Was Aaron Pryor ducked by the "Big Three"?

[New England]

Yes. The Big three ducked the **** out of Pryor. They knew Pryor would have clowned their asses.

He whooped hearns in the Amateurs

tommy hearns would have knocked pryor into next week as a professional. he'd give up a half of a foot in height, a foot in reach.



when they boxed in the amateurs, hearns was several years younger than pryor. that doesn't mean much when you're a grown man, but it is hugely significant when you are in your teens, which was when they fought.

[JimEarl]

Duran was moving up in weight at the time.

Leonard wanted too much money according to Aaron who would have had to settle for a million. Would have been a great fight though.

I had the bet on Tommy if they should ever meet in the pros.....Never got to collect that.

With that said I personally rate Pryor as history's #1 at 140.

[Ray Corso]

They all fought out of the same region as amateurs or possible one region from each other, can't remember exactly. Either way Prior was a bit more mature than Leonard and Hearns and he beat them when they first turned into the open class. By the end of their amateur careers they were beating him!
As for Duran fighting Prior at 135 or 140 Duran does everything better than Prior. I don't think Prior would fare well against a boxer/puncher like Duran.

I don't consider the "junior" weight classes when catagorizing ATG's.
He's either a lightweight or welterweight and he's not in the top ten in either one!
Prior was a crowd pleasing fighter because he looked to stop his opponents.
His claim to fame was beating Arguillo who most people thought was much better at 26 to 35 in weight. Oh well Prior was juiced up and thats a fact
Lewis was a an all time creep who would do anything to succeed and earn an extra buck. A knowledgeable guy but a low life.
Prior gets beat by all the boys once they grew up.
Ray.

[The Old LefHook]

I don't consider the "junior" weight classes when catagorizing ATG's.
He's either a lightweight or welterweight and he's not in the top ten in either one!

How do you feel about 12 round championship fights?

[Dynamite76]

Ray only lost five fights in the AMs, none of them to Aaron Pryor.

[Ham Porter]

That's because they never fought. God knows why Ray Corso was under the impression that they did.

Duran was moving up in weight at the time.

Leonard wanted too much money according to Aaron who would have had to settle for a million. Would have been a great fight though.

I had the bet on Tommy if they should ever meet in the pros.....Never got to collect that.

With that said I personally rate Pryor as history's #1 at 140.

CINCINNATI (AP) - Aaron Pryor, World Boxing Association junior welterweight champ, has rejected an offer to fight welterweight champion Sugar Ray Leonard because Pryor wants more money, according to Buddy LaRosa, Pryor's manager.

Instead, Pryor has signed to fight World Boxing Council junior welterweight champ Saoul Mamby, tentatively scheduled Feb. 7 in Las Vegas, Nev., LaRosa said.

LaRosa said Janks Morton, one of Leonard's handlers, had offered Pryor $500,000 and later increased that to $750,000

[Ray Corso]

My error I was thinking that Leonard fought Aaron because both competed at 132 up to 139 but I added Leonard in with Hearns and Howard as winners over Prior.

As for title distance the 12 rds are fine for the latest era's because fighters are so inactive these days. Up until the 70s fighters didn't go in & out of shape like they do now. A champion and top contenders were fighting 10 rds in between 15 rds of championship fights. They were mentally & physically far more prepared to go longer distances then. You rarely see a fighter exhausted when the final bell rings these days. Their conditioned to pace themselves instead of fighting hard every round and allowing your conditioning to bring a second wind in if they slow down.

Ray.

[Rspen46]

Pryor over those 3, NO WAY!

From Cincinnati here, and I saw every single Pryor fight in person, and many of his amateur bouts, went to the Gym to watch him many times and talked to almost everyone in his camp at one time or another, and was a fan and loved watching him, but beating those 3, it's laughable if anyone thinks so, Leonard had the defense, speed and Ring Generalship and enough power to either outpoint him or put him down, because many lesser punchers put him down at least once in their fights.
Hearns lost to him the amateurs when he really was a Skinny little kid on his way up, Pryror was extremely matured physically and skill wise then, but in the Pros, Hearns beats Pryor the way he did Duran, he developed that awesome power as he Matured Physically and no way Pryor handles it in the Pros.
Duran, he withers Pryors winging attack and Ko's him also.
Anyway who did Pryor fight that impresses anyone, Arguello yes, but Arguello was no way a JWW he was at his best under LW, then a good solid LW, and he was nearing the end of his career, plus Pryor cheated with some kind of chemical drug the 1st fight, so we give him some credit for Arguello, but after that what, an aging at the end of his career Cervantes, who put pryor down in the fight, in his Prime he puts pryor down and keeps him down, Dujuan Johnson, a Kronk gym guy, but one of their lower guys, he had pretty decent power but never accomplished a lot, but also put Pryor down, and he wasnt that good, so please tell me then who did Pryor beat that was a legit threat to him at JWW, Mamby was the #1 contender and he never fought him, not that Mamby would have won, but it should havehappened, and at LW his people took him and ran to JWW, if he had waited his time out at LW he would have eventually been given a title shot, and made much more cash than at JWW, then you have a much better fight wtih Arguello at LW, then what about Mancini-Pryor, Ganigan, Gato Gonzales, Kenty, Watt, Blake, Rosario, Bramble, Paul, O'Grady, most likely he beats them all and is considered one of the greatest LW champs of all--time but instead they took him and ran away to JWW, yes Ran, they are the ones that did the running and avoiding, instead he goes to JWW and fights no one but a blown up Arguello, yeah right he really clowns THE BIG 3 based on that resume, LOL>