What people don't realize about Sugar Ray Leonard's Greatness is...

That he was retired at the young age of 25, with TKO victories over prime Wilfred Benitez, Tommy Hears and Roberto Durant.

He then retires due to eye injury on his left eye, is ordered by doctor not to fight, stay away from the ring for 3 years. Then comes back to fight, with no tune ups and beats the best pound for pound fighter in the world in the world at that time... Marvlin Hagler.

So when you Mayweather and Pacquiao fans are out there making statements about either of them being the best fighters of all time, remember that boxing dosen't consist of only the last 10 years.

 

they all failt to take into account Joe Calzaghe

 

I think you mean Kevin Durant.

 

He was a athletic marvel. He was born in an era of great athletic specimen.

 

Duran was a LW and he ****ed him up in fight 1 then quit cos SRL was running in fight 2.

Tommy Hearns was ahead on the cards and gassed. If ESB has taught me anything it's that the hitman won the event. Plus he won the rematch.

Hagler won the fight.

 

What about Calzaghe?

 

Ray Leonard was savaged by Duran in the first fight. I love Leonard but he aint no Duran.

 

:good

Calzaghe would spank Leonard and Hagler on the same night.

 

Only because people like to believe that what they're seeing happening couldn't possibly have been bettered before.:-(

First point;Shite,Leonard's performance in the first fight if anything,enhanced his legacy.He let Duran get in his head and fought the equivalent of Floyd going in against Cotto and fighting the whole fight in a normal orthodox stance,not using a shoulder roll and brawling for twelve/fifteen rounds.
Second point;Disgraceful shite.So it doesn't matter if a fighter obliterates his opponent in the last couple rounds because he wasn't ahead on the cards? Nonsense.:nono
Yes Tommy should've had the nod 2nd time around.And I've never seen anyone say on ESB that Tommy won the first fight.Maybe you don't watch a lot of boxing but if one man gets stopped it tends to mean the other won the fight.
Third point;Very debatable,but completely understandable.

I don't think he'd argue with that point.Let me ask you this;Of the first two fights they had,whose loss enhanced their career and whose almost destroyed their credibility?
You're right,he ain't no Duran.

 

At least he fought these guys - something pac or may would never have done

 

I gotta agree with most of this. I think SRL lost to Duran before he stepped foot in the ring the first fight. in the second fight Leonard BOXED (not ran ****ing idiots on here) and outclassed him

Yes Tommy was up on the cards and he gassed but that is not SRL fault.

I think MMH won even though I was Big SRL fan but it was still amazing that he was able to comeback at that level against the P4P King and GOAT at MW.

He admited he thought he lost the last fight to The Hitman and did get his ass handed to him by Norris. But anyone who talks **** about SRL dont know **** about boxing:bart

 

**** off Noob:hi:

 

In terms of his fight with Hagler, it is often reported that Leonard was fighting 12 round fights behind closed curtains and training alot over those 3 years before fighting Hagler. Also, by Leonards own admission, he waited until Hagler was pretty much done with boxing and didn't have the will that he used to have before he finally fought him (Hagler had been calling him out for years before this)

So while I have alot of respect for Leonard, I personally do not think he would have gotten the better of Hagler had the fight have happened a few years before it did.

 

Dude, my post was tongue in cheek. There's no such thing as an Event win. The concept is a ******ed ESB creation.

Going 1-1 with Duran and coming back to have a close fight with Hagler are both massive achievements in my book.

I do put Duran above him, but SRL is clearly an ATG :deal