Ray Leoanrd picks the best he ever fought...some surprises

Admittedly past his best and with a dodgy leg, but Floyd Sr looked abysmal in his 2nd meeting with Starling.

 

I think he lies a bit.

 

And d version of Hearns he fought was drained and never fought again @ 147 .

 

except for Geraldo. Kalule doesn't really match up to the other names. but aside from joking, Kalule did give Ray a good fight. In today's boxing Kalule would have been right at the 154 top.

 

Yeah, just a bit.

 

Marcus Geraldo gave Ray much much more fight than Kalule
Hurt em good to at one point.

 

But he was shot though..................goes to get coat

 

A tidbit, if you will.

 

Kalule fought a much more authoritative and peak version though, the geraldo bout was one of Ray's last good "learning" fights before he kicked things up another notch and really got to terms with his offensive potential.I'm sure kalule could have performed a fair bit better against a Leonard who hadn't quite put all his tools together and that bounced around giving ground,or was far less explosive coming forward.

That said, i've always thought Geraldo was a real underachiever.He had some good tools and physical attributes, but could go from looking world class to tepid journeyman from fight to fight.

 

Leonard was brilliant in the Kalule fight, offensivly he was at his sharpest IMO

 

I can't argue with too much of that TBH, taking into account the stages at which his opponents were when he faced them, and where he was at.

I'd have a 1981 Hearns above Benitez mind, but it's not a big gripe of mine.

I can't stand Leonard at all and am a big fan of Hearns, but it pisses me off when people use the ''weight drained'' or ''shaky chin'' tags to discredit that win, when in truth Leonard overcame pretty much every advantage barring stamina to win that fight.

A taller, longer man, with superior technical skills and murderous power in each hand. An almost impossible man to beat. Would any current fighter below 175 be favoured to beat Tommy?

 

Hearns wasn't more skilled than Leonard, but yeah, it's a brilliant win. Amongst the very best ever.

 

Oddly that Benitez and Geraldo are both sorry mutha's today, too....:yikes

MR.BILL:hat

 

It all makes sense when you know a fighters mindset and watch the fights.


Benitez was the first amazing fighter Ray ever fought, and the first to push. Add that he was probably the purest technician Ray fought with a penchant for being tricky, and that is 15 rounds Ray won't ever forget. I guarantee to Ray its his most memorable night in terms of the action in the ring.


Duran did more damage than anybody ever managed to do to Ray. He had Ray more hurt and more screwed up(barring the eye with Hearns) than any other fighter came near managing. He makes sense as best puncher.


Hearns gave Ray hell. He was long, quick, and lethal. The guy would have been an absolute nightmare to figure out at 147, and Ray really struggled to land punches consistently.

Watch the fights; Ray found Kalule far easier to hit than he found Mayweather. No doubts about who is better, or who put up a better fight, but Ray struggled to find a Mayweather who fought in survival mode.

Hagler didn't give Ray any trouble beyond pressure. When they boxed, Ray won easily. When they brawled or Hagler brought pressure, he overpowered Ray and scored. Hagler made is very close, and people can argue he won, but nothing in that fight is gonna make a guy with the career Ray had remember him as a particularly challenging out. Sometimes how close you came to losing isn't the true indicator of how hard a night you had; Hagler may have outdone Benitez, but both Duran and Hearns did better against Ray than Marvin did, had Hearns chin not let them down.

And we can't forget that Marvin, while not shot like he is often painted here, was not prime. Neither was Ray, but Ray entered the ring confident and the early action sent that confidence through the roof. It weakens a fighters mentality and adjustments to play from behind.

Thats a tremendously candid and fair list.