That's a good point, people do that with loads of sports. Looking back, you often think the sportsmen of the past are better. Sportsmen have improved with the years, better training, diet, coaching. So based on that, you could argue that is another reason to favour Mayweather. But, for me, I don't see how Mayweather could win. The fight would be close but I doubt he could outbox Leonard and his power isn't enough.
Mayweather wins......the Benetiz fight showed a master boxer is equal, if not better, than SRL. Mayweather checkhooks SRL out in the 10th as SRL tries to catch up in the scoring late.
I've not thought Mayweather would stop Leonard. The former has a decent, accurate dig, but to stop Leonard he would have to be dominating him, wearing him down. I don't think that would happen. If Leonard took Hearns punches, I don't think he would get sparked by Mayweather. I'm no expert, hence the post.
Not a fair fight really considering Floyd's prime was in pretty much any other division south of 147. At 147 I'd say it's a 60/40 fight in favor of Leonard. He's the naturally bigger man, has elite handspeed and very good power in both hands. I don't think he'd dominate him as some posters indicate he would, he'd be in there against someone who's probably a top 3 defensive fighter of all time. Nobody would have an easy time fighting Mayweather, especially in the 130-140 divisions where Floyd was at his prime.
I would pick Leonard by late KO. Too much speed and power. Remember, SRL was a natural welterweight, Floyd moved up from jr. lightweight. I would not be surprised if Floyd made it the distance, but Leonard would definitely be the victor. Of course, if a prime SRL was active today, Floyd wouldn't be thinking about boxing.
Ray.....Floyd is great but Ray just had another gear that made him one of the greatest boxers ever. He was everything wrapped up in the ultimate package. Very well balanced in all areas.....he was a highly skilled boxer who could also switch gears, bite down and go toe to toe with the best of them. Leonard would have some trouble with Floyds defensive abilities but ultimately would catch him and finish the job. Ray was also one of the greatest finishers the sport has ever produced.
I used to go with grain and assume Leonard would win. Lately, though, I've flipflopped on that. A lot of people try to claim Leonard has everything Floyd does plus better size, power, and combos. It isn't true though; it's true that Leonard has size, power, and combination punching advantages. but Floyd has quite a bit on Leonard as well. I see a technical gap between the two. Floyd has better footwork, much better defense, and better adaptability. Leonard wouldn't look like himself against Floyd. The pace would be slowed and I think Floyd's superior skill would give an advantage. Leonard would keep it close by flurrying late in rounds. I picture it something like the Floyd-DLH fight, but at a higher level. Floyd would have to dig deeper and Leonard would keep it closer than DLH. I think Floyd would edge it by a couple points. At 154, Leonard should win.
The Benitez fight? You mean a fight in which benitez was being consistently beaten to the punch and comprehensively losing on points prior to the stoppage? You're proof that being an old **** that's watched this sport for a long time doesn't equate to actually possessing any real knowledge of it. The standard of coaching in boxing has dipped considerably, and that's evident in the fighters themselves. I never grew up in the 60's, 70's or even the 80's, but I have absolutely no problem in stating that there was an overall greater level of talent and all-around ability among fighters competing at a world class level then than there is today.
