Was SRL one of the best finishers of all time?

He was a bit too eager and wild when he had Hearns hurt the first time, yes.

He failed to finish him off in the rematch, I just remembered.

 

Hearns looked a bit shaky in the closing stages,did n't he ?

 

Quite so, but he was still standing.

Man, oh man, what I would have loved to see a rematch between those to at 154 some time 1982-1985. Leonard's first retirement robbed us of some fights. Curry-Leonard and McCallum-Leonard are other match-ups that I get hard just thinking about.

 

I like his chances to win those too.

People wouldn't be able to handle it.

 

Yeah, I suppose his first retirement was for the best really. Imagine the amount of suicides among Hagler fans and Duran fans if he had those two wins on his record as well.

 

Well, Roberto is actually my favorite fighter of all-time (or in a 3-wayish tie). I don't see how besmirching Leonard - skills, ability or career wise - does him absolutely any favors whatsoever. I am truly a fan of SRL on top of those.. motives, though.

Kind of interesting to guess how those missed years would've mapped out. He was scheduled to fight #2 Welter Roger Stafford in May '82 before the retina injury was discovered. I imagine Curry likely would've followed not long after or perhaps the much ado about nothing Pryor fight shakes out (and he gets clinically destroyed) before bowing out of 147 for good and moving to 154/160 on a more permanent basis. I thought he looked superb and lost almost nothing in his few fights at light middle.

 

I know a lot of people are of the opinion that Ray is overrated by some,but this is a department where you can't argue that he belongs at the very top.
I concede that my history doesn't go back much further than 1970,but Ray is the best and most lethal finisher I've seen.
A genuine predator.His destruction of Kalule is a good example.

 

Why Pity, Why?

 

Aye, it's a real pity that that's the case. :hey












BaBAM!




I'll uh...I'll be going now.

 

My sentiments exactly. Once he smelt blood it was Goodnight Irene