Upload: SRL vs. Dave Green - Leonard's best performance?

The quality of opponent isn't great, but then lots of people say that Ali performed best for Cleveland Williams. Leonard is virtually unhittable, sharp as a blade and produces a horrifyingly violent stoppage in the 4th. (If you're feeling impatient, Green gets "YouTubed" soon after 5:00 in the second video.)

I always felt Leonard cruised a bit against Benitez (the consensus pick), content to just stick the jab most of the time and not really showing off his more diverse offensive abilities. I also felt he still had things to learn at that stage of his career. He got hit too much against Kalule and fought out of his style. Hearns was a nasty match-up which also didn't exactly flatter him. He clowned around too much for my taste vs. Duran II.

So could this instead be Ray's finest night out?

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfeV_XxhxJU[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEbEIQ6yCm0[/ame]

 

Thank you Addie for the tips on video editing. Quality is definitely better than my other uploads. The original tape isn't amazing for this fight either, so hopefully future uploads will be better still. :good

 

I think certain performances make him look worse than he was, e.g. Kalule. Some nights I think he'd come out just wanting the stoppage, and was willing to take a few in the process. Also, when he didn't respect an opponent's power (Floyd Mayweather) he'd often just walk in without doing too much and let rip on the inside. But when he wanted to box cleverly his legs and reflexes were as good a first line of protection as any.

It's a shame really, because I don't think we ever really got to see Leonard at his best. He was so good he could get away with not giving 100% against the vast majority, but when he did run into somebody who could beat him he happened to be a stylistic oddity (Hearns). And, of course, what could have been his prime years were snatched away by eye problems. I think we'd learn a lot more about Leonard if he had run into a Napoles, or maybe a Gavilan or a Robinson. Obviously there aren't too many of them.

 

I addressed this issue in my OP, mate.

 

Hand-speed is the most over-rated attribute in the sport, IMO, both in terms of its relevance to a fighter's ability and to the reason for the outcome of a fight. Actually, if you look closely, Green's speed in singles isn't that far off Leonard's. Footwork, timing, reflexes are all more significant.

There are very few fighters in history who had an effective hand-speed advantage.