Someone explain why Ray Leonard is ranked so highly?

Right on!:good

 

He was an awesome boxer. Had all the tools. Also very High ring IQ. Knew how to steal rounds when necessary.

Hard for me to gauge where he belongs in the all time rankings. He had his prime cut short but came back and had a great win over Hagler. We can`t forget that he also won the Olympic Gold Medal.

His career was quality as opposed to quantity. Not a lot of total fights but he fought so many good fighters.

 

Agreed ! Resume ring IQ, mental toughness and heart ...

 

He beat Hearns when Hearns was shockingly good.

 

I'd have no qualms with saying that he is the greatest. Phenomenal Boxer!

Like it's already been mentioned - Ray had everything.

 

He couldn't hit the curve, either.

 

His top 3 wins are as good as anyone's in history.

 

Correct.

Number wise his record is pretty darn slim but packed with quality.

Furthermore, the fact he was the decided underdog against Hagler gives him bonus points for taking chances - we could never imagine Floyd Mayweather putting himself in such a position which is important to note as comparisons are frequently made.

 

He's certainly one of the ten best boxers of MY lifetime. At his welterweight best,on a head to head basis,very few could have beaten him. A certain Walker Smith Jr. could have but not too many more. Ray's resume during those years was pretty good too.

 

Ah the classic and infamous " Leonard hid out in retirement waiting for his rivals to deteriorate, while preserving himself in a bio-bubble." We've never heard anything like this before.

 

Sal has put a bow on this one. :nod

 

I don't care how much talent you have, a knockdown at the hands of Dickie Eklund is going to make it hard for you to get into my ten. :bart You'll be needing a lot more than dinner & a movie. :hey

 

Is that a serious post?

 

Hey, I'm just waiting for someone to say that he pitty-patted his way to victory over Hagler. 'Cause I'll literally have a meltdown.

 

He pitty-patted his way to victory over Hagler. Hey, it's been awhile since I've seen a good meltdown.

In all seriousness, I don't even like Leonard and I think the only way you can question rating Leonard highly is if you're massively ignorant of the era, hate any pretty boy in general who becomes a famous fighter on general principle, (Ali, Leonard, De La Hoya, etc.) or are trolling.