Is Sugar Ray Leonard divisive amongst boxing fans?

Both Leonard & Hagler were probably 2 of the more versatile and complete fighters ever.

Hagler could fight both southpaw and orthodox and was a skillful boxer-puncher who turned into a bull in his most famous win ever. Leonard switched it up against Hagler and in the Duran rematch to use a lot more movement, but he was usually better boxing flat-footed and sitting down on his punches more.

 

So what about walking down and ko’ing the monster that was Thomas Hearns at welterweight?
Who a year earlier had destroyed a very good champion in Cuevas?
Is that overlooked?

 

Agree.

Against Halger, Leonard’s effective power was very much underrated or at least not duly recognised.

If Ray’s punch wasn’t all that relative to Hagler’s chin, then there were plenty of times when Marvin could’ve walked through a flat footed Ray and landed hard but Marv didn’t do that -for the most part, Ray kept Hagler reasonably honest.

This thread has given me cause to watch some early Ray - no question, Leonard was a legitimate wonder and boy, did he have the all important ATG killer instinct.

When Ray hurt his man, far more often than not, he wasn’t getting off the hook. Leonard went for broke.

 

Sometimes it seems so.

Hearns was an absolute beast who Ray incredibly turned into a boxer, a boxer with ridiculous reach, speed and power that Leonard still ultimately tracked down and stopped.

Another feature overlooked is Ray’s punching to Tommy’s body at the times Leonard could manage to get in close. Many say Hearns tired and lost his legs in his own right - without due recognition of Ray’s investment in the body. IIRC, there was also single scything body shot that literally doubled Hearns over.

Leonard was so dynamic, great mobility, ultra fast, power in both hands, attention to head and body, great chin, ring IQ etc., etc - quite the package.

 

Leonard is my least favourite of the four as a personality and as a fighter, but I rate him highest p4p in his greatness. I accept he's the golden boy personality who knows it and uses it and it's a turnoff to me personally but it doesn't affect appreciating him. He's one of the greatest thoroughly fulfilled talents in boxing history.

 

Steele in one interview said Leonard was landing the harder punches from memory.

 

Thanks JT, that’s interesting, I hadn’t heard/read that before.

 

I respect Ray as a great fighter. I do not care very much for him personally which is a huge jump for me as I dispised him when he was actually fighting. I love the rest of the fab 4

 

I have it in a mag somewhere but can never seem to find it.

This is a good read tho. Steele, the closest guy in the world to the bout, absolutely positively and conclusively thinks SRL won it.

https://www.reviewjournal.com/sport...ard-steele-recalls-epic-hagler-leonard-fight/

 

Here's another mate -

Judge Dave Moretti, 115-113 for Leonard, said: 'Obviously Hagler was the aggressor but he was not effective. You can't chase and get hit, then chase and get hit by the harder punches and get the credit.'

 

It’s kind of funny considering Marvin carefully boxed Briscoe and walked away with a decision based on his skill. He did not walk in like Joe Frazier and try to steamroll Bad Bennie.

And to address others stuff I see here, Ray may have been the golden boy but he certainly didn’t take any shortcuts to the top. His 14th fight was against ranked Floyd Mayweather. His 15th he dominated ranked Randy Shields — two fights after that he beats Armando Muniz, who is coming off going 15 with Carlos Palomino for the title in his previous outing.

He took on other contenders like Pete Ranzany, a true middleweight (who gave Hagler fits) in Marcos Geraldo, a ranked junior middle in Tony Chiaverini and then, when he’s got a title shot signed and in his back pocket, he faces as his tuneup for Wilfred Benitez the tricky Andy Price — who had beaten both Pipino Cuevas and Carlos Palomino (who were the two titleholders at the same time and he had wins over both) … and destroyed him in a round.

He fought Duran (twice) and Hearns and stepped up to junior middleweight to win a title from Ayub Kalule.

People saying Ray ‘had it easy’ need to look at his resume. Before his detached retina he surely didn’t take any shortcuts. And when he came back after sitting out (one fight in five years) he goes after Marvin Hagler … no tune-ups or easy touches.

 

The 15 rounds excuse for Marvin is such a joke. Like Leonard took him to the cleaners in negotiating (by giving Hagler the lion’s share of the money, which is what he wanted).

Marvin hadnt’ fought a scheduled 15-round fight in 2 1/2 years before he fought Leonard. His fights against Hamsho and Mugabi were scheduled for 12 … guess they beat him at the negotiating table too, lol.

 

Leonard was a great fighter but I can't stand him.

I've never understood why he was so popular and Hagler wasn't.

Hagler seemed like a stand-up guy. Leonard is full of ****.

 

It's Hagler vs Leonard, not Hagler vs Robinson.

 

Or Monzon vs. Robinson.

Or maybe Robinson vs. Robinson, haha.