Fair enough It's not something we will ever know for sure. I would strongly favour Floyd at ww. Especially around that sort of time. Duran was losing around that time to Laing who was a decent fighter but I feel Floyd is a step above. I am not saying at lw but at ww I think Floyd would have boxed his way to victory
IMO, it was. Jumping up two divisions and winning, as the underdog, what most regard as one of the greatest fights of all time, against the bigger man. He certainly was elite. In fact he was "the man" in boxing at the time. He even transcended the HW division. I remember watching his fight with Davey Boy Green which was broadcast live on network tv, even though Larry Holmes was defending his HW title ton he same night. The buzz after Larry's bout and during the Holmes interview was all about Leonard, and Holmes made several references to Sugar Ray "being his man." Twenty four years old, 27-0-0 with wins over Green and Benitez, one of the three top names in the sport....of course he was elite. That's part of the revised version that was trotted out later...SRL fought the wrong fight the first time and got it right, second time around. @Stonehands89 (Springs Toledo) has eloquently and systematically debunked that myth in his book THE GODS OF WAR. (See extract below): This content is protected This content is protected This content is protected This content is protected This content is protected This content is protected This content is protected This content is protected This content is protected This content is protected The second fight was a bit of an anticlimax, and Duran had his weight issues. When both men were at their best, Duran prevailed. Final point on this question... had Duran refused the SRL rematch (as he himself later refused the Hagler rematch) or had Duran retired after Montreal, as a two division champion, we wouldn't even be having this discussion. On the other question, SRL or Floyd ? Floyd has a better resume, more based on quantity than quality, but still big names. SRL was more talented and IMO, would have beaten Floyd at welter, both men at their best.
Hard to say because they have different kind of skills and talents but due to Leonard’s superior, offensive ability and competition, im going with Leonard.
Mayweather's defense was awesome, but he also had incredible attributes (like his arm length) and he was also a spoiler. Ward didn't have a shoulder roll and he was just as hard to hit clean. I'd say Toney and Whitaker were just as good defensively.
Leonard without hesitation cant really see how someone can think otherwise. Mayweather is the best since Leonard though.
What you have to ask yourself is how would Floyd do over 15 rounds With SRL ??? Floyd Mayweather SR got stopped by SRL in 1978 & for heart Leonard had tons of it. SRL had faster hands than Floyd JR & he'd be way to much Floyd who would do well to make the 13th round v Leonard. Hearns also takes Floyd out before the final bell & maybe quicker then SRL. SRL & Hearns are true P4P great's who took on all comers Floyd did not.
I'm not going to argue the first paragraph of your post because its your opinion, but the last sentence can be discussed. Who exactly did Floyd not fight. Since you say he took on all comers. I see a lot of you guys say that so i'm curious.
I'm not going to argue the first paragraph of your post because its your opinion, but the last sentence can be discussed. Who exactly did Floyd not fight. Since you say he didn't take on all comers. I see a lot of you guys say that so i'm curious.
I agree. But, in this case, I think Benitez, Duran, Hagler and Hearns together are better than Floyd's opposition.
Personally, I don't think it was the best win. But I have gone over this numerous times on here and people know my position. I feel if I keep mentioning the same points it will just bore people. All I will say is the Ray whom Duran fought in June of 1980 was very very good, but not yet great. What he learned about fighting at the top level from Duran in the first fight was Ray's graduation to elite fighter. SRL or Floyd? Who is greater? Ray.. by miles and miles and miles. I am not a big Floyd fan. I recognize his skill level but I also see how he orchestrated his career. He was not like a Hagler who would fight anyone at any time. Had Ray refused to fight Duran in the first fight we wouldn't be having this conversation either.
Disagree. Leonard had as much talent but went through much better fighters. Pick a win akin to Hearns 1. Nothing in the same vicinity
