Name The Best Lightheavy, Sugar Ray Leonard Could Have Beaten?

I’d say Joey Maxim is up there.

There are others of note, in particular Bobby Czyz.

As noted above, there comes a point where 175-pounders are coming into the ring at 195 or whatever and that’s a different kettle of fish even if Leonard would pound them into dust if they actually had to weigh in morning of the fight and were thus weakened by dehydration and weight cutting.

 

What else seems to be forgotten is LaLonde was a rather small LHW/SMW at that. They talk about him being weight drained but he legitimately fought under 175lbs or 168lbs (I forget) multiple times if memory serves.

 

Does anyone think that Sugar Ray Leonard could have cut up WBA Light Heavyweight Champion Victor Galindez and possibly scored an upset back when Galindez was in his prime and Leonard fought Donny La Londe in 1988?

 

Don Lalonde!

 

Leonard, vs prime Galindez?

that doesnt seem like a fair matchup

 

I think given Gerald The Gmans fight weight he’d be a good pick. Plain old too simple and predictable for Leonard. If Ray was on and ready I don’t see how he could lose unless Gerald gets lucky.

 

I think not being dried out or weakened from making weight the modern way is it’s own benefit one that I think Mayweather made very good use of. It takes three or more days to be fully hydrated again. Which means they’re going in a little or a lot weaker in reality then they would be at there real weight. Possibly.

 

Jose Torres

 

True. Not sure I’ve ever really given Leonard much credit for winning a light heavyweight belt. At best it was a “ decent “ win for a past prime great

 

Imagine him against Marvin Johnson? He would have had his first ko lost earlier for sure...but it might have been interesting to watch while it lasted.

 

You couldn't have gotten Leonard in the ring with Galindez at gun point. LaLonde was an excellent cherry pick and he still got dropped

 

I wondered about this, nobody discusses it.
So you think guys cutting say near 10% may be at a disadvantage?
Where the advantage crosses with the handicap & what builds do where-more muscle for your division-which has more water-means easier to cut weight-would make a good thread!

 

Lalonde sucked.

It's hard to say how Leonard would do because we never saw him fight at that weight. I'll say this sitting at ringside the punches sound different at 175lbs compared to 160lbs or especially 147. It's like a V8 compared to a 4 or 6 cylinder car.

 

What about John Conteh or the light heavyweight version of Joe Calazghe or even the middleweight and super middleweight versions?

 

Victor Galindez