What if Ray Leonard had n't stopped boxing in 1982 ?

And really, even against rated opposition such as Lalonde (albeit not the particular best out there) he could've easily crumbled in that fight.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHDQLUWEv-Q&feature=youtube_gdata_player"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHDQLUWEv-Q&feature=youtube_gdata_player[/ame]

 

I don't think anyone includes anything after lalonde anyways. Noone believes he enhances his legacy after that surely?

 

Not really... However beating Duran within the same calendar year that Duran beat Barkley was not a bad rubber match victory.. Asside from that, I'd say that he was pretty much finished and did nothing noteworthy of mention, except lose to fighters who he was too far past it to beat....

 

Leonard was burning out mentally. The retina issue came up at a time when I think he was not as motivated. He had fought Benitez,Duran and Hearns in a 2 year period in tough fights. I think Ray was smart enough to know his lack of motivation might have meant being beaten by a guy who would not have beaten him in 80 or 81 or 82. He was still great, but you could tell Ray was not the kind of guy like Duran,Hearns or Hagler who kept fighting for many years. I think he was the greatest of the fab 4, but his career does lack the fights the other ones have, but he did fight and beat all the fab 4 and 5 if you count Wilfred Benitez.

 

Been years since I've seen that fight, but studying that knockdown in round 4, it almost looks as though it was more of a loss of balance as Leonard went to duck a punch and barely got grazed over the top of the head as opposed to a KD.... Of course it was ruled as one, so we have to accept it as being such, but I'm not sure that I would rate on the level of Frazier decking Ali or anything like that.

 

Leonard took some good blows in that fight, even got busted up. The KD itself was something of a fluke. Love the way he turns the tide after Lalonde hurts him and then proceeds to punch himself out. He just Unloaded on him in classic SRL fashion.

 

I remember Lalonde just getting tired and Ray knowing when to pore it on ,and even then Ray missed with all his punches until he hits Lalonde on the break. He tried hitting Hearns on the break in the rematch a few months later.

 

The rematch with Hearns and the rubbermatch with Duran showed how when they all got older and more experienced, still Hearns troubled Ray with his jab and speed, and Ray's style would always beat Duran.

 

SRL said after Haglers first fight with Hamsho that he would fight Hagler if he came down to 154 pounds.