Is Floyd Mayweather as Talented as Sugar Ray Leonard?

[BIGPOPPAPUMP]

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. Trash talking Floyd must have imbibed way too much of some stimulating elixir to have reached such heights of delusional madness. Had the two ever engaged in ring combat during their respective primes, it is likely that Leonard would have beaten Mayweather silly and knocked him out in the process.

There are a few categories of pugilistic merit that a prime Leonard and today’s Mayweather share. For example, Leonard was as fundamentally sound in the science of boxing as Mayweather, more or less. Sugar Ray was arguably as fast of hand and foot as Floyd, but it is at this point where the skills and experience of the two can be distinguished much more clearly, and Sugar Ray appears to have all of the advantages.

Leonard was the harder puncher of the two and by more than a fair margin. The evidence is in the number of higher quality boxers the great Leonard stopped during his legendary career, especially when compared to the more modest accomplishments of the trash talking—and carefully managed—Mayweather. [details]

[Violent Demise]

Mayweather is right. He would of kicked Leonard's overrated ass.

[.::EnRiQuE::.]

dat article was a good read....had sum interesting points

[Soda_Popinski]

to be honest, i think its impossible to say. It is similar to the argument that an in his prime Tyson beat nobody, well he beat who was there, but there is no way to say he wouldnt have cleaned house in the time of Ali either. I don't think you can penalize a fighter for facing "lesser" opponents when that is who there is to face.

My other feeling is this, and i may catch heat for this, but to me it is easy to let the legends of past fighters get blown up by stories of old about how they dominated everyone, and the battles they won in the ring, and their heart, and toughness was so much better than today's fighters. I know sugar ray wasnt too long ago, but it is still so hard to compare objectively. It is similar to other sports, as a baseball fan I am one who feels that Babe Ruth, as great as he was, would not have built the stats he has, had he played in today's game.


Soda

[BLOODSHED]

Good article. I'd favor SRL too.

[Super_Lightweight]

Floyd is too small, too weak for the bigger and equally fast and accurate Sugar Ray Leonard. Several of the guys SRL KO'd would probably beat Floyd.

Too early in Floyd's career to say he'd beat one of the greatest welterweights ever.

[ferocity]

i havn't read the article yet, but he ain't beating wilfredo benitez how is he going to beat either sugars?

floyd has competition, fact is he doesn't want to test himself, he seems to have the roy jones jr. syndrome, gots the talent, everybody thinking he can beat x and o fighter but never climbing into the ring with x or o fighter to prove his supporters right.

[Soda_Popinski]

i havn't read the article yet, but he ain't beating wilfredo benitez how is he going to beat either sugars?

floyd has competition, fact is he doesn't want to test himself, he seems to have the roy jones jr. syndrome, gots the talent, everybody thinking he can beat x and o fighter but never climbing into the ring with x or o fighter to prove his supporters right.

who are these talented "x or o" fighters that Floyd is not getting in the ring with??


Soda

[The Noose]

Basically, the article says "Ray would of kicked Floyds ass".

It doesnt say anything we didnt know already. Leonard fought great fighters, and beat them. He knocked out Hearns, Benitez, made Duran quit, and ended Hagler's career. It doesnt get much better than that.

He did everything Floyd does, but hit harder, box as smoothy as anyone. He fought for 15 non-stop rounds with Duran at his best, and out boxed an incredible boxer in Benitez. Neither Hearns nor Hagler could stop him.

He was not overrated.

[ferocity]

who are these talented "x or o" fighters that Floyd is not getting in the ring with??


Soda

of course, Margarito, Hatton, Casamayor, then you got all these new bunch of welterweight contenders.

Floyd has a bunch of fights to prove his worth.

the first three fighters are fighters maywather should have already fought

and i just read the article and i totally aggree with the article, leonard would have KO'D mayweather, i think leonard had faster hands then floyd.

and the writer should have adde genero hernandez to the list of mayweathers top fighters he beaten, without hernandez, it would have taken another fighter to prove mayweathers worther at the time.