Pernell Whitaker vs Sugar Ray Leonard

Leonard. Size, punch and, to a lesser extent, chin.

 

I voted Leonard as well, by wafer thin decision. Mainly due to the points Gaz highlighted. :good

 

One of the hardest mythical matchups to opine on that I can think of.

 

Correct. If this one went to a the scorecards (a likely outcome) it would likely be a highly controversial/difficult to make verdict either way.

 

It would be difficult for Leonard, but h'd have the luxery of being able to hurt Whittaker, but not having to fear Pernells punching power that much.Sweet Pea will be able to nullify much of Sugar Rays effectiveness, however so it would boil down to a decision , with Leonards aggression and flashy showy combinations and flurrys catching the judges eye and earning him a decision.

 

I'd definitely go with Leonard. Leonard was the bigger man yet had all of the attributes Pernell had as a smaller fighter. Leonard was faster, had agility, co-ordination etc

Leonard would fight smart like he did Benitez. It would be nip and tuck but Leonard would be confident in letting his hands go. I feel Pernell may keep his at home a little, like he did v DLH.

Leonard 8-4.

 

Normally, I'd automatically take the boxer with the 15 round credentials, but Whitaker is a very special case. Ayub Kalule and Larry Bonds demonstrated that southpaws could expose serious technical deficiencies in SRL, and Pernell may be the most skilled southpaw enshrined in Canastota. Benitez, Duran and Shields gave Ray headaches with their defensive skill at exploiting his characteristic telegraphy, and Whitaker was certainly one of, if not the absolute best defensive southpaw in the history of the sport. Nor did he have Benitez's frail chin when he did get hit. ("The best are those who can take a punch, but don't have to."-Benny Leonard)

This would go the 15 round distance, and Whitaker would outmaneuver and outbox Ray, much as Hearns did in their WW unification epic. The difference here would be that Pernell withstands SRL's late surge, and hangs around long enough to hear the final bell. Like Hopkins, Whitaker is one who would have benefited from having the championship distance remain intact. Ray would not have been able to solve the puzzle posed by a leftie of Pernell's speed, skill and caliber.

Whitaker UD 15 SRL

 

Not just one of the best defensive defensive southpaws in the history of the sport. While thats true, best putting it "he was one of the best defensive prize fighters in history".

Yeah, in the same class as the recently deceased Willie Pep, who happened to have over 200 fights.

 

Leonard was leading Bonds by 90-80 on two of 3 judges cards before stopping him in round 10. This means they gave him every round, plus a point on top. That's some serious technical deficiency. Kalule was admittedly a handful, but as they used to say, Sugar Ray will always finds a way Good win over an awkward bigger man.

Then we have Hagler, top 3 Middleweight ever and southpaw. A much more difficult prospect than Sweet Pea at 147. Skill will only take Pernell so far against the bigger man who also happens to be just as fast.

Telegraphy? Jesus H lol. I'd call this nitpicking, but nitpicking contains an element of truth. For the record, Benitez, Duran and Shields gave many fine fighters headaches. Leonard should be lauded for beating Benitez, a big step up for him. How someone could find criticism there i'll never know. Well Rooster i'd expect it from. Scores from the Shields fight, 49-43, 47-44, 48-45. Looks like Shields defensive skill was just a little too prominent.

Couldn't agree more, and he was also a natural 135 pounder without neither Duran's ability to irk Leonard out of a decent gameplan or match him physically at the higher weight.

It wasn't Wilfred's frail chin that lost it, Leonard had an unassailable lead going into the 15th round and had convincingly outboxed Benitez to all unbiased viewers.

Never mind Tommy was the hardest hitting 147 ever, likely had the best 147 jab ever if not P4P, was 7 inches taller than Sweet Pea and had the reach of a light heavyweight. Of course he also carried 147 rather easily as well, but we can forget all this of course and imagine a bout with Pernell going the same way excepting the fight saving stoppage :good

Totally agree, but SRL of course was a great 15 round fighter as well as proven.

Redrooster would be proud

 

I feel that Hopkins would have beaten Leonard at middleweight. Although Hopkins' aint a southpaw, he's a superb defensive fighter. He's got the height and reach of Hearns, and Hagler's strength and toughness. Like Leonard himself, Hopkins is a smart thinking fighter.

Whitaker would have put up a game effort against Leonard at welterweight. But not quite good enough. Not Whitaker's prime weight. He became more flat-footed, and overall speed of hand and foot was not the same as two divisions below.

Whitaker was so good at lightweight, I take him to beat Duran. Very slick indeed. Complete.

 

Good post, and truth be told Leonard would be more of a stoppage danger to Pernell than anyone he ever fought, including Tito. His sheer class allied to his size advantage makes him uber dangerous here. He puncher far faster and better in combination than a Chavez. Pernell's great skill would likely get him thru, but the danger is apparent.

 

I'm picking Ray by late stoppage or decsion.He is faster, punches harder, and can take a punch (not that he would have to worry about anything Pernell threw). For me, Whitaker always had a shaky chin and if Ray caught him and hurt him, it's over. But more likely, he'll make it to the final bell, and Ray would get a unanimous decision.

 

Sugar Ray Leonard by decision

 

Perfect post. :goodclap:

Now, who the hell is that chick in your avatar ?