Is Floyd Mayweather as Talented as Sugar Ray Leonard?

[kallsop]

Many months ago it was reported that Floyd “Pretty Boy” Mayweather had bragged to Sugar Ray Leonard that if the two had ever met in the squared circle during their primes Leonard would have been a sure loser.

When PBF has a string of top P4P fighters on his resume, future hall of famers, then let's talk. Until then, all he has it talk.

[ejenki]

The assumption that Ray Leonard would have easily beaten PBF is psychotic in my opinion. I took Ray Leonard 10 rounds to get rid of Floyd Sr and PBF has more skills than his dad had. PBF defense alone would have given any of the greats a though time because Floyd Sr defense was though for his foes to figure out and PBF uses it better than he did. It will be very hard to compare the two until Floyd’s career is over. Also when need to see someone push him so we can see how much he has deep down. We've seen a little in the Phillip N,Dou and Corley fights. We wont be able to decide who will win the game until we know all the cards that PBF has in his hand. We know what SRL has which adds to the belief that he would easily win.

[Super_Lightweight]

Everybody always says that Floyd looks small at welter weight, he look small at jr welterweight. That just makes him look better, a small man whooping on bigger men decisively. If Floyd goes to 154 and wins, coming from 130. That saying alot and in my opinion saying just as much as Sugar Ray going from welterweight to light heavy weight. The feat is just as great. And Floyd aint lost yet and aint never had to wear shades after a fight. If u dont like him thats fine, I didnt like Jordan, but I couldn't nor did I ever deny his skills.

Floyd has done nothing siginificant as he has moved up in weight. He didn't fight Tszyu, Hatton, or Cotto at 140. He hasn't fought a true welterweight yet. When Floyd adds Hatton, Zoo, Cotto, Margarito, or DLH to his record then we can be impressed.

[Easy-E]

Floyd has done nothing siginificant as he has moved up in weight. He didn't fight Tszyu, Hatton, or Cotto at 140. He hasn't fought a true welterweight yet. When Floyd adds Hatton, Zoo, Cotto, Margarito, or DLH to his record then we can be impressed.

2 of those 5 are true welters tho.

I agree with what your saying, however. He may be just as talented as SRL or maybe hes not. But we cant tell now with what Floyd has accomplished at Welter, which isnt much. He has a solid win and a very good win, but nothing to compare him to the ATG SRL is.

[BrooklynBomber]

Ill go with that! Just imagine Floyd fighting a prime Hearns with the speed, power, reach, combinations and agressivness! somebody out there might utter the name Corrales (in comparison slow in fighter, natural super feather) Floyd "may" have beaten Hearns. But not like Leanard did!

There could be no comparison between hearns and corrales and anybody who said this should be sterylised.
Two completely different fighter whos only common thing was that they were tall and skinny.

[Easy-E]

There could be no comparison between hearns and corrales and anybody who said this should be sterylised.
Two completely different fighter whos only common thing was that they were tall and skinny.

They can both punch.

[Easy-E]

But i digress, Chico isnt half the boxer the hitman was.

[Super_Lightweight]

2 of those 5 are true welters tho.

I agree with what your saying, however. He may be just as talented as SRL or maybe hes not. But we cant tell now with what Floyd has accomplished at Welter, which isnt much. He has a solid win and a very good win, but nothing to compare him to the ATG SRL is.

Yep, they are truel welters. The guy was saying Floyd has done something at 147. He hasn't honestly fought a solid 147 guy yet. Floyd's resume looks good at 130-135, but not at 140-147. All that can change quickly. It's up to him.

[wmute]

I am reading a lot of mayweather bashing around here.

OBVIOUSLY SRL would beat him, it is hard for me to think otherwise: srl started at 147, floyd at 130, and leonard is most likely top5 147 all time.

BUT all the talk on how leonard can do this and how mayweather cannot is mostly bullcrap, floyd at 130 stopped most of his opponents and at whichever weight class he fights he is as complete as a fighter could be.

what he does not have is some battles, because there are no duran, leonard and hagler to fight around.

on the other hand being in his 4th weight class you should compare floyd opposition with the donnie lalonde and the old duran fighting at 168 (LOL imagine what we would say if mayw's first defense of his 147 belt was against say an older version of castillo, with both weighing in under the 140 limit).

By the way if floyd beats de la hoya for his 5th belt, it will be much more impressive than Leonard beating lalonde at a ridiculous catchweight (remember lalonde was a 175er forced to weigh in at 167) like leonard did, but I have not much interest in this anyway:
What I want from floyd is cleaning 140, 147 by fighing hatton, cotto and margarito.

Also, when it is going to be time to evaluate floyd's career, he hopefully won't have pulled no bull**** in negotiation that is so typical of leonard: offering duran the 2nd fight on short notice, no rematch for hagler after making sure that everything in the 1st fight was perfect for him (large ring, 12 rounds...), the bull**** catchweight with lalonde.
All things he could do because he was the biggest draw, which floyd is not, so he might spare us with this crap (in fact he already gave a rematch for his only controversial win, unklike leonard)

BOTTOM LINE: PBF should not compared with SRL based on his accomplishments at 147

[BrooklynBomber]

They can both punch.

Pound for Pound chico is not a half a puncher Hearns was. Hearns truly had the right hand that could stop a fight at any second.
Someone might say that chico also posesses awesome ko power, but his striking technique is poor compared to speed, accuracy and timing that Hearns had.
Now, I am not going to make any predictions about PBF/Hearns fight, but comparing Corrales to Tommy Hearns makes me angry.