Leonard wasn't afraid of Pryor

Never let the truth get in the way of a good story.

 

500K is a joke. This could not be considered a serious offer, (although it's nice to pretend)

A serious effort would have gone into building up the fight more $$$ for both fighters. That'w aht the game is about; trying to build up the demand, not lower it

Obviously the lowball offer to get Aaron off his back without losing face. becuz he could always say he offered him a fight. Right?

pryor was right about one thing though: if ray was getting 4 mil for the fight, then Pryor should be getting no less than 3.5 mil. THAT'S a serious offer

Why would Ray object? If his amount is already set, it's not coming out of his pocket.

I never heard of another fighter dictating the other guy's purse if he's already got a guaranteed amount. I also think all the Leonard fans know this and are being disingenuous when calling it a serious offer. This offer was obviously a joke, like that fight with lalonde

By the way, fast forward to three months to post Leonard hearns fight. Pryor walks up to Leonard, asks for a fight twice. Leonard turns him down. he's chicken

checkmate

 

Found this - an interesting quote by Leonard:

Although I'd made up my mind that I'd retire after the Stafford fight, we had already signed to fight Aaron Pryor, and I wanted to go ahead with that because I just had to close his big mouth. He had been saying a lot of bad things about me, and I wanted him in the ring. I mean, I wanted him bad. Pryor was telling people that I owed him. Owed him for what? He said we'd been friends once, that I should have helped him. I asked him, "Aaron, who helped me?" He said we had been friends. That's the reason friends don't work for me—they're always expecting you to do them favors. It's difficult to have family and friends working for you.

I listened to Pryor's mouth and I was dying to put a fist into it. Even so, while training for Stafford, I told Trainer, who was negotiating for fights overseas as well as ones with Pryor and Alexis Arguello, that after Stafford I needed some time to think. Now, Mike had worked hard to line up those fights. He was always thinking a year ahead of everybody else. But I told him to cancel everything. I think I shocked him, but he said, "If that's what you want, that's what you get.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1126106/2/index.htm

Interesting article - Leonard talks about Hagler also.

 

He had to cancel everything for the same reason he turned down Pryor at the post Hearns press conference: he was afraid to fight Pryor

It really IS that simple

 

tremendous hate going on here. leonard ko's pryor in 4? who does mr bill think leonard was, tommy hearns?

 

I enjoy Red Rooster's schtick as much as the next guy and despise SRL close to as much as he does, but I can't see Leonard even taking the smaller Pryor seriously as a routine defense nonetheless a real threat nonetheless someone to be scared of. Cuevas, I can see Leonard being leery of for a short money fight with high risk and little reward, but not a guy struggling with the Akio Kameda's and Nick Furlano's of the world.

 

A lot of people say that Ray ducked a prime Hagler. Does that mean that Marvin ducked Michael Spinks?

 

Redrooster is to Leonard threads what frankenfrank is to Ali, what ripcity is to Duran, what RoosterC is to Tyson.

LittleRed,

Of course not.

Everybody comes to Marvin, he'll tell you that himself. I've even read an interview where he said Spinks shouldve CAME DOWN if he wanted to fight him.

Spinks hands Hagler his ass.

 

Never mind TAC whoever he is. Truth is, Leonard didnt have the right stuff for a Hagler fight. Didnt want Pryor but motivation had nothing to do with it. Ray would take fights with people no champ could get motivated for: Green, Bonds, Finch, Howard, lalonde

It was the good fighters he was leery of like Nunn who by the way, he ducked also

Saying that Hagler ducked Spinks makes SRL fans feel just a bit better about their man

 

Ray fought Hearns and Duran. He was not afraid of Pryor.

 

Not an SRL fan. I just find the contempt people hold him in very entertaining.

It's hypocrisy to judge SRL for avoiding 'prime Hagler' to the extent people do while Hagler/Spinks is virtually non-discussable. Spinks cracks that mandible.

And yes, SRL very much avoided facing Hagler at his best. Hagler shouldve beat him anyway.

 

I actually agree that in his second career Ray didn't always fight 'the man'. The Duran rubber match was especially egregious. But pryor? Just.doesn't seem like the type of guy Ray would duck (if he were to duck anyone).

As for the Hagley comment it finally makes sense. Who wouldn't have been thrilled to see Tyson vs the, marvelous one at 160? The best match of that era not made...

 

Redroost,

If I were a true SRL fan, would I subscribe to the theory that Leonard didnt fight his fight against Duran in Montreal? Because I honestly think thats horse****.

 

I agree. He should've been taking on the likes of unproven 140 pound Pryor instead of bums like Hearns, Benitez, and Duran.

 

Pro fighters are very rarely scared of anybody.

This is a business, man.

If you asked me tomorrow to fight a prime Mike Tyson, my first question would be, "How much?"

He'd crush me in a round or two, but I would laugh all the way to the bank.

And that is how any real prizefighter feels about any fight. If it makes sense, it tends to happen. If the risk and the reward are terribly disproportionate, why risk our careers and our marketability?

For the respect of boxing fans? Yeah, right.