Succinct and sensible -as usual. This strikes me as a meaningless question. Shoeshines can be blurry but they are not exactly a critical part of the repertoire. Robinson was efficient and didn't bother with anything too showy in there. And he had demon speed anyway. Who was faster throwing meaningful punches once set? Considering how fast SRR was as a 30 something year old MW, I suspect that in his WW prime, he was. Factor in accuracy, variety, delivery, and Robinson has the edge (although I loved how smoothly Leonard punched).
Id say Leonard, without a doubt.. Consider the glove sizes as well.. Robinson could deliver speed and power at the same time better then Leonard though..
I think RJJR had the most ridiculous twitch speed ever.. Especially when you consider his combination of twitch and power.. Tyson is up there as well. (He was 200+ lbs along with his speed)
That surprises me. Hearns had sick speed. Watch the first Leonard fight. In most exchanges early (the best time to measure speed as both men are daisies), Hearns is landing first and last.
I dont think so, but maybe, and if so, it was more timing with his combinations than just natural speed.
And Shane Mosley's early welterweight days, without question as quick as Leonard, if not quicker. Rivera, De La Hoya I, Diaz, Taylor.
I think i'll agree with that one.. Not only because Mosley is my boy but because... Well, he was fast as hell.. I remember watching the Willy Wise fight and seeing him throw a hook (i think it was late) but i didnt even see him throw the punch the first time i saw that fight.. But i think Sugar Shane would have a speed edge over tons of people, Lightweight and Welterweight..
De La Hoya threw a four punch combination against Chavez in the rematch which was about 1 second from when he started the combination and finished it. If you have the fight to hand, check it out, end of the 7th round. And some of the combinations he threw against Trinidad were rather sublime. Check out the 5 punch combination he landed during the 9th round. Its near the start of the round with about 30 secs gone. All solid punches, starting with the body and finishing to the head.
Discount the shoeshines. Leonard had great speed, but people get fooled by the nonsense flurries. Leonard was savvy enough to seem faster than he was... In terms of effective speed, I give a slight edge to Hearns -and his arms had to travel further for extensions.
Watch Shane Mosley's handspeed at lightweight, especially against Holliday when he first won the title, then check out those fights I mentioned at welterweight. The reason I put forward the Holliday fight, this was when he was not struggling with the scales, which he clearly was late during his lightweight reign. Watch the Holliday fight, and you'll get a rude awakening. I'm not saying Mosley's slow, but not the blinding speed he showed during his early welterweight days. Very noticeable.
