Ray Leonard didn't really fight that much out of character in the first Duran fight

Why are Abrahams and Dirrell mentioned in the thread about SRL/Duran?

Blasphemy say I!!atsch

 

I remember the opening of the fight (literally only a few seconds in) and the commentator says:

'Leonard is flat-footed! He did not come out to dance. He wants to go toe-to-toe with him (...) Would you believe it is Leonard coming to Duran, and Duran backing up on him?'

Then in round 2:

'Leonard fighting flat-footed like he did against Pete Ranzany! I'm amazed. I thought he'd dance with this man.'

Now, granted, commentary is rarely flawless. In fact, a lot of commentary is idiotic, especially some of the modern stuff from Lampley that we're subjected to. But I find it interesting that these guys were clearly expecting Leonard to dance and move. It may well be that Leonard's usual style was different, but it seems like most people were thinking that the best strategy against Duran would obviously be to move and box, not to approach him and trade. If they notice this within mere seconds of the first round, that tells me that they found Leonard's game-plan strikingly odd for this particular opponent, especially as they kept repeating this.

The commentator also mentions that Dundee didn't want Leonard backing up, though. I don't know if this is truth or rubbish, but it's interesting. Maybe Dundee wanted to try and bully Duran with Leonard's natural size advantage, and deliberately go against expectations to throw Duran off balance? Maybe Leonard, angry at Duran's antics in the lead-up, was only too happy to agree to this plan, as he wanted to beat Duran into paste. Either way, it was clearly misjudged. People blame stomach cramps and all sorts of things for Duran's performance in the rematch, but I think a moving and boxing Leonard would always give him trouble. Duran isn't crude or anything, and he can hunt people down and pressure them, but he seems like the kind of fighter that clearly does better when someone isn't employing a lot of movement. He wants to fight, not to dance.

I'm glad that Leonard did stand toe-to-toe with him, though. We got a great fight out of it.

 

On the morning after the fight Leonard said " Duran made me react like a man. Next time would be different."

Whatever is said about the way SRL chose to fight, you can't take anything away from Duran. He beat him fair and square.

 

Duran's A-game beat Leonard's A-game. It's impossible to dispute that if you really know anything about either fighter. In the rematch, Leonard showed the ability to fight in a different style than he was used to because he realized he couldn't beat Duran the way he beat everyone else. Credit to him for that versatility, and to Duran for the ability to outdo the very elite of a division above his best.

 

Ray's A game was not being flat footed. Duran's was. When Ray won he moved and used the ring. Hagler, Duran. etc. And still Duran could not stop him. Had Ray fought his fight in the first fight, people would still be making excuses for Duran.

 

This is true and it is part of what makes his win in their rematch so great. Leonard changed his aproch. It would not have mattered how soon after the first bout happened Duran could not handle Leonerd when he was not standing in front of him.

 

Yet with that flat footed style he so rarely used, he managed to knockout Tommy :thumbsup

 

he had to, he was not going to win boxing Tommy. Part of beating Tommy is that Tommy got tired and Ray pored it on in round 13 and then in round 14. It wasn't as much as Angelo saying your blowing it as much as Tommy losing steam. But Ray was great and knew when he had to pore it on. No one outboxed Tommy, not even the great Virgil Hill with 10 title defenses. As for Duran, If a great elite fighter used speed against Duran he usually won. That is a fact. Not against Tommy.

 

it was a great win for Ray and it showed how with Duran you use speed and you can win. If you stand in front of him and give him his fight, he can beat anyone. Duran achilles heel was speed and elite boxers with that speed. Evidenced by Hearns, Benitez, Leonard.

 

As long as you agree that Leonard didn't even fight his fight against Hearns, but knocked him out regardless.

 

I think Hearns lost that fight in 1981 more than Ray winning it. Same as Ray lost his fight to Duran and not Duran beating Ray when Ray fought his fight in the rematch.

 

And pretty much everyone he ever knocked out, or ever beat in general save Duran and Hagler.

This is dead on...

and the evidence is right there in the footage, but I guess some people choose to ignore all of that, which is why this has to be said so many times.

 

Yeah, I dont really get it when people portray Leonard as a slickster or cutie. No doubt he had some of those moves in him, but there's a reason people compared him to sugar ray. He had the spirit of a puncher, and the brain of a boxer

 

Utter garbage...even for you MAG.