BoxRec

Happy birthday to probably my favourite boxer of all time.

62 years old.

C*nt looks about 40. fornicating hate him

Young Devin Haney reminds me of SRL. Check him out. Guy looked like the next #1 p4p in his last fight.

That footage doesn't impress me that much mate tbh but that's all I've seen of him

Counter-puncher wrote: ↑18 May 2018, 04:39 That footage doesn't impress me that much mate tbh but that's all I've seen of him

He looks real good. 19 years old. Went over to Mexico to turn pro at 16 and had some fights over in Tijuana. Not many would do that. Trains in Vegas now with the Mayweather gym. I've been impressed with him in his fights. Time will tell how good he turns out.

Yay Sugar Ray
One of my all time faves.
He looks great for his age. I like his voice too, soothing.

He's a legend no doubt about it,We can disagree on the decision of the Hagler fight,however,he still came back after all those years being inactive and won a decision and that alone is enough reason to say he's right up there at the top of all time greats

TheLeprechaun wrote: ↑18 May 2018, 04:34 Young Devin Haney reminds me of SRL. Check him out. Guy looked like the next #1 p4p in his last fight.

He looks like he's mimicking SRL but he's a lot slower, SRL was an absolute whirlwind once he got going.

Taansend wrote: ↑17 May 2018, 18:25 Happy birthday to probably my favourite boxer of all time.

62 years old.

C*nt looks about 40. effing hate him

fornicating Tuuuuuune!

Leonard was cold as ice. 77-87 he was pure dynamite, every single fight an absolute joy to watch. God I wish we could erase from reality those fights from Donny Lalonde onwards. Needless and degrading.

His book was surprisingly good. Brutally honest and revealing. I assumed it would be the generic self-serving sporting memoir but it was something totally different.

Tuan_Jim wrote: ↑18 May 2018, 11:02 Leonard was cold as ice. 77-87 he was pure dynamite, every single fight an absolute joy to watch. God I wish we could erase from reality those fights from Donny Lalonde onwards. Needless and degrading.

His book was surprisingly good. Brutally honest and revealing. I assumed it would be the generic self-serving sporting memoir but it was something totally different.

I remember Reg Gutteridge commenting about Leonard's looks,he said something like ' getting hit by Leonard would be like getting mugged by Bambi'.some fighters are intimidating just to stand next to,Leonard was the total opposite,but he had a right spiteful streak about him,like all great champs.

bigjack wrote: ↑18 May 2018, 11:08

Tuan_Jim wrote: ↑18 May 2018, 11:02 Leonard was cold as ice. 77-87 he was pure dynamite, every single fight an absolute joy to watch. God I wish we could erase from reality those fights from Donny Lalonde onwards. Needless and degrading.

His book was surprisingly good. Brutally honest and revealing. I assumed it would be the generic self-serving sporting memoir but it was something totally different.

I remember Reg Gutteridge commenting about Leonard's looks,he said something like ' getting hit by Leonard would be like getting mugged by Bambi'.some fighters are intimidating just to stand next to,Leonard was the total opposite,but he had a right spiteful streak about him,like all great champs.

That is a great line by Reg!

I always think of Leonard when I see fighters crossing themselves or praying in the corner before the first bell--any time SRL saw an opponent do that he felt they had betrayed their fear and self-doubt, and would jump on them accordingly. A mean terrible man in the ring, for reasons explained in his book!

Leonard was the closest you will get to perfection in a boxer, he had it all, Olympic champion as an Amateur and a world champion in 5 weight divisions. Out of the fabulous four that including himself, Hagler, Duran and Hearns, he was the only one to beat the other 3, Leonard had speed, power, accuracy, was defensively brilliant, great chin, tough, fast feet, head movement and top notch skills, the best ever. Leonard had 3 years out of the ring with a detached retina, before going up in weight and beating the monster of a man in Hagler.

Anzi wrote: ↑18 May 2018, 12:16 Leonard was the closest you will get to perfection in a boxer, he had it all, Olympic champion as an Amateur and a world champion in 5 weight divisions. Out of the fabulous four that including himself, Hagler, Duran and Hearns, he was the only one to beat the other 3, Leonard had speed, power, accuracy, was defensively brilliant, great chin, tough, fast feet, head movement and top notch skills, the best ever. Leonard had 3 years out of the ring with a detached retina, before going up in weight and beating the monster of a man in Hagler.

Absolutely agree with all this,look at some of the greats he took on and he doesn't have a mark on him.

TheLeprechaun wrote: ↑18 May 2018, 04:34 Young Devin Haney reminds me of SRL. Check him out. Guy looked like the next #1 p4p in his last fight.

Cheers.

bigjack wrote: ↑18 May 2018, 05:11 He's a legend no doubt about it,We can disagree on the decision of the Hagler fight,however,he still came back after all those years being inactive and won a decision and that alone is enough reason to say he's right up there at the top of all time greats

Watched that fight probably 100 times & just think it's a close fight that could have gone either way. Loved Hagler but he picked the wrong tactics. It was still either way but he could have made it easier.

