What if Ray Leonard had n't stopped boxing in 1982 ?

As long as he were healthy, I don't think Leonard would have hung them up that early, regardless of what boxing illustrated or any other magazine had written down.. His comeback(s) later on confirmed this.

 

Very simply, he was the greatest fighter of his era and possibly any era. He took on and beat the best. Duran, hearns, hagler, Benitez - all extremely good/great fighters and Leonard beat them all. He had speed, a great punch, a great chin and a fantastic defence. He would have carried on beating the lot because at his peak he was perfection to watch in the ring.

 

A horrific unexpected KO against Colin Jones brings his career to a sudden shocking end in what was supposed to be an easy tune-up defence.

 

That's possible!:rofl

 

Holy Christ, that's a tall order.

 

McCrory was THE #1 contender at the time of Ray's premature retirement, so he fights McCrory, Curry, and Starling, and by the end of '83, vacates the Welterweight belt.He then has fights with Hearns, Moore, and possibly Benitez at 154, and after close calls with those chaps, moves up to fight Hagler at the end of '85/early '86.

 

C'mon, you & i both know what leonard was all about!! He was a free agent & master of his own destiny. All roads led to Hagler in 82 & that was a road built from the words straight outer leonards mouth & there was no avoiding that confrontation as that was the fight that Leonard was expected to step up too by public & press alike.

He was atop boxings Mt Olympus much like Pacquiao is today & a superfight with Hagler was expected/demanded much as Mayweather/Pacquiao is & anything else is not acceptable & Leonard was a very image concious man. At the very least he would have had to re-match Benitez or Hearns at 154 & there's no way he'd want any part of those 2 again at the higher weight. As we both know back then SuperFights were the order of the day & someone of Leonards ranking/position would have eventually had to step up for the fight & not step back, leonard chose to step back.

For those on here who think that Leonard could successfully move up to 154 or above ought to go watch the Kevin Howard fight of 84. Howard was a handpicked jouryman who dumped Leonard on his arse & then got stiffed & that fight made Leonard flee the sport, he quit boxing, he could'nt cut it at the higher weights against bona-fida opposition. Hagler would have dissected him & KO'd him around 10.

As with regard to his comebacks, well we all know that he waited for Hagler to grow old & slow, but thats taking nothing away from Leonards incredible performance that night. But with regard to the catchweight fights with Hearns & Duran & the Lalonde 2 title fiasco these have to be put into there proper context of $$$$$$$$$$$ fights with 2 well over the hill former foes & 1 weight crippled one dimensional cherry picked titlist.

No way IMO could Leanard ever have competed with the up & comers after 83. He'd KO McCrory, but Curry & Starling are a whole different ball game. Leonard was starting to gas out against Kalule in 81 before he unloaded that do or die attack in the 9th & McCallum would have stopped him at 154. No way could Leonard boss the bigger boys & he knew it & Kevin Howard proved to the world & too Leonard in 84 that he was finished as a top echelon fighter & Leonard admitted that himself in his interview after Howard debacle.

Leonards comeback in 84 was to pave the way for getting his old title's back at 147 from Curry & McCrory & once journyman Howard had smacked him about he could'nt flee the scene of the crime fast enough.

But when it comes to smoke & mirrors/media manipulation/fightweight contract manipulation & making piles of $$$$$$ then SRL is the champ & thats undisputed.

Yer can't use todays modern precedents about moving up in weight & lifting a belt & sitting on it on yer way north to a megafight, back then megafights were made pronto as that was the only way to get the big $$$$$ as there was no juicy HBO/PPv contracts flying about back then was there. Thats why fights were held during the week, Hagler/Hearns (Monday), Leonard/Hearns 1 (Thursday) Duran/Leonard 1 (Friday) Hagler/Duran (Thursday) Vegas live gates & Closed Circuit ect ect. No way could Mayweather get away back then with his avoidence antics he's been allowed to employ today.

Leonard even said that if Duran beats Hagler in Nov 83 then he's def coming back. He chose too stay away for a very good reason. He could have comeback anytime & he chose to do it in 84 but journyman Kevin Howard exposed Leonard to himself & the world & as Leonard said in the post-fight interview, i' ai'nt got it no more, it was'nt there,& i'am not going to continue boxing & embarress myself. he said it, not me.

 

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvgpbIjhxmY[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaRjT9APM70[/ame]

I can't find the post-fight press conference interview where leonards announces he's quiting but the 2 above will suffice.

 

If anyone here thinks Leonard could beat Hagler or McCallam/Hearns/Benitez or Duran at 154 just watch this. Leonard totally gassed out after 9 rounds & here's the Hagler who would have sliced & diced Leonard.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DzCpPsCVwk[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXQ4o85ak9s[/ame]

 

Totally gassed out

Bit over the top, no?

Sibson KO7 Jermaine Taylor

 

Don't nitpick:tong

Sibbo TKO-9 Leonard.

 

You'd think this fat,pasty faced goof would atleast have the decency to not include his idol in a list of fighter that would have stood a chance at beating Leonard at 154 after the thorough and decisive schooling that Leonard handed out to his front running,quitter of an hero.

 

**** Makes mental note to self not to engage in Leonard threads, as they attract duranimal like a moth to a match******

 

Leonard looked like he was in a power punching mode against Kalule. great fight and he did look offensively sharp but maybe not the best fight to judge him by. I think he'd beat all of them except Hagler and maybe Hearns.

 

Shut it littleman, you're nothing but a proven grade "A" mug/wank chancer on here regarding boxing history & fistic know how, yer just one of the desperate zero's that craves peer accolades, you've been no where! done **** all & know even less, your contributions are pityfull & only confirm your status of wanker. Now go change yer tampax as all you do is bleed.