Comparing Legend’s Fight Career: Floyd Mayweather vs. Ray Leonard

Ray Leonard and Floyd Mayweather Jr. have excellent records in their amateur boxing before stepping up to the professional level. Amateur-wise, Leonard had 145 fights and lost only five of the fights, of which 75 of the wins came through knockouts, a feat he completed before competing in the 1976 Montreal Olympics, where he won the Gold Medal. The fight is, however, luckily placed next to the Gold Medal match, who was narrowly beaten in the semi-finals of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta after a very contentious fight against Serafim Todorov. At the beginning of his boxing career, he was virtually unbeaten in 84 fights, nine of which were defeats.

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Leonard’s Rise to Stardom

Ray Leonard went professional with the record zero to his name and instantly rose to the basics of the boxing scene. In his youth, he defeated Pete Ranzany to win the NABF title and, many years later, dethroned an undefeated WBC World title holder, Wilfred Benitez. The first huge test in Leonard’s career was against Roberto Duran, known as ‘Hands of Stone.’ Despite the 15-round fight, Duran won the match by a split decision, and it could have been a very close one if Leonard had been a little bit more aggressive.

Five months later, Leonard got a shot at Duran, and in what many have described as the comeback of the year, he and Duran clashed. Electrifying times, Duran could not go on after the eighth and thus gifted Leonard a big win. The Career of Leonard progressed and he beat Ayub Kalule and Thomas Hearns famously known as ‘Hit Man’, for the later match being awarded ‘Fight of the Year’ by Ring Magazine. In his next fight, Leonard was able to retain his title against Bruce Finch, but after a short break, he retired, only to come back in 1984 to knock out Kevin Howard.

Floyd Mayweather’s Professional Ascent

Floyd Mayweather’s record of wins from the beginning of his career shows how much he has talent for this game. At 17-0, he dethroned Genaro Hernandez to win the WBC World Super Featherweight crown. He then won the titles by knocking José Luis Castillo and strengthened his position by outpointing DeMarcus Corley and Shamba Mitchell. Some of them are as follows: Floyd Mayweather fought against Oscar De La Hoya, and Floyd won a split decision when De La Hoya relinquished his effective jab.

Floyd Mayweather went for his superiority over the division with wins over Ricky Hatton, Juan Manuel Marquez, and Shane Mosley. He defeated Miguel Cotto to claim the WBA Super Welterweight champion and successfully defended WBC Welterweight against ‘Canelo’ Alvarez. The last fight in his career was against another mixed martial artist, Conor McGregor, during which he knocked out his opponent and improved his record to 50-0.

Comparative Legacy

Most of Leonard’s wins against Hearns, Duran, and Hagler are given importance in boxing annals. On the other hand, Maidana and Lo Greco’s lack of records compared to Floyd Mayweather’s top achievements and fifty victories without defeat proves his technique and longevity. Both fighters have left their marks in the sport, and the course of their careers shows the difference between the two fighters in their approach to the sport and handling of their problems inside the ring.

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This article was written by Muhammad Hashir