Curry at his best was good enough to beat MOST welterweights in history............ but Leonard isn't one of them. Ray TKO 9.
I am not a big Leonard fan (Well I do like Benny quite a bit anyway), but he would be to much for even the best version of Curry IMHO. I agree w/ the above response SRL should be able to stop him in 8 or so. Curry might make things interesting early, but Ray should be in control from the begining without the end result ever being seriously in question.
Leonard. Fight starts off slow with both guys feeling each other out to see what they can land. It would be a jabbing counterpunching fight in the center ring until the later rounds when Ray would start working the body and wearing out Donald and winning the later rounds and the fight by decision.
Leonard. No doubt in my mind. He'd have an answer to anything Curry would throw at him. Would be very interesting in the early stages. Leonard via late tko.
Sugar Ray Leonard, who's no doubt my all around PFP favorite, would win this one by a convincing 15-round unanimous decision against a guy in Donald "The Cobra" Curry who had a pretty strong impenitrable defense that was pretty tough to get through on a good day. I'd definitely bank on a Sugar Ray Leonard knockout victory against Milton McCrory, Aarron Pryor and Nino Larracca but Curry's defense was better than those three and while Sugar Ray's handspeed and footspeed not to mention his lateral movement is something Curry never encountered during his heyday his own airtight defense, a pre right handed version of Winky Wright at best and very good stamina as he did go the 15-round distance twice in his career would be enough to hold him up for the full distance against SRL. Sugar Ray Leonard W15 Donald "The Cobra" Curry.
:yepYou must be from Fort Worth, Texas right? Hahaha. Just kidding, it's your well respected pick. To each his own.
Ray's defence was not the best, this is a very close fight & in all effect a "Plant-em" slugfest, Curry's a supreme counter puncher, great speed of punch, tight defence with elbows that come down to his waist. Leonard will pick up more of the close rounds through work rate, but this is the sort of fight that would make SRL say in the post fight presser "I'am retiring! He'd have the same gruelling test in his next fight against Marlon "Magic Man" Starling IMHO.
Leonard would find a way to win. The fight would be a close, highly competitive chess match but in the end I think Leonard will prevail by stoppage in the late rounds when he turns up the heat, much like against Hearns. If Curry had the stamina and durability then I could see him possibly out pointing Leonard. He was really something in his short prime, just a shame he couldn't make weight and bumped into Honeyghan.
Donald could make this the toughest fight of Ray's career, but his chin lets him down at the important moments.Ray TKO's Donald in the 13th round, having a slight lead on the cards.
great post. Makes sense and Ray retiring after could happen. Out of all the fab 4 guys, Ray beat all of them, but also had the least staying power in his career.