IMHO...SRL is probably the 2nd greatest welter after Robinson...in skill H2H..There are a few fighters who could conceivably beat him at 147...but their names are not Mayweather,Mosley or any of these guys...SRL simply had too many tools in his arsenal in his arsenal...too fast,too clever,great power,etc..But one his most underrated attributes is his mental strength in the ring...Ray could be outgunned..Duran did it..so did Hearns to some degree...but in both fights,Ray fought like a caged cat and turned the tide..albeit in a losing battle to Duran..Hearns he dug deep and handled his bussiness. However...the only fighter I give the best chance of beating everyone from 147-168 is Roy Jones...I know he started at 154...But on physical skills,I find it hard to find anyone who could beat in his prime...Everything SRL had,Roy Jones had in extra buckets....except maybe heart....Not even Robinson I would favour over Jones...simply too fast...with hand and foot...punched too hard...Roy Jones IMO,had the talent to have KO'd every fighter he ever met...outside of Hopkins and Ruiz...he was that bad coming to his 30th birthday...Hopkins and Hagler are probably the only cats who'd end their fights on their feet...But neither of them had the handspeed or foot-speed to catch up with him.. Mayweather...'m not evn sure he can beat a prime De Lahoya IMO...much less a fully fledged Sugar Ray Leonard.
Benny Leonard, Armstrong, Ambers, Jack, Duran, Williams, Ortiz I think have all at least a 50/50 chance against Whitaker.
I wouldn't call Benitez is a mover. He prefered to counterpunch his opponents on close range or on the ropes.
'98 to '04 was Hopkins prime. And yes in this time he would beat mw Leonard very clearly. DLH looked good against Hopkins because B-Hop did let him look good. He didn't use his size to bea him to show he is as skilled. When he stepped up he knocked Oscar out.
Hm, imo Robinson does just everything slightly better than Leonard. Robinson is more offensive, Leonard more defensive.
That's why Leonard and Dundee said before the first fight that they would fight like they did in the fight because that's the only way to take away Duran's leverage. :good
Hell of a fighter with sick hand speed, agility and heart. That's called a champion combo with fries my friend.
Dude Leonard himself admitted that he knew Duran wasnt in his best shape for the rematch,its funny that you guys are always quoting Roach words about DLH as proof that Oscar was shot when he fought Pacquiao but totally dismiss Leonards words in this case.
let's not ignore the fact that Sugar Ray Leonard's tactics in the first fight, were all about proving he was'nt a pitty pat, hit and run fighter! SRL, Threw his normal fighting style out of the window and went toe to toe with one of the one most feared fighters of his era. He did this in response to the boxing communities and the media's criticism of his earlier wins. There are many people who saw the fight who think that Sugar Ray Leonard won, it was certainly close. Irrespective of the actual result, what Ray did prove was that he had heart, courage, a solid chin, but more importantly, more than enough power to mix it when he needed to. Having proved what he wanted to in the first fight, Leonard went back to his natural boxing style and completely humiliated Duran in the second! Back to the original question...... As much as I admire the speed and skills of Mayweather he still remains a nothing more than an imitation of the original, but not as good. I think the early rounds of a fight between these two would look something like one of the ridiculously fast martial arts movies, with both fighters demonstrating their speed and evasion. Beyond those early rounds the real substance of the two fighters would have to come to the fore and it is here where sugar Ray Leonard would gain the ascendancy. I believe Ray would maintain his speed for longer, also have the greater accuracy and would certainly have more power. There would also be times when Ray cornered Mayweather and forced him to go toe to toe, even if it was only for a few seconds it would be enough to demonstrate Rays advantages in this department. After a furious eight or nine rounds I think Ray Leonard would begin to wear Floyd Mayweather down, the money mans self belief draining away round after round. The speed, the skill and the accuracy which had always made him superior now belonged to the other man. I see the fight ending with Mayweather covering as punches rained in from all angles while Ray Leonard looks for the finish. The referee may or may not allow this to go the full distance because it's such a big fight but it wouldn't surprise me if he stepped in.
Bladerunner, let's get your facts straight before saying **** like that. I use De La Hoya weighing in at 145lbs and going into the ring at 147lbs looking like a depraved boy for proof that he was weight drained for Manny. Duran looked fine on fight night against Leonard, he just got tapped by the better man on the night.