Someone explain why Ray Leonard is ranked so highly?

Precisely ! Benitez looked awesome taking the 154 lb title from Maurice Hope. And Maurice was no mug,himself.

 

He was a great fighter for sure but like a lot of fighters his fanboys go well OTT in praising him.

The fact that Hearns never fought at Welter again should tell anyone ( other than Leonard fanboys ) that Tommy was suffering making the weight, and it was him gassing due to dehydration that allowed Leonard to get that win. The rematch was a disgrace, with blatant cheating on the part of judges Kaczmarek and Shirley, end of.

Duran was a 72 fight veteran, the overwhelming majority of which were fought at Lightweight, when he outfought the natural Welter Leonard. The way in which he manipulated the rematch clause is irrelevant, he'd lost to the older, smaller guy.

I agree with the above poster who says it is frankly absurd to describe Hagler as the best Middleweight ever, ( though again it suits Leonard fanboys agendas ) but Leonard carefully watched Hagler's decline before sharing the ring with him, plus there are those who firmly believe he still lost but was gifted the decision. Personally I don't give a **** one way or the other.

Then there is the Lalonde fiasco. He demands Lalonde comes in at 169, but wants his 175 title which he had no intention of EVER defending. That says more about his ego than his courage.

Finally this guy had 40 fights over a 20 year period, and even his most ridiculous fanboys can't claim he had been through wars, so there is no excuse for the way he was humiliated and beaten by both Norris and Camacho.

Great fighter, yes, but top 10 fighters ever?

Don't be silly.

 

you mean the kind of brawler that had your exclusive three time champ Benitez crapping in his pants for 12 rounds straight?

your definition of "limited" is misdirected and went out with the 1980s

to witness a limited opponent, look no further than (and I can name them) Kevin Howard, Bruce Finch, Don Lalonde, and Dave Green who enjoys taking naps in title fights

limited is when you've routed Duran in a rubber match but dont know what to do when pitted against the speed N prowess of a Norris or Camacho, and end up getting your butt whipped

here's what a limited record looks like --> 36-3-1

 

"coke addicted and one eyed"

two more myths that his fans like to spread around

but to no effect

 

Great post! :good

 

Great/Really?

On how he mentiones that Hearns was weight drained for the first time but fails to mention the same thing about Leonard with Norris?

 

He beatan old washed up haggler who then anyone with a hint of skill would have done

During his prime he was really good though

Hearns has a china chin, but he did need to get to it, which he did
Made Duran quit

Skill wise he was as good as anyone I've seen

 

"leonard was weight drained in the Norris fight"

ANOTHER MYTH

Leonard challenged Norris for Norris' title. Did he not KNOW the weight limit two months ahead of time??? How then could he be weight drained?

Duran was weight drained being rushed into his rematch with leonard, taking off 40 + pounds. so says Randy Gordon, a contributing editor to RIng Magazine.

I dont recall Leonard ever having problems shedding weight for Norris. sore losers and their excuses :!:

 

What does it matter if he knew the weight limit 2 months in advance?So did Dawson vs Ward.

That doesn't mean he made it in a healthy matter.

 

He may not be the greatest but he is certainly near the top. 12 successful defenses not to mention quality wins as a contender pre title.

 

Yeah but haggler really isn't such a great middle weight

He had a huge advantage against the other three of the Fab Four

Against real guys like roy jones, toney or hopkins haggler would have lost every time

 

Ok. You think he had a "huge" size advantage over the 6-1 Hearns? Who went on to win the Light Heavy Title?

Who did Hagler not fight that he should`ve fought during his Middleweight reign? Jones may be able to beat Hagler but it`s no guarantee. Neither Hopkins or Toney could have.

 

I agree Red!!..no effect!..Most people dont even realize he had a drug and alcohol problem..but all the haters sure know about it!:good

 

Sometimes "wow" just doesn't say it.

 

I know. That one got a facepalm from me too.