I've seen extreme opinions on Ray, from him being an ATG, to other not quite flattering comments. Leonard does that to people I believe. Again, like Marmite. How do you rate him over all as a fighter? How would he have done in the years previous, 30s,40s, etc? How would he look fighting right now?
I dont overrate him like some others and I dont underrate him We saw him reach his limits in the Norris fight. People dont like it when that name is brought up but we must give the WHOLE picture I rank him 6th at welter. I cant imagine him NOT being a force in the 30's & 40s but am doubtful he would have been dominant force
Great fighter, who later on learned how to manipulate people and situations into his favor. Questionable personable life, but that is another issue.
One of the best welter's of all time and he'd give anyone a fit at 147. But as Titan1 said, he was able to manipulate situations to his advantage. After years of watching Hagler go to war he knew Marvin had slipped and received a title shot having never fought at middleweight. I believe he didn't win that fight nor did he win his fight with Hearns. He was gifted 2 titles by beating a weak fighter in LaLonde so I enjoyed seeing Norris rip him up when it happened. On the all time pound for pound list he's nowhere near the top, probably not top 15.
Very highly as a fighter. I also spent a lot of time with him at a corporate event. Got a couple of signed gloves. Super nice guy in person. Looks like he could still fight today. Remarkably well preserved compared to his contemporaries. (Hagler dead. Camacho dead. Olympic teammates Leon Spinks, John Tate, Howard Davis, Davey Armstrong deceased. Aaron Pryor dead. Alexis Arguello dead. Hugo Corro dead. Alan Minter dead. Billy Costello dead. Tony Ayala dead. Rocky Lockridge dead. Michael Dokes dead. Roger Stafford dead. Greg Page dead. Benitez almost. Terry Norris brain damaged. Hearns same. Donald Curry same. Not sure about Bruce Curry.) We're lucky to have him.
A truly great fighter till Duran took his mojo. After that he became a cherry picker. He was the precursor to the safety first modern era of boxing. Retiring and unretiring only to feast on easy pickings. But, he was indeed a special fighter . It is a shame the latter half of his short career turned off the fans and put a asterisk next to his wins. He relied to much on physical gifts until he faded and then he tried to scheme ways to win. Great promoter, great athlete, great mind. But he just did not achieve his potential.
First man to beat Benitez and Hearns and throw in first to beat Kalule for good measure. Second man to beat Duran making him quit, this should all make him a shoe in for a top 3 at welterweight. What harms him was his fragmented career after these wins when he manipulated himself around the weights. On the surface the victory over Hagler should add to his legacy greatly, sure Hagler was faded but Leonard had fought once in the previous 5 years. How many could have pulled that off even against the faded Hagler? He was a great fighter possibly only second to Robinson at Welter.
I read a list like this and it reminds me of my personal double standard. I've loved boxing for more than a half century and I cheer for a high quality, mental chess game boxing match. However, the cheers are louder for a slugfest between two greats. I had already seen the deleterious toll boxing had taken on Bobby Chacon, Jerry Quarry and Muhammad Ali by the time my son was a teenager. He wanted to box and I wouldn't let him. He was surprised because he knew about my passion for the sport but, happily, he didn't fight me on it. These guys put their health on the line for my entertainment and even the guys I truly don't like, such as Adrian Broner, need to be appreciated for that. Sorry for the digression. As for the thread subject, Leonard would have been high level in any era. He had great hand and foot speed, enough power in his prime to hurt anyone, a high boxing IQ and he was the best finisher I've seen when he got someone hurt.
I don’t have an all time p4p list. Therefore I won’t assign Leonard a rating. But yes I considering him an all time great. Did an incredible amount of good work considering his low number of pro fights. Olympic gold medalist. Fought in some memorial battles. And had an amazing personality
I was at his home last month and can only speak for my experience and those who’ve met him and know him and I can say he was very nice. I took the great Eder Jofre to visit him and he was so warm to us and Jofre’s children.
SRL is an ATG and only second to SRR in the welterweight division. He could fight any style, very fast combination and always rose to the occasion in his prime. He would excel in any era since he was willing to box or brawl whenever necessary. He would beat any current or recent ATG, including Floyd.
Definite all-time great. Great Olympian. First to beat Benitez, dethroning him, took Hearns’ title and unbeaten record in one of the biggest and best fights ever, took Hagler’s title. I had Hagler winning but it was legitimately close and though Hagler was post-prime, so was Leonard. Loss to Duran was close enough, made adjustments and won rematch, though Duran didn’t have the same fire. I think Leonard’s lack of a long, dominant reign keeps him out the top 10 ever, but his high peaks and great wins make him almost certainly a top 20. His skill set and overall talent, tenacity etc; legendary. A top 5 all-time in his natural weight class.