) which throws the spanner in the works.

Perhaps it's better to talk more about the particular type of fighter which is most likely to knock out Ray than which fighter possessed sufficient power. After all - even a modestly powerful punch delivered at precisely the right point in time and space can leave a fighter flat on the canvas.

The only thing we can do is analyze what Leonard actually did. You can speculate all you want but the bottom line is that Leonard proved he could take a punch and was never stopped in his prime.

[Mugwump]

The only thing we can do is analyze what Leonard actually did. You can speculate all you want but the bottom line is that Leonard proved he could take a punch and was never stopped in his prime.

He's only human. Neither Leonard nor possibly any welter that ever lived could survive the punch Hearns put on Duran. The fact that it was DURAN of all people says everything.

[Sugarj]

It is no easy task to find welterweights in history who could definitely beat Ray Leonard......let alone stop him.

It isn't beyond the realms of possibility, but Leonard's chin was very good at welterweight......(and half useful at middleweight/super middleweight). How he got up from the second knockdown in Hearns 2 still impresses me.

There certainly isn't anyone that I'd bet on to stop him!!

[GOD-FR33]

Easy answer........

This is easy to answer. HELL NAW!

[McGoorty]

I recall Leonard saying haggler was a heavy puncher but the three fighter's that hurt him were Duran, Hearns and Geraldo. Would any welter have put him to sleep?

In a word , YES, there have been many who would have had a chance of knocking Leonard out. Obviously Robinson would have been a big chance and I think he would have beaten Leonard big time. Basilio had the ability to do that, Tony DeMarco had a punchers chance but probably would be outclassed but with that gigantic punching power he had he just has to land one flush and it's good night but as I said, Ray is too classy for Tony. Mickey Walker I think would smash Leonard to pieces, as a welter Walker was friggin scary. This is all just speculation of course.

[McGoorty]

I don't believe this for one moment. I mean, look at Tommy Hearns. People think that because he didn't put down Leonard this means he somehow lacked the power to do so.

But if Hearns caught Leonard with the same sweet shot he starched Duran with you can bet the outcome would be the same.

This might surprise some people but I've always thought Hearns wasn't particularly great at timing his punches. Yes, he caught and hurt countless opponents. But those punches invariably seemed to be slightly deflected, or ridden, or connecting just short or long of the optimal "sweet spot".

The Duran punch was one of the few times he actually unloaded with every last grain of power at his disposal - to devastating effect.

A lot of credit must go to Leonard who possessed remarkable reflexes and had the knack of just taking enough sting out of a punch to downgrade a KO hit to something that just hurt.

But make no mistake - had Leonard slipped up any one of Duran, Hearns and even Hagler could have put him to sleep.

Well Tommy had his chance but of course he didn't.

[McGoorty]

Glad to see this thread as it reminds me of a guy who would certainly have destroyed Mayweather, Ray is a class above the runner. Of course many welters of the past would have bashed Floyd senseless.