Benny Leonard Discussion

I'm curious where our classic posters rank him all time. I can very well see him within almost everyone's top 15 if not a top 10.

I feel him coming an inch from taking the WW title from Britton a feat on par with Duran/Barkley. He also dropped Britton and rattled him multiple times, and Britton had one of the greatest chins of all time.

Thoughts?

 

I have him #2 at lightweight behind Duran and among the top 10 p4p fighters

p4p:

1. SRR
2. ARmstrong
3. Greb
4. Langford
5. Duran
6. Pep
7. B Leonard
8. Gans
9. Charles
10. Jofre

something like that

 

I usually rank him inside the top 10, #7 the highest I've ever rated him.

 

I dpn't know why but i think that's a good avatar you have.

 

:good Got it from Robbi.

 

I think I have him 6 or 7 alltime...behind Charles, ahead of Duran.

 

Arguably the #1 lightweight ever (yes, even better than Duran) and in or near the all time top 10 P4P.

 

Wow, you certainly think extremely highly of Gans.

Why out of curiosity.

 

Pernell Whitaker is better, Leonard fought alot of good fighters and champs, but not 1 guy has he beaten that will make a reasonable person's top 50 of all time.

Roberto Duran beat Sugar Ray Leonard, Ken Buchanan, De Jesus twice, Marcel, Kobayashi, Palomino, Cuevas, Davie Moore and Iran Barkley. He's a better fighter than Benny.

 

Not at Lightweight.

 

at lightweight i rate it

1. Duran
2. Leonard

P4P i have him just out of the top 10.

He is a great great fighter i think very highly of him. He was a great technical boxer with a booming right hand. He also was a great defensive boxer aswell.

Top class fighter a fight with him and Duran would have been possibly the best fight ever.

 

I have Leonard #1 at lightweight since he dominated a better era of lightweights than Duran did and he did it longer than Duran did at that weight. Holding a title for any length of time in that era was an immense accomplishment and Leonard was lightweight champion for 7 years, during which time the division's quality depth was ridiculously good, until he retired with the belt.

He should be a top 10 fighter and I wouldn't argue if I ever saw him top 5- ATG trainer Ray Arcel said the best two fighters he'd ever seen were Leonard and Sugar Ray Robinson, and he never could split hairs between the two of them enough to rank one over the other.

 

did ray arcel rate him as the best at lightweight and he worked with benny and duran

 

I believe he did, though I can't say for sure. It was after Duran beat Sugar Ray Leonard that Arcel thought Duran had eclipsed Benny Leonard, so I'd imagine he had them either equal or Leonard slightly ahead before that bout based on nothing but lightweight accomplishments.

Perhaps someone closer could shed a little clearer light on it than I just did. :thumbsup

 

I have him #1 at lightweight and #2 All time.