Sugar Ray Leonard and Muhammad Ali were both showboaters. Which of them was the better fighter?

Ali is the GOAT and Ray is a close second.

 

I guess showboating is a word you can use, but I’d say it takes some big minerals to stand in front of Joe Frazier or Roberto Duran and do a shuffle or wind up a bolo punch — as compared to, say, Greg Page showing up a shopworn Scott LeDoux who couldn’t do anything about it.

As for comparison, Ali is The Greatest. Ray was great.

 

P4P no question Ray .. a much better puncher .. Ali had a better chin ..

 

its really close. Ray essentially did against hearns in first fight what Ali couldn't do in fotc and ko his opponent to not lose a decision. But on other hand Ali ko foreman whereas ray won a controversial split decision against hagler in a comparable career moment.

But based on how good Ali was in his prime and how years of that prime was taken from him but he still accumulated a resume comparable to SRL I would say Ali was greater. Plus ray has said he imitated Ali so he owes part of his greatness to Ali.

 

Ali pfp was far greater.

 

Ali by long, long way.

Duran turned him into a showboater first and a fighter second. Duran took a piece of Leonard's soul.

 

I'd say Leonard. More complete. Fought and beat better competition, pound for pound.

 

I’m a 100 percent Duran fan but facts is facts: if anything, Ray took Duran’s soul in the second fight.

Made the macho warrior quit. Like a dog.

Duran pouted because Ray showboated? Did anyone watch the first fight, when Duran was clowning Ray in the late rounds?

You wanna play, get in the sandbox. And when it came to a rematch, Roberto climbed out of the sandbox and into the litter box.

 

If anyone got a piece of their soul taken it was Duran in the second fight

 

I honestly don’t know. Their legacies have very different strengths.

 

It's a tough question and it's close.
Think I'll pop for Ali.

 

Two crazy statements. P4P?

 

How did he make him quit? He certainly wasn't hitting him with much of anything. Maybe Ray running around the ring and showboating was all it took. Ray Leonard didn't exactly come to fight himself.

That fight was in 1980. In the 41 years since is still what it is. Leonard is very popular here in America. The bully angle or Ray have mental power to make another quit it never made sense
Duran quit the fight because he didn't prepare himself to fight especially at the elite level. Duran was foolish. Duran did that to himself.

 

Leonard was a better technical boxer, inside fighter & body puncher - but Ali was still the better fighter overall.