SR Leonard vs Barkley @ 168 lbs

Duran was a career lightweight that did more than hold his own against Barkley. Duran hurt him in the first round and on a few other occasions during the fight before surgically putting Barkley on his back later in the fight.

Leonard didn't have the inside game that Duran had and he would have relied on legs to carry him through certain parts of a fight against Barkley.

Leonard would have made the fight in his favour during negotiations so it would be foolish to rule him out completely.

 

at the time I thought Ray would win, but thinking back on it I agree. Barkley gave Michael Nunn trouble when Nunn was a big middleweight and Ray at the time was not hard to hit. I think Barkley might win a decision just on his size and aggression. He was a big middleweight.

 

Had the fight come off when Leonard was smw champ, Barkley would have beaten him and maybe stopped him.

 

Funny thing is that Barkley always said Ray told him he was too big, but I think that is the truth. Barkley was an accurate big puncher. Not a one punch guy but a big hard puncher who could hurt with either hand. Although Marvin Hagler vs. Barkley I see Marvin cutting him up and stopping him in about mid rounds. Marvin's style was not good for Barkley.

 

I think Barkley is still bitter that Leonard wouldn't fight him.

Obviously prime for prime Leonard was on another level to Barkley but when the fight was being mooted the blade would have had too much.

 

The 2nd Iran/Tommy fight is yer best yardstick & Tommy fought his socks off but still got bludgened over 12 rounds & that Tommy Hearns was still a top operator albeit his best years where behind him. Iran would mow SRL down, Iran would exhaust him, Leonard would be beaten to a pulp as the fight progressed, he's be gassed out after 6 rounds, he'd neither the speed/stamia/power (or the crafty guile that Duran had) to negate the onward onslaught of the blade. Iran for me was a very capable boxer, strong & powerfull at the weight, i recall that time he battered the rising new star in Michael Olijade.

Leonard would try & con his way through the fight but he'd only be coning himself as this new young hungry generation ai'nt gonna be bluffed out of it by yesterdays men & the likes of the Iran Barkley's & Michael Nunn's are gonna go right through SRL hense SRL never fought one of them young guns all except a one armed, one legged privately contacted weight crippled La Londe. Barkley is to big to young to strong & mean to be denied, he's smash Leonard up:deal

 

I have always liked Iran Barkley and he has heart and comes to fight. Boy does he come to fight. Barkley looks like a great guy also, but his bitterness is sort of confusing. He talks now saying Arum almost held him back, but Arum gave him opportunities, And Barkley wanting Leonard is understandable, yet he was given fights with other elites like Hearns and Duran when they were getting older and he should be thankful for that. Leonard vs. Barkley would have been a big enough fight in 1988 and the fact he fought Lalonde instead does show he thought Barkley might be too much. Because in Nov. of 1988 that would have been a big fight. And he also fought Nunn,Kalambay,Sims,Toney,Benn and the list goes on and on. VanHorn. A good career and bitterness towards Ray does not make sense. He should be thankful for such a career. A very good fighter and I think maybe Iran Barkley will make the Hall of Fame. I hope he does. He deserves it.

 

It would have been interesting. I am not sure he would smash him up, but I think he would beat him. The only question I have is that Leonard fought similar to Kalambay and Kalambay outboxed Iran, although Leonard in 1988 was not the defensive fighter Kalambay was in 1988. But yeah I think Barkley beats Leonard..

 

I can't see Ray fighting for 3min a round & Ray was not a backfoot fighter in the true sense of the word, running or doing a faux Ali immitation ai'nt gonna win him the rounds, Hearns 1st fight first 5 rounds ect or Hagler when he popped in & out. Iran will put the hurt on Ray, he has'nt the speed of movement at 168 to keep out of trouble, the ending will end up like an avalanche, SRL could not compete with that new generation of young fighters thats why HE DUCKED THEM ALL!! Has everyone forgotten KEVIN HOWARD!!! the rot was terminal back in 84 & SRL admitted it! He could'nt quit the sport fast enough:deal
Ray was fine with SELECTED HANDICAPPED OPPONANTS:deal

 

Ray pulled a fast one with Lalonde to win the 2 titles I admit that. And he won fighter of the decade with the last few fights he had against Lalonde.Hearns and Duran although it should have gone to someone who fought the whole decade. Ray fought 5 years out of the 10. He had the best wins of the 1980s but didn't fight the whole decade. Although I am not sure I would award it to Holmes either. And Hearns lost to Ray and Marvin, and Marvin lost to Ray so neither Hearns nor Hagler deserve it. So who gets it who knows. I guess that is why they gave it to Ray. His wins. Maybe Marvin should have won it.

 

Ray started the decade as a champ & ended the decade as a champ. I suppose if you look at it in B/W then he would get it especially from a casual point of view. I think the Hagler victory had plenty to do with it. I though marvin was defin for a shout along with Holmes, but neither could be classed as media freindly which Ray was an expert exponant at was'nt he:yep

 

greats points.. Good post. I agree. It passed me the fact that Ray was champ when both decades passed. At the time I remembered all those years that Hearns,Duran and Hagler kept on fighting when Ray was ringside. They were all in tough fights and took big punches in that time. He fought Keven Howard like you said in 1984, but not much else. So when he got the fighter of the decade I was a little upset. But you are right he encompassed the whole decade and he was loved by everyone in the media. When Ray came back it seemed like no way could he fight with those guys, yet they were all on the downside when he cameback in 1987, and when he retired in 1982 they were all fighting well. So it worked for him with his contemporaries. I think he knew that fighting Hagler in 1983 or Hearns in a rematch in 1984 might not do too well for him or even having to fight some of the other guys coming up like Donald Curry.

 

I've done a lot of homework on Iran Barkley and have always admired him for his toughness and big left hook. He's one of the biggest middleweights i've ever seen. He was a tough tough mean guy in the ring. He said that Ray told him that he was too big for him and hit to hard. Ray didn't want that fight and Iran was bitter because he knew he could make the big money fighting leonard. Barkley is the man though i'm a huge fan of the blade

 

Provided Barkley comes in at 158 (his stipulated weight as per Ray Leonard) for their 168 fight, Leonard wins. Otherwise, Barkley walks him down and stops him in the later rounds

 

yes, he was huge middleweight. If he hit anyone they felt it.