ESPN 1st Take- Sugar Ray Leonard says he would beat Money Mayweather in their primes.

[Beanflicker]

Bean you really are crazy to think that Leonard would not have beaten Mayweather. Sugar Ray was everything Floyd is but with power. He would not be denied.

You honestly think Leonard has the same kind of craft that Mayweather has? I don't even know how to respond to that.

[Dark Lord Al]

I think a prime SRL at WW , not sure Floyd is at his best at WW.
both great fighters , as for who wins , well who knows.

[Beanflicker]

Just look how much trouble Floyd SR gave Leonard with his defensive style. You all should go back and watch that fight. Watch the trouble Ray had finding a target. Watch how Floyd would duck under Leonard's feared lead right and tie him up on the inside. And while you're watching that, remember that Floyd Sr wasn't 1/10th the fighter that his son was. Sr never won a title. Floyd has won too many to count.

While you're watching, think about how much faster Jr is than Sr. Think about how much more ring generalship he has, how better his movement is, how better his punch selection is.

You watch that and come back and tell me exactly why you think SRL would outpoint Floyd Mayweather.

Do you guys expect him to do with he did to Hagler, Duran or Hearns? People say Floyd never fought anyone like Leonard... well who did Leonard fight who was like Floyd? Tommy was a great puncher with great boxing skills, but he didn't have a chin or the defensive capabilities.

[TitoFan]

SRL fought and beat Wilfredo Benitez, one of the greatest defensive wizards of all time, and an ATG in his own right.

[IamInuit]

It would look very similar to the Benitez fight.

[bigstinkybug]

*It's not enough to say "May is the best in the last 15 years"..he wants it all... truth is, he hasn't fought Paq, can he beat Paq? Let's forget SRL, how about prime Oscar de La Hoya? Prime Sweet Pea? Prime Hearns?... let's just say,he's the best today, that's enough.

[jehoshaphat]

These threads can only create arguments. There is no way to resolve the top greats from different eras. Name one all timer who will admit they would lose to another fighter. Everybody has an opinion and so did Ray Leonard's brother...who told Ray himself that Floyd is the guy he can't see him beating. So should pro-Floyd guys take that as fact? Its just an opinion. And my opinion, just one man's opinion, is that in a heads up fight Ray Leonard would win most times, something like 3 of 5, but not necessarily the first fight. Floyd adapts quickly and better. Also, the anti-Floyd guys are actually complimenting Floyd because a lot of people say Duran was too small to truly compare head to head against Ray and the bunch but Floyd became champ at 130 and basically maxes out at WW and we compare him to the all timers who basically started at WW and maxed out much higher. Fair play and compliments would compare Ray Leonard in a head to head fight with Bob Foster, Roy Jones Jr, Bernard Hopkins, Archie Moore, Ezzard Charles, Michael Spinks, etc. The all time scale is way too difficult to be giving up significant size and us pretending like its each guy's best weight.

[Jimanuel Boogustus]

I really don't know who would win but I suspect the bookies would have Leonard as the favourite.

[imp]

Ray is a legend.
Floyd is future legend.

Both dominated eras.

[Ron Swanson]

I watched Sr vs Leonard coincidentally like 2 days ago. What I took away from that.

1)Srs right arms really was hurt as he claims. There were portions of the fight he left it dangling straight down, useless. Not playing possum or trying to get out of the fight but clearly injured. There were times he had Leonard tied up with his left with his right arm free to punch or defend but still it dangled straight down. You don't do that unless there is a genuine injury.

2)Sr took a couple rounds off Leonard

3)Leonard was a bit confounded by the style causing Cosell to ask repeatedly what was wrong with Leonard

4)Sr was a very clever fighter but didn't have 1/3 Jrs ability

5)all Leonard could get through was his left hook

You'd have to favor Leonard but anyone saying they are sure either way is talking out their ass.

[brocktonblockbust]

Sugar would unravel him over about 10 or 11 rounds.

[IamInuit]

You need a jab to have any chance and beating Floyd and not just a flea flicker but a world class jab and Ray had one.
You need to be able to keep up with Floyd at the very least in the speed department and Ray was probably faster then he is.
Combination punching. Floyd has barely had a punch landed flush on him even in the fights he struggled in like Castillo 1 or Oscar. Ray would land on him and often. I dont think anyone has ever come close to landing a 2 or 3 punch combination on Floyd. Leonard would and what would the effects of that one certainty be?
Activity levels. Its one thing to keep some of the guys he's fought at bay he has fought by being tricky and working behind that shoulder, turning them with your feet and countering from some check angles and throwing a punch here and a punch there.
Quite another to be able to pull that off with a guy like Ray with his matching speed, punch output and selection along with crisp 3 and 4 punch combinations.

In most cases its Floyds opponents the end up looking like a deer in the headlights but I think the roles would be reversed in this hypothetical.

And just for ones viewing pleasure