Is Sugar Ray Leonard overrated?

Hey, imagine if leonard had another 20 fights. His record would look more like 45-15

 

7 years later and Red Rooster is still running to the internet to discredit Ray Leonard?

 

so, it's true isn't it?

 

He absolutely deserved the decision over Hagler. Its not Ray's fault Hagler decided to 'outbox' him.

He deserves a lot of credit for knocking Hearns out, considering he was getting beat and showed his heart.

While Duran clearly won the first fight, Leonard didn't make him or force him to take the second fight if he felt 'unprepared'.

As I mentioned, in one way or another the 3 out of the Fab 4 dropped the ball when it came to Leonard.

 

u r comparing leonards cv to joe cowardzaghes?? LOOOOOL

 

Duran was a lightweight jumping two weight classes. Leonard was supposed to beat him so it's not actually an accomplishment. In fact, the defeat suffered suggests a setback and more of an accomplishment on Duran's part more than anything

Hagler was shot and never fought again

Where was Leonard during Hagler's prime? Hiding, that's where

He had been cleared by the Doctor to fight that same year he was diagnosed and that means he was CHICKEN!

So it WAS Ray's fault and only his that the fight came off when Hagler was FINALLY on his way out. He PLANNED IT THAT WAY

as for knocking out Hearns, what else is he supposed to do, quit just because he's behind?

Hundreds if not thousands of fighters before him have done the same thing

So in summary, Leonard was a good boxer-puncher but nothing special and his record also supports this

He only SEEMED better than he was because of all the media hype behind his fights. In reality, this was a fighter that needed LOTS of help in getting some of those titles, and let's not forget, he would never defend those extra titles out of fear of running into a Nunnish-Norris type boxer that would humiliate him GIVEN THE CHANCE!

He was just another media creation and nothing more - better than Johhny Bumphus, Gerry ****ey, Mark Breland, Greg Page, but still just a media creation

 

Duran was a well established welterweight by the time he beat Leonard. Had outgrown lightweight two and a half years prior and already destroyed former champion Palomino.

 

Oh yeah, six fights is REALLY established

btw, Duran W 10 Palomino is hardly destroying him. You SRL fans are SO good at exaggerating

I guess it's becuz you have to

 

Yes. 6 consecutive fights at or above 147 over the course of two and a half years means that you are no longer a lightweight. And it certainly means that you are not "leaping 2 divisions" in fighting another welterweight. Duran beat Palomino way worse than he had ever been beaten in his life. Hurt, dominated, and dismantled him. Did you watch the fight?

 

The man beat Duran, Hearns, Hagler and Benitez when they were all in their prime or very close to it. If SRL is overrated then so is Robinson, Ali, Duran, Armstrong, Whitaker and all the rest. Crazy IMO that anybody would even ask the question.

 

he was a blown up lightweight just like they said, who ate himself into the 147 pound division, that's why he skipped the jr welters



six fights in a new division means you're really just getting accustomed to the new weight class

anyone can see Duran was far less effective at the higher weight. he just wasnt built for it

same thing with Ray Robinson when he entered the middleweight class. He had a few bouts, then mopped the floor with Lamotta before losing it on his first defense

and from then on, Robbie was a win two, lose one fighter; much less effective at the higher weight, much like Duran

Both would win their share of big fights but were not dominant as they once were.

as for Palomino, I never thought much of him anyways. not much on offense, and his skills were very ordinary

 

sorry man, he's overrated

once again, the SRL fan goes to great lengths to exaggerate both the skills and the feats of SRL, this time actually comparing him to the true Sugarman

Robinson was the best welter ever with Napoles right behind

because Leonard would never have gotten as far as Robinson did before getting his first title shot

Robinson's accomplishments were just sick!

while Leonard's were microscopic in comparison, ending up with an overall record of just 36-3-1

but could just have easily been 35-5

Duran was 72-1 when he met up with Leonard

when as Leonard ever amassed a record even close to that? NEVER

and no Hagler was not in his prime when the two met, not even close - ANOTHER EXAGGERATION

I will acknowledge Leonard was a GOOD fighter but that's it

I'm just glad for him he never met Hagler during his prime and backed down from meeting Pryor as well, then Curry, and after that Nunn

Otherwise, he'd have gotten more sorry as whuppings like the one he took from Norris

Ray is not like my man Floyd who can fight and fight and fight, including the young up and comers. Leonard cant do that. Look what happened in the Norris fight

 

Actually, you overrate Norris based on beating a faded SRL.

You overrate your guy, but underrate Leonard.

That is what gross subjectivity will do.

You mentioned Duran's record being so impressive when he fought Leonard.

That Ray, only three yrs in to his pro career with much less

experience, was able to stand in with the vastly more experienced

Duran, and fight competitively, is just more evidence that he was a

special fighter.

Yes, Leonard was hyped, but there was much substance as well.

In reality, Leonard's superfights with Duran, Hearns and Hagler will be remembered much more than Floyd's borefest with Manny.

Overall records don't mean much. Most fighters fight long past their best.

Look at SR Robinson's final record. It is littered with losses to guys he would have wiped the floor with earlier.

 

To say Ray Leonard is over rated is absurd. No one is flat out saying he was better than Robinson but I'd rate him over any other at 147. In addition, I don't care about the number of fights he had. I flat out say that in a prime Hearns, Duran, Benitez and still very tough Hagler Ray beat better high end fighters than Robinson ever fought .. straight up ..

All three of the first beat any welter Robinson ever fought .. the Hagler that Ray beat beats any middleweight Robinson beat. A faded LaMotta, an average Olsen, a limited Turpin, Basilio and Fulmer ... all courageous, in no one's top fifteen middleweights.

There was only one Sugar Ray Robinson .. he was a top five pound for pound all time great .. Ray Leonard was an exceptional fighter, better than excellent but cut prone blown up lightweight Napoles and the second best welter ever ..

 

No i didn't. Leonard was supposed to get by him too. and based on his previous performance with Duran in which he fought the perfect fight according to Steve Farhood, and was absolutely magnificent according to Tim Ryan, and was scarcely touched!

the whole 12 rounds, he unloaded combos, danced, and his back NEVER TOUCHED the ropes

Oh, sure, Ray couldnt cope with Terry's speed and couldn't deal with younger fighters the way Floyd could, but that's nothing new

I knew this all the way back to 1982 when he brought Hagler in the ring and then backed out in front of his own audience

this was then confirmed when he chose ugly duckling type champions/foes like Kevin Howard and Don Lalonde while turning the other way when the likes of Micheal Nunn were mentioned

Leonard's overall record with Robinson's overall record? You're actually trying to compare a guy with 30+ bouts to someone with 200 bouts? Is that what you're trying to do???



If so you have egg on your face!

and for Norris, he whipped your boy convincingly when none of the exerts gave him a chance!

This wasn't some split decision where we weren't quite sure WHO won; this was a ****ing blowout, an public embarrassment, a schooling, and Norris was the teacher

Sure, Leonard LOOKED slow in there with Terry but that's becuz he'd never been in there with anyone that fast

and of course, Leonard not knowing how to change tactics, couldn't catch up

all he could do is take a beating from the trigger fisted Norris

Norris was great that night, and Leonard? He resembled a man in a clumsy gorilla suit trying to impersonate a boxer