Top This Resume... Duran, Haggler, Hearns, Benitez

if post prime leonard can beat post prime hagler (and he DID win), would that not make leonard favourite in his prime?

 

one of my favorite fighters and a very impressive resume but he should have fought pryor. not saying he ducked him but just to shut up the people who think leonard was scared.

 

Beat Duran in the rematch, though. And at the very least, made the fight with Hagler closer than anyone had a right to expect, given the time he spent away from the ring.

 

Dont u get it?? SRL waited till Hagler gets old!!

 

Hagler was still good enough to defeat a very legitimate John Mugabi in his previous fight. And he was still good enough in that fight to have defeated virtually every other fighter that's currently fighting at the weight- in some cases, without breaking much of a sweat.

But SRL still managed to hang with him, and make it close on virtually everyone's card, even if they had Hagler in front.

Just to establish context, I was one of the people who had Hagler ahead, but Leonard fought a damned good fight against a fighter who was still damned good in his own right that night.

 

I'm not sure that you can top Ray Leonard's resume. At least in terms of quality over quantity.
1. Wilfred Benitez 38-0-1. Bentiez is every bit as tlanted/skilled as Leonard. He had more experance than Leonard fighting at World championship level for over 3 years. Having beaten Antonio Cervantes and Carlos Palomino. This was Leonard's 25-0 first world championship fight.

2. Roberto Duran 72-1. Keep in mind that 5 months before Leonard lost to Duran. In the rematch he made the adjustments he needed to make and too Duran's hart and made Duran quit. This is where someone pops in with Duran did not have enough time to train. First of all who's fault is it that he got out of shape? Or he was not a natural welterweight. If he is walking around well above 147. He is probbly more of a natural welterweight than a lightweight 135. Duran's natural weight is likely in the Light Middleweight - Middleweight range, but that is not the topic. Lastly 5 months is not a short time between championship fights.
3. Thomas Hearns. 32-0. Hearns not only has a size advantage but is every bit as talanted/skilled as Leonard. The Hearns fight is a lot like the Bentiez fight where Leonard's oppoent has all the tools to beat him, but Leonard beats them. In both cases by late round stoppages.
4. Marvin Hagler 62-2-2. No Hagler was not in his prime but he was also far from being shot. Would Leonard have beaten a prime Hagler? Maybe maybe not. It would not have been the first time that he pulled off a win that he might not have susposed to have. (see Bentiez and Hearns).
It was a close fight not a robbery.

Other boxers have more fights. Other boxers have more big names but not always wins than Leonard did.
In terms of quality over quantity Leonard has a resume that is hard to beat.