we all know how Leonard came back and ran into terry norris, the wbc champ......and probably the greatest ever at 154. so getting hämmered over 12 rounds aint THAT bad as it first looked. but this is a what if.......if Leonards Scouts had been smarter and went after the weakest of the champs at the time, the awkward but light punching rosi. could a 34 year old Leonard have beaten rosi, who only once fought someone of similar stature in the badly faded Donald Curry. Curry even at that stage still managed to drop him like 8 times in 9 rounds to seal a victory by tko. so, who do you have?? personally, i feel that Leonard would have won by decision. the reason for that would be one Major factor: Rosi was only effective, when he was allowed to fight a somewhat dirty type of fight. headbutts, Holding and hitting, punching on the break and all that. but there is no way a ref in the states would have allowed him to do this to Leonard. thuss, it would be more of a boxing match instead of a brawl.......and i believe Leonard, even at this stage, would still have had too much for him. Leonard by UD.
Rosi by brutal 7 th round knockout. Rosi was Way too much an animal for Leonard in 91. A modern day dick tiger. Great matchup
The GF who lost to Don Curry was 1988. The GF in early 91 had more exp. SRL thrived on challenges and he showed in the 83 fight with Howard that a unmotivated SRL was vulnerable. SRL wouldn't have his usual lazer focus for this fight and GF defeats a ring worn past the prime lethargic SRL on pts.
It's going to be hard for a guy like Rosi to beat Leonard on the cards in Vegas. Mike Trainer would force Rosi to be a road warrior. Leonard knows how to shoeshine with those flurries of his and he certainly knows how to play to the crowd---his crowd. In addition to the road warrior thing, the ref--Trainer influence here as well--is not going to let Rosi fight his kind of fight & he is neither outpointing or ko'ing, a Ray Leonard.
It probably would have been competitive. Rossi had little power and wasn't nearly as fast as Norris. I think Leonard may eke out a close decision.
