Let's Hear It For Sugar Ray Leonard.

Man your battle stations ....

:bolt

 

I'm not a fan of his but have to give him his due, the guy was a supreme talent and was able to beat some of the biggest name fighters that were around his weight while he was in his prime.

 

Brilliant fighter.... horrible person.

 

Leonard was the reason I started watching anything but heavyweights, which formerly was the only weight class I cared about. I don't know anything about his personal life, but if you're going to knock Leonard for that, how about all the Tyson fans?

In other words, I can watch The Shawshank Redemption and think Tim Robbins gave a hell of a performance in the movie and I can separate the work he does from the leftist jerk I think he is in real life. I don't think one needs to be figured in with the rest.

Leonard at his prime was a master of speed and strategy. I don't see how anyone can take that away from him.

 

Leonard had everything u'd want in a fighter: speed, reflexes, heart, power, durability and his stamina is under rated at welter. top 15 p4p fighter all time, #3 at welterweight

 

When a man beats Benitez, Duran, Hearns and Hagler his record speaks for itself. It's no fluke but people want to pick his record apart so that they can reduce his legacy. It doesn't matter though because he is still arguably the best 147 or P4P in history.

 

:good

 

Leonard was simply the man in the 80s. He fought and beat the best and was one of the most strategic fighters to step into the ring. I dont understand why he gets so much hate.

 

Mainly because of a gift decision against Hagler.

 

Personally it is because he is/was so arrogant and lacked humility.

That does take away from a fighter, who I consider boxing finest of the 80s and #13 in my all-time list.

 

Sugar ray leonard was the only member of the fab four to have a victory over all of the others. I would say that in the eighties he was also the only one of the fab four blessed with the highest level of ring smarts/strategy as ray could fight and and adapt with all styles put in front of him...Roberto at the higher weights couldnt cope with a boxer,hearns was slightly vulnerable after hagler,and marvin found it more difficult to cope with boxers as well...Ray showed he could beat boxers,brawlers,box punchers and he showed he could beat you by outboxing or blasting if needed...(see hearns 1.)
People can detract from all of his wins if they wish but beating prime hearns, prime duran and prime benitez at welter (at the time these three had a combined win loss record of something like 144-1 with approx 100 kos.And the solitary loss was avenged twice by duran as well!) And whatever you say about the hagler fight,to come back with one fight in five years and give one of the all time greatest middleweights his first loss in eleven years (37 contests) at his first try at the weight and without a tune up speaks voulumes for rays class....Remember even though it was not prime marvin,it was not in any way prime ray either. It makes me think ray could have taken hagler in his prime as well,surely a worthy scalp for a former welter!....
The scary thing is ray missed his prime years when he could have overtaken the original sugar man.....Maybe sacrilege but as an all round boxer and p4p i cant see any better man than ray...Leaving aside the mans phenomenal speed,reflexes,ring brain,tremendous stamina,durability,killer instinct and boxing skills and you still have his greatest intangible......The never say die will to win and finding a way to do it......
You can leave hagler,tyson,jones,mayweather,monzon,duran,whitaker,holmes,jc chavez spinks and the rest,ray is the greatest boxer since the sixties,his wins over benitez,duran ,hearns and hagler prove this.....Quality not quantity folks....

 

I have Ray Leonard #4 all-time P4P. I also consider him the best Welterweight ever.

I know this seems high, but the reason is because he has so many wins against other fighters I regard very highly - I think Hagler is a top3 middleweight, Hearns is a top10, Duran is the No.1 lightweight and top10 P4P, not to mention Benitez.

He fought the contest of a true warrior Vs Hearns, he made Duran quit in the rematch, personally I had the first 7-7-1, but I'm willing to concede he lost the bout marginally.

I consider Ray Leonard the ultimate fighter when I think about versatility - He was a master boxer, but he was also willing to trade (unlike Mayweather) with some of the most brutal men in the sport. His footwork was among the best you'll ever see in boxing, and there was no attribute he lacked - Speed, power (although perhaps not significantly, it was still there) conditioning, heart, the ability to dictate the pace of a fight...

Above all that, Ray Leonard brought the "Wow" factor to fights - His skill was just scintillating.

I have no problem with him as a person either - Brutally honest. I don't think he lacks respect the way people tend to make out.

 

Above the original Sugar Ray? Brave and courageous if so...

 

Does seem like there's a lot of hate towards Leonard.