Donny Lalonde recalls fighting Sugar Ray Leonard

Yes. Ray did a bit of cherry picking with the timing of his fights with Hagler and his selection of LaLonde but I can think of much more egregious examples. Both fights entailed risk and the fact that the Hagler decision is still hotly disputed proved the risk he took.

 

Exactly. No matter how you look at it Leonard beat, at worst, a top 3 light heavyweight. Someone put a case forward the other day that the other champs were barely ahead of him if at all at that exact time.

Leonard's only fight in 4 years was Hagler a year and a half earlier and he wasn't exactly a huge guy. It's a solid win.

 

@mark ant - You didn't dig deep enough.

The ratings you pasted are actually from April 1988 if you have a closer look.

In May 1988 The Don poleaxed the #4 Leslie Stewart. That same month #3 Czyz lost to Andries. LaLonde absolutely would have been above #7 when he fought Leonard as that happened in November 88. LaLonde would have been #3 or #4 at that point.

 

It's a decent win for Leonard.

 

I'm context it's a decent to good win as he was past his prime and came up in weight. Why do some people need to denigrate his achievements?

 

That's a weak division