Sugar Ray's most impressive win

Hearns of '81 was SRL at his best........ Runner up: Hagler in '87...

 

Davey Green, or Andy Price.

 

Of course, it's gotta' be Kalule :deal

 

It's McCallum's best win too!

 

Hearns 1. And I find this fight immensely entertaining. If you watch the fight from the perspective of Leonard, it becomes fascinating. What do you do against an opponent with such reach, such speed, and such a lethal weapon in his right hand?

Let's circle. He's entirely too large for a welterweight, let's move and turn him until we can catch him from a blind-spot or a patch of bad positioning.

But his movement is too good. Small steps, center ring, feinting all the time. That damn feinting makes it hard to time his jab with a counter too.

There are no gaps, no holes. Just a juggernaut of offense closing in on you, and not like an infighter, but from range. Long, sudden, explosive pressure. Like balancing on a tightrope -- overcommit on anything -- lash out -- and that right cracks your skull.

Hearns boxes very well and nullifies everything Leonard tries. Well, most everything. I think Leonard was one of the only welterweights that could have beaten Tommy that night.

You need great legs, an iron chin, patience, split-second timing, power and grit. Lot's of grit. And to those who say the adversity in this fight was overblown, while it was no Gatti-Ward style brutality, you try boxing a confident Tommy Hearns with one eye nearly swollen shut and coming out on top.

Herculean victory.

 

Ray had 3 wins which could be in this category. Duran 2, Hearns 1 or Hagler. I pick Hearns 1 just because that was closest to his peak. Duran 2 was when he fought his fight and won easily. Hagler, he knew Marvin was rusty and wearing out from the Hearns and Mugabi fights,but he still fought a great fight and he studied Marvin well.

 

Hearns I
Hagler
Benitez
Duran II
Kalule

 

First one to pop into my mind is Wilfred Benitez. Who was a more talented/skilled boxer than Leonard was.

 

A voice in my head just said Benitez.

 

Gotta agree with the consensus...for the reason of the level of comp. But his wins over Davey Boy Green, Andy Price, Pete Ranzany, and Tony Chiverini(sp?) were awesome...

 

Ray`s victory over Hearns.

That was a great performance. He showed not just skills and talent but great desire and courage. It doesnt get much better than that.

I borderline hated Ray Leonard during his fighting career but I cant find anything but admiration for that effort.

 

Hearns one/end thread....showed he was more than flash showed substance against the biggest puncher ever at 147 and was the aggressor late and knocked him out...Maybe the most significant fight of his career...the Hagler win is overrated...we all know that wasnt the Hagler of the late 70's-til aroundd 1982

 

:nono Jackson :deal

 

I agree with everybody saying the Benitez fight.

I'm a HUGEEEEEE Benitez fan, but El Radar was just never really in that fight. Ray was just too fast, and too strong for him.

All the Floyd groupies should watch Leonard-Benitez, and know why their hero would have had no shot in Hell at beating Leonard.

 

Pretty much. One of the greatest wins in history, period.