Taansend wrote: ↑18 May 2018, 12:41

bigjack wrote: ↑18 May 2018, 05:11 He's a legend no doubt about it,We can disagree on the decision of the Hagler fight,however,he still came back after all those years being inactive and won a decision and that alone is enough reason to say he's right up there at the top of all time greats

Watched that fight probably 100 times & just think it's a close fight that could have gone either way. Loved Hagler but he picked the wrong tactics. It was still either way but he could have made it easier.

Me too,whatever possessed him to fight orthodox at the start i'll never know.

bigjack wrote: ↑18 May 2018, 12:55

Taansend wrote: ↑18 May 2018, 12:41

bigjack wrote: ↑18 May 2018, 05:11 He's a legend no doubt about it,We can disagree on the decision of the Hagler fight,however,he still came back after all those years being inactive and won a decision and that alone is enough reason to say he's right up there at the top of all time greats

Watched that fight probably 100 times & just think it's a close fight that could have gone either way. Loved Hagler but he picked the wrong tactics. It was still either way but he could have made it easier.

Me too,whatever possessed him to fight orthodox at the start i'll never know.

I think he thought he could stop Leonard whenever he wanted (Ray had had only ONE fight in five years & got decked ) but Marvin wanted to prove that he could outbox Ray. He spent too many rounds fighting without real intensity.

I was always more of a Duran fan than a Leonard one but the first Leonard-Hearns fight in 1981 is truly unbelievable. People were fainting at ringside.

bigjack wrote: ↑18 May 2018, 05:11 He's a legend no doubt about it,We can disagree on the decision of the Hagler fight,however,he still came back after all those years being inactive and won a decision and that alone is enough reason to say he's right up there at the top of all time greats

There's no question Ray is an all time great. I was a huge fan and thought at the time he beat Hagler. But I have watched the fight a few time since and now think Hagler probably edged it. It makes no difference to his legacy either way though.

bigjack wrote: ↑18 May 2018, 12:55

Taansend wrote: ↑18 May 2018, 12:41

bigjack wrote: ↑18 May 2018, 05:11 He's a legend no doubt about it,We can disagree on the decision of the Hagler fight,however,he still came back after all those years being inactive and won a decision and that alone is enough reason to say he's right up there at the top of all time greats

Watched that fight probably 100 times & just think it's a close fight that could have gone either way. Loved Hagler but he picked the wrong tactics. It was still either way but he could have made it easier.

Me too,whatever possessed him to fight orthodox at the start i'll never know.

Can only guess Hagler wanted to surprise Ray with something he might not have been expecting. But if anything those early rounds may have made the difference between him winning and losing.

Like a Boss wrote: ↑19 May 2018, 05:56

bigjack wrote: ↑18 May 2018, 12:55

Taansend wrote: ↑18 May 2018, 12:41

Watched that fight probably 100 times & just think it's a close fight that could have gone either way. Loved Hagler but he picked the wrong tactics. It was still either way but he could have made it easier.

Me too,whatever possessed him to fight orthodox at the start i'll never know.

Can only guess Hagler wanted to surprise Ray with something he might not have been expecting. But if anything those early rounds may have made the difference between him winning and losing.

They did make the difference,the early rounds were most likely going to be Leonards with Hagler coming on strong like he always did but he blew it,and that stupid dance at the end ,he deserved to lose purely for that

As previously mentioned the SRL book is one of the best out there.
Really honest book. Warts and all.

bigjack wrote: ↑18 May 2018, 11:08

Tuan_Jim wrote: ↑18 May 2018, 11:02 Leonard was cold as ice. 77-87 he was pure dynamite, every single fight an absolute joy to watch. God I wish we could erase from reality those fights from Donny Lalonde onwards. Needless and degrading.

His book was surprisingly good. Brutally honest and revealing. I assumed it would be the generic self-serving sporting memoir but it was something totally different.

I remember Reg Gutteridge commenting about Leonard's looks,he said something like ' getting hit by Leonard would be like getting mugged by Bambi'.some fighters are intimidating just to stand next to,Leonard was the total opposite,but he had a right spiteful streak about him,like all great champs.

I believe the line was actually when he lost to Terry Norris and when SRL was on the ropes getting battered, he said it was like watching Bambi get mugged. I am 100% certain it was used then, in that way, but possibly it was also uttered as you said and I missed it.

It is just one of those lines I always remember like I know Ian Darke was in the middle of saying "Douglas would be pretty well advised to stick behind that jab......" as he landed the uppercut which separated Tyson from his senses. Like I remember Harry saying "What a monster this man Tyson is.....Bruno's face already heavily marked.....but fighting back and HE HURT TYSON AND TYSON KNOWS IT and is going for it! COME ON FRANK! GET IN THERE!

The Bambi one is just one I recall so clearly

TheLeprechaun wrote: ↑18 May 2018, 04:34 Young Devin Haney reminds me of SRL. Check him out. Guy looked like the next #1 p4p in his last fight.

Great video. SRL was out of this world.