For people who say SRL Cherry picked

SRL won the Jr. Middle Title.....and briefly had both the WBC WW and WBA Jr Middle titles.

He gave up the WBA Jr Middle title and move back down.

Interesting that SRL could have defended the Jr. Middle title, and he & Hearns could have fought at 154 lb......where Hearns would have been HUGE.

But Hearns' management missed this opportunity to put 7-10 lbs on their fighter.

 

I think Ray Leonard did 'Pick A Few Cherries',,,,,,,,

He avoided the 'more dangerous' 'Pipino' Cuevas in favor of 'soft-punching' Ayub Kalule.

Wilfred Benetiz at Light-Middleweight, when the 'Wunderkind' was 10 lbs. heavier, bigger, older,
physically stronger and harder punching.

 

in his prime he did not cherry pick. I don't think he cherrypicked fighters in 1987 and later, but he cherrypicked conditions of the fights and when he would fight guys which was more advantageous to him. He took advantage of his fame for beating Hagler in 1988-1990. The Lalonde fight was a terrible thing which Ray did. Fighting a guy who was 175 pound champ at a weight of 168 for the vacant 168 pound title and for the 175 pound title. Lalonde was weakned for his title and neither he nor Ray deserved to fight for a title they did not fight in a division for. Ray won two titles that night. Ray is a nice guy now and humble and all that, but in 1988 he was not. And he should not have been a llowed to fight for two titles like that. The only reason Ray did this was because Hearns was going for his 5th title days before and Ray wanted to get a 5th title also. And Ray fighting Hearns at 164 for the 168 pound title to weaken Tommy,and the Hagler fight where Ray got all the considerations in his favor. All post 1987.

 

Huh???

Leonard fought Duran in June 1980, then Hearns fought Cuevas 2 months later and destroyed the myth of Cuevas, along with the man, once and for all. The already-several-times-beaten Cuevas was better than Duran or Benitez, both of whom Leonard DID fight?? And Duran later beat up Pipino, with ease, in 1983.

Hearns, whom Leonard had stopped in 1981, beat Benitez pretty easily in 1982. Why would Leonard need or want to fight Benitez then? Where was there EVER a clamor for Ray and Wilfred to repeat their boring so-called "chess match" of 1979 again later on? Where? I never heard or read of anybody desiring a Leonard-Benitez rematch at any weight.

Then, in 1983 Benitez had the crap beaten out of him by Mustafa Hamsho and in 1984 was stopped by quick TKO vs. Davey Moore when "Wunderkind" broke his ankle.

No one wanted to see Benitez fight Leonard a 2nd time.

Leonard didn't cherry pick opponents, he went after the best and beat the best, over and over and over. What he did was properly manage his career, and with his star power he had the power to dictate terms, but I don't hear any fighters saying he cherry-picked anybody or didn't manage his career as he should have. Only those fans who dislike Leonard say so.

 

Up until his first retirement Leonard can't be faulted for anything in terms of opposition. He took on some great fighters.

After taking the title from Hagler it can be argued that he should have stayed at MW and defended it like a true champ. That he didn't do. But Hearns and the much bigger Lalonde were by no means push-overs. Yes, it would have been great to have seen him against some of the fantastic crop of MWs around at that time, but I don't think he can be faulted for the fights he gave us in the end.

Funny, he gets way more stick for facing Lalonde when past his prime than Duran and then Hearns get for blatantly ducking McCallum.

 

When did Hearns or Duran duck Mike? Mike won his title against Mannion in 1984. Mike defended his title, but there was no clamor for Hearns or Duran to fight Mike after Mike won the title until 1987 when Mike beat Curry and mentioned in the post fight that he would fight Hearns,Olajide,Hagler. When Mike beat Mannion, Hearns was moving up to fight Hagler and really moving on to middlewieght, with only one fight at 154 in June of 1986 against Medal.
Duran had a mandatory to fight Mike, but choose Hearns in 1984 because Tommy was a big name and was worth more money. Why wouldn't Duran pick an elite to fight over a guy who is a contender. Had he beaten Hearns it would have been a big accomplishment. That is what Duran wanted, the money and big names. You cannot fault him for that. Mike was not a name which Duran really would have ducked as much as what was the point of fighting him at that point when he was fighting Hearns and Hagler level? Mike was just a contender at that time.And Hearns had Duran,Hagler and Leonard to fight and the light heavyweight title to win in 87 when Mike did get to a higher level, which coincided with the fab 4 guys all diminishing in skills by that point..

In 1987 Tommy had his plate full and everyone wanted to fight him from 160-175 Mike needed Hearns and Duran, but Hearns and Duran did not need him. It was ducking as much as they had other fights to fight.

That ducking stuff by McCallum is from his perspective. I always said Mike had some good wins but he did not sell himself well. Had he had a Hector Camacho personality he could have made some noise and marketed himself. And to be honest, had he beaten Kalambay in April of 1988 after the Curry win in July, that would have propelled him into a big fight with maybe Hearns or Leonard, but he lost.
The fact is Hearns,Duran and Leonard and Hagler all fought each other and never lacked for tough competition. They really didn't need Mike. And Mike was a little out of their time.. He was their age but by the time he won a title, Hearns,Duran,Hagler and Leonard were already established elites.

 

Even on his way up the ladder Ray fought tough good fighters, from Raphael Rodgrigus to Pistol Pete he met every guy you would have wanted to see him against.

 

Ray Leonard versus Wilfred Benetiz would have/could have worked for
April 1982.

After Wilfred defeated Roberto Duran in January 1982,,,,,,,,,
the Leonard vs. Benetiz II would have been a 'Superfight' for WBC Light-Middleweight Title.

Ray Leonard over Bruce Finch in February 1982,,,,,,nothing more than a 'brisk work-out'.

I would go with Wilfred by Decision.

The fake eye injury prevented it.

 

If we are cherry picking; technically the first retirement consisted of Ray fighting no one as a pro. He suggested post Montreal that, that was going to be it for him as far as boxing went...

 

It is true that Ray Leonard defeated a 'strong group' on the way up to his
Welterweight Titkle shot versus Wilfred Benetiz

No easy road at all.

On Pipino Cuevas, he had signed to fight Pipino in Mexico for June 1980, when the
contract negotiations with Roberto Duran stalled.

Then, the Leonard Team changed their mind, and Pipino got the famous
make believe 'cut eye' in training.

Thanks to the politics of the WBA.

 

Dundee pooh pooh'd a late 70's Hearns match too.

 

Fake eye injury?? WTF are u talking about??

 

Leonard did everything right as far as what you want from a fighter with high hype, expectation and a strong backing...up until his first retirement.

Then he became one of the biggest "i'm bigger than the sport" cherrypickers of all-time.Though that doesn't necessarily mean he was taking easy fights per se, yet they were certainly the ones he felt most profitable and with the least risk or downside to losing.

 

that might not have been a good fight for Ray. Benitez was fighting great at 154 in 1982.