Would the homeless Ray Leonard be the bum, shot version v Norris? If so I beg to differ and after the Hagler fight when Ray came back ay higher weights he was rated nowhere near a high as Chavez was at that point P4P.
It was not about Hearns and Duran and how good they were in 1989 it was about the names together. Maybe Nunn could have beaten all of them head to head, but that didn't matter at that point.. There were guys like Nunn who were more prime and skilled than Hearns and Duran and Leonard for that matter at that time yet he could not measure up to them years before. But that doesn't matter. That is why everyone wanted to fight the Hearns or Duran or Leonard level, to beat them and get that recognition. Look how that helped Barkley beating Hearns., but Hearns and Duran had the legacies. Leonard fought his buddies because he was linked to fighting them before and it just put his name with them more. What would it have gotten Ray to beat Kinchen in 1989 or Barkley in 1989? Not much. But beating his fellow rivals meant a lot more. Ray was smart. But, he had to beat them years before to get the chance to add to the legacy fighting shells of who they were before.
I wonder who would be more effective, Leornard fighting at Junior Lightweight or Chavez fighting at super middleweight?
Its all about the competition. Quality over quantity, prime Hearns, Duran, Benitez, plus some very good contenders and of course a slightly past prime Hagler ( Unlike most, I believe prime Leonard defeats prime Hagler especially after the Duran fight and how a smaller slower Duran was in the fight until the last 5-6rds. To think the bigger, faster Leonard couldn't have done better is silly tbh) Though Chavez had almost triple the fights as prime Leonard he isn't in the Ball Park as far as quality is concerned. In this one I'll go with Leonard.
He could never have beaten Benitez at 140 or 147 or Duran at 135-147 or Hearns at 147, he just doesn`t have those kind of names on his resume and has high profile losses and draws at the back end of his prime.
Ray does not have many fights only 40, but his career is so great. Benitez, Duran and Hearns in a matter of 2 years.. How can you get any better than those guys. Add in there Kalule winning his 2nd title in Houston. The man was experienced after beating Hearns in 1981, and you wouldn't think only 2 years could do that after Benitez which was I think Nov. 30, 1979, but look at the level of guys he fought. I guess Pryor was experienced after Arguello. Fighting great fighters makes a guy much greater. Ray to me could be top 5 ATG. It wasn't just who he beat but the way he beat them. Out fighting Benitez and using speed to beat him to the punch, a guy who was incredibly talented defensively but Ray had speed and tenacity. Fighting with the Duran the first time and turning it around to in my mind to out speed Duran. Ray had variety. Ray could fight in different styles in ways the other fab 4 guys could not, which is why he beat them all. People can say well Duran was moving up or Hearns was weak. The fact is Duran and Hearns and Benitez beat most guys every time they fought, but not Ray. He was a high level. Then outpunching Hearns, who was the puncher and stopping him. And Kalule, stopping him. Then beating Hagler in 1987. He should have retired after Hagler. Out speeding Duran then outpunching Hearns and outboxing Hagler and in someways even outpunching him at times. He did what he needed to do to win I guess in retrospect it is easy to say that but Ray did it. He knew how to think what he had to do and then do it. That is a rare guy. He didn't have the love for boxing Tommy and Roberto had, but he was a competitor. . I think Ray beats Chavez head to head if they were the same weight. Ray had power. AT 147 had Julio moved up? The more I think about this I think he stops Chavez in about 11.
Benitez and Hearns were far better than anybody Chavez beat, Hearns would have destroyed Chavez easily.
Duran was not as his best in his rematch v Leonard but yes Ray did beat the him, Hearns was out-boxing Ray until he got caught and I feel would have beaten him in an imediate rematch, Ray`s win over Benitez was really good but I don`t think it counts him as a top 10 fighter, though he was one of the most dangerous fighters in the world during a fantastic era, he wa an amazing athlete with overrated fundamentals. Kalule wsn`t that great and Ray got caught a lot in that bout, Hagler was past his best and Ray was mostly running and occasionally flurrying, he tired badly in the mid rounds v Hagler which is why I feel Hagler beat him, I don`t agree that Ray won that bout.
