Is Ray Leonard an overrated technician?

I like and understand this question.

I think it is hard to be technical against, Duran, Hearns and Hagler...as a matter of fact those guys found it hard to be technical against each other.

However, Leonard rose to the impossible occasion to beat all of these men. He made Duran quit, KOed Hearns and outpointed Hagler.

If you put Leonard in with slightly lesser competition, he turns in technical masterpieces as in Benitez

 

Yes. Once his speed became degraded he was a pretty average fighter.

 

Would you not agree that Hearns was either faster than Leonard or equal?

 

Jose Napoles
Eddie Perkins
SRR ( of course )
Benny Leornard
Harold Johnson
Gene Tunney
Jack Britton.

 

I think Ray a bit faster on the delivery, but Tommy surely was not slow..lol. he wasnt the combo puncher a young Ray was.

 

Thanks for the response.

I consider Hearns the fastest puncher of all time. I know Taylor is fast but his punches meant nothing compared Hearns. Example: the punch Hearns let fly that KOed Duran sounds like what jet roaring past you when it impacted Duran’s face.

Leonard was getting beat to the punch in the first fight with Hearns. He was taking a beating...until he turned in Duran from Montreal and threw caution to the wind.

I say all that to make the point that IMO opinion, even when Leonard was completely out gunned he found a way to overcome and win.

He was not a better puncher than Duran but went toe to toe and gave as good as he got and that is not a minor thing...Leonard was not as tall, as fast (debatable) or as powerful and yet still KOed Hearns..nor was he as skilled defensively yet he outboxed Benitez and took his respect from him.

If you don’t agree with this than I understand and of course I will respect your opinion but if you do agree than we can both say that Leonard was much more than speed.

 

god,no!

 

This is the answer

 

Nothing about him is overrated. He was so great and intense that he couldn't have a long career because the thought and planning he had to do to beat a great or even fight was too much to fight many battles.

 

Overrated technician yes. Overrated fighter no.

 

Yes he was not always a technical fighter, he was more of a movement and speed fighter, he showed in the Duran 1 fight that he was not so much a technical fighter, Duran was better technically more so inside, in the rematch Leonard used height reach and his foot speed and hand speed nothing technical really, Hopkins was a technical fighter, Toney was a technical fighter McCallum was a technical fighter Lennox Lewis was a technical fighter Roy Jones was not a technical fighter

 

good post

 

Guys like Ali, Leonard or Roy Jones were not master technicians.They relied more on speed, reflexes, talent,instincts.

 

I do not know who tinman is.

 

I think so yeah. People go on about him being able to outbox every man and his do but a lot of times he won through sheer heart and firepower.

He has very few technically scintillating victories imo.

But as a fighter, he deserves every ounce of credit he gets.