Better losing performance: Hearns v. Leonard or Leonard v. Duran?

I would have to say Leonard had a better performance in the loss to Duran. Leonard was hurt but fought on and continually stayed with Duran even though Duran got the better of it. Even till the end.

Hearns was winning but faded out. He just got winded or tired and basically could not defend himself after he was hurt.

But it is a razor thin line. Both are almost even in their performance . Its just that Leonard made it till the final bell.

 

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Take your pick, you can argue equally for both of them. It will all come down to personal preference.

Just one way to look at it is SRL was a 9-5 fave over the much smaller Duran while he himself started an 8-5 fave over Hearns before being a 7-5 underdog by fight time but from memory that was due to big money coming in late from Detroit.

So many ways to look at these fights and that's why it is so open. Imo you cannot argue one over the other, both have extremely solid merits.

 

I think Sugar Ray's performance in that fight against a motivated Duran was the best effort of his career. Better than his win over Hearns.

 

These are tough because they are so different. Both guys exhited great things. I am not sure I can pick.

 

Both 'losers' put on fine performances and they became better fighters in consequence. I give the edge to Leonard,though. He was still in there battling away at the end and in fighting,for him,the wrong kind of fight still ran Duran close. Hearns adopted the perfect strategy against Ray but still could n't stave off his opponent's final assault.

 

Leonard

He fought with Duran and although he lost he wasn't hurt and learned from the loss. Then, implemented a sounder strategy to easily take the rematch.

Hearns' stamina and chin were exposed by Leonard.

 

What happened to Hearns KO power in the first Leonard fight? Seems like Leonard was the puncher there.

 

Leonard had good enough chin and defense to handle it.

 

But he couldn't handle it in their second fight.

 

Irrelevant. You were referring specifically to the first fight.

 

Hearns never landed his sunday best in the first fight from meory. A guy like SRL is solid defensively and crazy hard to hit 100% clean. He see's most every punch. He also takes a punch superbly. Hearns landed a couple of big right hands in the second bout at long range.

 

Had Hearns landed early, the power would have been there. Ray was very smart at avoiding the power especially the right. In many ways Ray looked for the right and took the left jab, which is why he was swelled. I think he figured the right is what he had to really watch.. Then when the fight went on he counterpunched, but Tommy will always be a better puncher than Ray.

 

the second fight Tommy had fought almost 20 times since the first fight, and Ray only fought a few times. Tommy was very experienced in the rematch and could fight inside better and was just experience, more than Ray was in 1989, yet also they were both slower so not the greats they were in 1981..