elmersalsa wrote: ↑18 May 2022, 13:23 Yesterday was Sugar Ray's birthday. Happy 66th, Sugar Ray!

Happy Birthday To the Balletic Bomber! That was what a boxing writer called Leonard many years ago, I adopted it as a username here.—Mark

tiny_acres wrote: ↑18 May 2022, 21:01

elmersalsa wrote: ↑18 May 2022, 13:23 Yesterday was Sugar Ray's birthday. Happy 66th, Sugar Ray!

Damn it seems like yesterday that he won his first belt
Seeing your heroes age makes you feel old

Yes indeed!

goose 5 wrote: ↑15 May 2022, 20:04 To me, on paper, Ali is the best of the 70's but on video it's Duran.

Goose 5, how right you are. Sorry, Ambling.

These were the heavyweight rankings per the Police Gazette on 14th December 1889. I believe this is one of the earliest published rankings, before the Ring started doing annual rankings in 1925. "The following Is the standing of the twenty prominent heavy-weight pugilists now in the swim for t...

I would agree with your decade by decade ranking except I would say Robinson in the 40s and Roy Jones in the 90s.

:bow: Well said, my brother! Thanks you, my friend! In the 1970s, Duran was hands down the greatest fighter of the decade. Yes, indeed! The best fighter of each decade in my view: 1880s: Peter Jackson 1890s: Bob Fitzsimmons 1900s: Sam Langford 1910s: Jimmy Wilde 1920s: Harry Greb 1930s: Henry Armst...

elmer is passionate. If he likes a guy, he will do that. If he doesn't, then no. Yes I am less impressed. Great fighter. Just not as great as elmer says. Does anyone really impressed about beating Ray Lampkin? Hector Thompson? Take a look at some of the guys Duran was fighting when he padded his re...

elmer is passionate. If he likes a guy, he will do that. If he doesn't, then no. Yes I am less impressed. Great fighter. Just not as great as elmer says. Does anyone really impressed about beating Ray Lampkin? Hector Thompson? Take a look at some of the guys Duran was fighting when he padded his re...

tiny_acres, I suppose I am as passionate about Leonard as elmersalsa is about Duran. You may have seen how elmer came out swinging on the ”best of the 70s” and “Duran: The best I Faced” threads when he felt someone diminished Duran. You posed a good question about longevity. But there can be excepti...

Has there been another fighter in history with only 12 fights in a decade that would of been the fighter of the decade? Had there been multimillion dollar non-heavyweight mega fights before Leonard came along? Leonard was boxing’s biggest box office draw and television attraction. He defeated Hagle...

Ken Buchanan was a fantastic boxer. A great Lightweight. I don't understand the sentiment of some people in here in this forum that he was not a special fighter. It takes a special fighter to win the Scottish, British Empire, European and World Lightweight championships. Elmersalsa, you’re a fireba...

Leonards record in the 80's was 10-1-1 with impressive wins over Duran in the rematch, a come from behind win against Hearns and a close call with Hagler. But he had a loss to Duran and a draw with Tommy. Mostly on again off again career in the 80's. 4 of those wins were against so so competition i...

Nope. But, Sugar Ray beat a fading Marvelous Marvin Hagler to prove who was the decade's best. The 80s was the beginning of the big fights in PPV and close circuit telecasts. I have him top 20, though. At #18... Sugar Ray Leonard should be in everyone’s top 20. I have him in the top 10 at no. 8.

Nope. But, Sugar Ray beat a fading Marvelous Marvin Hagler to prove who was the decade's best. The 80s was the beginning of the big fights in PPV and close circuit telecasts. That's why I don't regard Leonard a top 10 ATG pound per pound fighter because of big inactivity rate. He only had 40 fights...

Also, Sugar Ray Leonard was named Fighter of the Decade by The Ring magazine and KO magazine.

goose 5 wrote: ↑13 May 2022, 19:17 You guys are raising great points and counter points- fantastic thread !

Amen to that. If elmersalsa feels that someone is slighting Roberto Duran he comes out swinging. Ambling Alp is a bit less impressed by Roberto.—Mark

Leonards record in the 80's was 10-1-1 with impressive wins over Duran in the rematch, a come from behind win against Hearns and a close call with Hagler. But he had a loss to Duran and a draw with Tommy. Mostly on again off again career in the 80's. 4 of those wins were against so so competition i...

Good to see Ken B getting his props from a great fighter :salut: Ken Buchanan was a fantastic boxer. A great Lightweight. I don't understand the sentiment of some people in here in this forum that he was not a special fighter. It takes a special fighter to win the Scottish, British Empire, European...

Best of this decade- 1. Leonard 2. Hagler 3. Whitaker 4. Chavez 5. Holmes 6. M Spinks 7. Hearns 8. Pryor 9. Holyfield 10. Tyson 11. Arguello 12. Gomez 13. Qawi 14. A Nelson 15. McCallum My top 10 of the 1980s decade: 1. Sugar Ray Leonard 2. Marvelous Marvin Hagler 3. Salvador Sanchez 4. Julio Cesar...

Roberto Duran in 70s decade had more wins than Muhammad Ali and Carlos Monzon wins combined. What a fighter! A true all-time great indeed. Had he retired in 1979, he would have still be considered by boxing experts as the greatest Lightweight ever and a hall of Famer. And he probably would have bee...

That's a pretty good list. :TU: Thanks, Ambling! Let’s see yours. It is similar. Sanchez would probably have been higher had he lived longer. The Decade thing is always tricky. Guys who were at their best at end of one decade and the early part of the next always get the shaft. .ie. Wilfred Benitez...

Ezzard wrote: ↑10 May 2022, 13:06 Sanchez, Pedroza and Fenech could be on that list too.

Ezzard, I can’t believe I left Sanchez off. One of my favorite fighters. I would put him right after Larry Holmes.

Ambling Alp II wrote: ↑10 May 2022, 16:19

The Balletic Bomber wrote: ↑06 May 2022, 12:54 Best of this decade-

1. Leonard
2. Hagler
3. Whitaker
4. Chavez
5. Holmes
6. M Spinks
7. Hearns
8. Pryor
9. Holyfield
10. Tyson
11. Arguello
12. Gomez
13. Qawi
14. A Nelson
15. McCallum

That's a pretty good list.

Thanks, Ambling! Let’s see yours.

Ambling Alp II wrote: ↑11 May 2022, 11:04 He did beat Buchanan, and DeJesus two out of three. How impressive.

Ambling, he dominated the lightweight division and was the decade’s best all around fighter. How would you rank the decade’s ten best fighters?

Well, let's go at it off top of my head: 1. Henry Armstrong 2. Sugar Ray Robinson 3. Sam Langford 4. Roberto Duran 5. Muhammad Ali 6. Harry Greb 7. Ezzard Charles 8. Floyd Mayweather, Jr. 9. Joe Louis 10. Joe Gans 11. Benny Leonard 12. Willie Pep 13. Archie Moore 14. Tony Canzoneri 15. Jack Johnson...