When Leonard fought Hearns in the first one, earlier in the fight, Leonard's stick and move approach didn't work so well as Tommy outboxed him from distance. But when he changed up and got in the trenches, he stopped Tommy. When Lenny fought Duran the 1st time, he fought in the trenches and was beaten by the smaller man. But in the rematch, Leonard's stick and move approach worked well as he outboxed the former lightweight champ from distance. I absolutely cannot stand Leonard (and never could even in the Olympics), but he was fantastic, and some of his greatest strengths were his boxing IQ and ability to adjust.
This was also evident in the Leonard - Hagler bout, as Leonard had studied the Duran performance dozens of times, and replicated some of it on this performance.
Thank you for not liking the man but appreciating his ability. Unlike a lot of the posters on this and other sites were the personal dislike of the man, puts blinders on them and they refuse to give credit for his ability. Leonard was the best in an excellent era in boxing. Look at each weight division during his prime . Their was an ATG at all the weight limits or at least a bunch of very, very, goods..... From bantamweight to Middle we had some of the greatest fighters in history. Legendary fighters who didn't shy away from the best competition. Leonard in a relatively short career fought 4 ATG's at or close to their primes. ( Unlike Mayweather Jr. Who 's best competition seemed to be well beyond their primes or they're natural weight class) he defeated the best competition, the ATG fighters he beat would've won championships in any era, and absolutely dominant today's fighters. Leonard, for all his personality and arrogance issues was one of the greatest fighters to ever lace em' on. Its unfortunate so many can't see his accomplishments and ability and separate that from his personality issues, which honestly some of it rubbed me the wrong the way he handled certain situations. Especially that big show with Hagler in 1981 or 82. And I like the man personally. Leonard for all his lifestyles and personality issues was a ATG fighter, that can't be disputed if one is honest with self.
Yes, he was a smart fighter. I think he did try to adjust a bit in the first Duran fight, as well, but Roberto was insanely motivated and focused on that day and Leonard was made to trade more than he desired.
