Who's more versatile? Whitaker or Leonard

Should be a landslide for Ray, but let's see.

 

SRL could box or brawl if need be.

 

Yep. His only mistake(besides getting old) in his career was brawling with Duran that first time. Couldn't out brawl Duran, but out boxes him easily.

 

Sweet Pea is the master of black slickness, that's what he does. SRL is the more versatile boxer though.

 

Yeah Ray is definitely more versatile.

 

You have to be versatility-incarnate to outbox Marvin Hagler and KTFO Tommy Hearns.

 

Gotta go with Leonard here. He could box flat-footed in a relaxed manner, circle, and look to catch guys with big shots and open up. He fought Duran in the last two fights and Hagler in a more fleet-footed manner. Look at the way he beat Benitez and Hearns, and then compare it to the wins over Duran and Hagler (two more versatile guys). I do think he gets a tad too much credit though when it comes to his dancing style, as opposed to say, Ray Robinson. Robinson was more effective on the backfoot than SRL

Pea was versatile too, much more aggressive and active at times than often given credit for, but I still pick Ray.

 

atsch

Still this happens?

 

Whitaker. However.......Leonard is by far more dynamic. Which translates to more success within the squared circle....at least that holds true in this comparison. Sweet was very versatile, able to do a lot more than the average boxer during his era....but Ray had a whole other gear... And his era was one of the most talent rich, ever.

 

Whitaker, as great as he was, had no idea how to finish guys he had hurt. there was one fight that went like ten rounds where he knocked the guy down multiple times in the first round and buzzed him with every shot - most of his knockouts were actually "flash" knockouts - hit them clean and precisely and they were out, it was NEVER set up - no finishing instinct, no ability to get guys out of there. Look at how desperate he was after he amazingly hurt Hurtado right before the Oscar fight -

whitaker is an amazing boxer but one of the shittest finishers who ever lived because even with all that skill, his stoppages were all unexpected and not set up. It wasnt his power - he really didn't know how to finish, unlike Marvin and Leonard, who could box off the back foot, out brawl, out box, and finish off when they needed to and had an opponent hurt.

That extremely limits my regards of Whitaker's versatility - it's not that he didn't hit hard, it's that he had no idea on earth how to go about knocking someone out.

 

:rofl:rofl:rofl

Thought Toledo Springs had bunked this a while ago..

 

Leonard.

 

While I think Whitaker is more skilled. Leonard is more versatile.