Ray Leonard talks about his biggest fights

That was kind of how 1980s US sports celebrities all were: very phony with a persona that didn't seem real at all. SRL and Magic Johnson were probably the two best examples. Ray seems realer now than he used to.

 

Would people like Leonard more if, when was fighting, he carried on like an Adrian Broner or a Ricardo Mayorga? Would he be more legitl and therefore more palatable to the tough guy "keeping it real" boxing fans?

If only Ray had called Hagler or Tommy Hearn's wife a wh0re then he'd be an idol to many to this day. It worked for Duran.

 

He could have just acted like a normal person. No need to be classless, or a phony, or a thug, or whatever. Plenty of fighters from that era just acted like normal human beings. Obvious examples would be Michael Spinks or Little Red Lopez or Alexis Arguello.

 

I don’t get what was so bad about Leonard that pissed so many people off.

He was generally very respectful in public and towards his opponents. He always came into the ring in shape, he willingly fought the very best and always showed heart, skill and style in the ring.

So what if he was a bit of a phoney anyway? He gave us brilliant fights and brought interest, excitement and publicity to boxing at a time it was needed post-Ali.

The fact people still to this day are haughty about him and compare him unfavourably as a person with the likes of Duran, Hearns and Hagler is pretty ridiculous to me. With the passage of time it’s his fighting that really should be the only thing that he should be judged on and he was aces at that.

 

Yes Duran is a big fish in little pond. You can't compare Panama too the US.

 

Duran grew up a street urchin and never lost some of that fire - talking smack, etc. Leonard came across much more classy and articulate. They complemented each other well an made each other a ton of money - which Duran blew and Leonard kept.

Leonard conquered the huge US market. You cannot compare tiny Panama with the behemoth USA.

Without the US market and top US fighters Leonard, Hagler and Hearns, Duran would have made far less $ in his career.

 

What about the Durán fans?

 

Seems like a lot of people in forums like this blame Leonard for the sports media and boxing establishment embracing him and thrusting a “golden boy” persona on him at such a young age. Similar thing happened with Oscar 15 years later. Introverted, soft-spoken guys who didn’t have much personality or natural charisma suddenly becoming media darlings and crossover stars.

 

"A bully will do one of two things. He'll throw punches or he'll run away. "

True. Just as Duran got in his head the first fight, Leonard got in Duran's head the second fight.

 

Every fan base can be annoying to varying degrees in fairness.... I do think Duran fans were numerous and almost intolerable 12-7 years ago on here. They have dwindled in numbers and vociferousness, in recent years.