? The great man himself, can we say no one really equal s him? Or, do guys like Leonard, Mayweather, RJJ, deserve to be called just as great, or, iyo even better?
Robinson was in a class by himself , especially at welter. He's a half step ahead of Leonard, a full step against anyone else at the weight. Pound for pound, the greatest boxer in the history of the sport. Does that mean he couldn't get beat on any given night at the weight? No. But it does mean if they fought 3 times he'd win 2. High marks in every phase of the sport. including Consistency and longevity ( R. Leonard in his prime may have been an equal in talent but doesn't come close in longevity) A great personality, a flare, and "swag" that entertained fight fans.
It’s personal opinion I think, but as far as I’ve seen no. The greatest fighters of today are rather incredible themselves and in some respects they rival Robinson, but none are on his tier as a whole. It’s not just his high skill level, attributes or amazing ability to adapt to a huge number of situations mid-fight, but also his willpower of persevere through it. He’s the only boxer with over 200 pro fights on his resume and won the vast majority of them, only suffering his first loss after 128 fights which is a feat in and of itself given most boxers don’t even have a 128 fights total. Then there’s also the era he fought in had 15 round fights with less rules and he fought more often than most fighters do today. That’s notwithstanding the fact that he had to deal with race issues more than people of today given his era wasn’t exactly kind towards certain people. It takes a special kind of person to be able to accomplish all of that which is frankly beyond even what Ali accomplished. Pound for pound the man just has no equal. Surpassing him will take some amazing stuff to occur both in and out of the ring.
Agreed mate. He's a very special talent, being a few like him, but not LIKE him. He can't be touched imo, tho some will probably disagree.
On point, and a well laid out breakdown of Robinsons career and achievements, unlikely to be repeated or bettered, scrubb that, not unlikely but impossible !! Overlook the clichés, but he really did have it all, he outboxed the boxers, out punched the punchers, he was peerless, to see him glide around the ring, hands and feet moving in synchro, always poised to strike and with lightning speed, be it a left hook with laser like accuracy, or the right, the devastating right that felled Turpin, his boxing brain was unsurpassed, add his courage and chin, and you know why very few fighters had the better of him during his prime, very few, even as a lithe and not to big a WW he was taking on and beating LaMotta, whom many a MW was avoiding, such was his unbridled belief in himself, he saw the ring as a stage, and himself an actor, for decades boxing had been seen as a brutal ugly occupation, a sport for degenerates, low lifes, all brawn and no brains, Robo changed all that, he was a very articulate, handsome, erudite, boxer for whom the word " Pug " did not apply, he knew his own mind, he knew his worth, not for him the rather subservient role that his black predecessors had to conform to, he was the best, and if you wanted his services you paid top dollar, for sure he wasn't the promoters lap dog, grudgeling they paid him his just deserts, while cursing him behind his back. It wasn't just the promoters that harbored bad feelings against him, his fellow fighters and peers also bridled at his demands and requests, Basilio in particular had and held, a nearly lifelong dislike of Ray being born of being paid , not what Carmen thought he was worth, whatever Robinson wanted he got, gloves, ring size, corner, dressing room, they were all for Ray to ponder and pick, at his leisure, Basilio and fellow challengers were left the scraps, oh how Carmen must have enjoyed the rib bending body shots he sent Robinsons way, during the 1st fight in particular, later in life Carmen softened and through gritted teeth conceded that Ray was a great fighter, but has a final put down, said that Lew Jenkins hit harder ! Anyway, all the above said, SRR was a colossus, he strode above the boxing like a majestic Eagle, his like , lets face it, we will never see again, Greb, Langford, Armstrong, you were great but........ stay safe guys.
Don't know if he's in a class by himself, but there ain't many in that class for sure, Greb, Duran, Pep, Armstrong, but Sugar Ray is absolutely the best of them.
Yes. but there will be many other Top Fighters who could trouble him and also beat him now & again and here & there throughout time.
No, but at the same time I don't think any boxer should be regarded as in a class of their own. I think there are about 5 boxers that you can make a genuinely solid argument for being the GOAT and several others with a still good, but weaker argument. Robinson just has the best and most popular case for him. So in that regard of popularity as the boxing GOAT, then I would say Robinson IS in a class of his own (ignoring the likes of Ali or Mayweather as they are heavily influenced by their popularity outside the ring). In regards to weight class specific, he is far and away the top WW and is a lock for a top 4 MW with a solid argument for being at the top.
I agree he is not untouchable, even at welterweight — on the right night a Leonard or a Hearns could certainly have given him all he wanted and perhaps won if the dice come up right. That being said, yes, he’s in his own class: there’s Robinson and then there’s everybody else.
Most everything posted here is correct IMO, but big, strong, fearless, tough, aggressive, and well-schooled middleweights like Turpin and Fullmer would always be a challenge for him. By big, I mean middleweights who carry a lot of their strength in their upper bodies.