Watch that Hearns fight again. Leonard was on his bike the first part of that fight. However, Hearns was still outboxing him and racking up points. Leonard only started standing his ground after he realized he couldn't win by running.
Well it was his hurting Hearns in the 6th that changed the course of the fight more than anything.It was a sound tactic though;draw Hearns early sting with movement and come on strong later,with loads of bodyshots thrown in.
Not too far off, De la Hoya and Leonard are and were the most popular fighters of their generation; as well as the fact both were gold medal winners. It's true Leonard has the better resumme, but De la Hoya had alot of tough breaks (i.e Mosely 2, Trinidad, and even against Mayweather).
Well the main differences are that Leonard won his biggest fights, while DLH lost his. There are plenty of comparisions to be made though.
Yes, the comparisons actually started in the nineties because of the similarities in beginnings. I hold Leonard higher, of course, but Leonard had just as many haters in his day as DLH today. That showboating style of his had many people that wanted to see him loose. Looking back now we can see that Leonard did run a lot but his best defence was a lightning fast offence. When he got hurt he became very dangerous and summoned not only a second wind but a third and fourth, often showing his lighning speed when his legs were shot and he looked phsyically exhausted. Leonard was the original "golden boy." Spectaculor to watch. :bowdown