Sugar Ray Leonard Vs Floyd Mayweather, JR – Who Wins & Who Was the More Accomplished Welterweight?
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Floyd “Money” Mayweather JR., 49-0, 26 KO’s and Sugar Ray Leonard, 36-3-1, 25 KO’s are unarguably two of the best fighters ever. Both men won world titles in five different weight classes. Mayweather, JR. claimed his first world title on October 3, 1998 when he stopped then-defending champion WBC Junior Lightweight Genaro Hernandez in the 8th round, whereas Sugar Ray won his first world championship by dethroning then-defending WBC Welterweight king Wilfredo Benitez. Mayweather, JR. would ascend and claim more world titles at lightweight, super lightweight, welterweight and the super welterweight divisions. Leonard would also move up move up in weight classes and have success as well, claiming world titles in the super welterweight, middleweight, super middleweight and light heavyweight classes. However, which of these all-time greats ranks higher at welterweight?
“Money” Mayweather, JR. would defeat Shamba Mitchell to make his triumphant debut win at the welterweight division An undefeated Floyd “Money” Mayweather, JR. would defeat Zab Judah in his thirty-sixth professional fight to win the IBF Welterweight championship and would proceed to unify the championship by dethroning the WBC/Ring Welterweight champion Carlos Baldomir in his next fight. He would go on to win all thirteen of his bouts, including twelve victories in world championship contests. (Wins over Marquez and Mosley were not for any organization’s title.) Eliminating from the equation. Mayweather, JR.’s victories over Cotto and Alvarez, which occurred at the super welterweight division, twelve of his opponents were world champions at some point of their careers.
Sugar Ray Leonard began his career as welterweight and went on to unify the world titles by his thirty-second professional bout. SRL defeated Benitez in his twenty-sixth fight, but would lose two fights later to former lightweight champion Roberto Duran in his second title defense. SRL would regain his belt in the rematch and would defeat Tommy “Hitman” Hearns a year later to unify the WBA/WBC Welterweight titles. Leonard would win 32 of his thirty-three contests within the division, with seven of those victories coming in world championship bouts. In contrast, SRL only faced three then- world champions when fighting for the title.
Some observers would argue that Duran is one of the greatest fighters ever, as well as Hearns. True, Duran is a boxing legend, who claimed world titles at four different weight classes. However, Pacquiao has claimed world titles at eight different weight classes, a historically feat accomplished by no one else.
Floyd would rack up victories over future and current hall-of-famers Oscar De La Hoya, Sugar Shane Mosley, Juan Manuel Marquez, and (rival) Manny Pacquiao in his four biggest fights at welterweight. SRL would defeat current hall-of-famers Roberto Duran, Thomas Hearns and Wilfred Benitez while reigning supreme at welterweight. The argument can be made that Pacquiao and Duran are ranked fairly- high on anyone’s all-time greatest boxer list, making them very comparable. Furthermore, both De La Hoya and Mosley are very comparable to Hearns and Benitez as far as ranking them historically.
What is lacking in evaluating these all-time greats at the welterweight level though is the list of top contenders that Leonard faced when rising through the rankings. SRL’s list of formable opponents included Andy Price, Pete Ranzany, Tony Chiaverini, Marcos Geraldo, Daniel Gonzalez, Randy Shields, and Floyd Mayweather, SR. Mayweather’s opponents benefitted from the fractured titles of today; however, many of them had the potential of claiming a world title, even if there were only two (instead of four) world organizations.
Sugar Ray Leonard would have defeated Floyd Mayweather, JR. at welterweight, but it would not have been easy. Leonard’s left hooks would have been the difference at the end of the day; however, Mayweather JR.’s defensive skills and counterpunching abilities would have kept him in the contest.
The argument is not who would win between these two boxing icons, but who was the more accomplished welterweight king during their respective reigns. The advantage goes to Mayweather, JR., who defeated more former world champions and went undefeated during his stay at welterweight.
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