FANTASY DREAM FIGHTS: Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

Posted on | August 13, 2008 | 2 Comments

[mpinpage]

FANTASY DREAM FIGHTS
Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Sugar Ray Leonard

Sugar Ray and Pretty Boy Floyd. The 7Up Kid and the Hip-Hop Bad Boy. Leonard became a media sensation, winning the gold medal by dominating the feared Cuban Andres Aldama. Extremely popular, Leonard brought a charismatic force into the ring, with titles and endorsement deals. Mayweather Jr, a bronze medalist in the ’96 Olympics, is the classic villain, a spoiled rich kid who likes to talk trash and back it up. Mayweather claims he is the BEST fighter of all time and has claimed superiority to the legendary Sugar Ray Leonard. In his 14th pro bout, Leonard whipped Floyd Mayweather Sr, stopping him in 10 rounds. Would he have the same luck against an equally dazzling fighter? Is Mayweather as superior as he claims? Or would it be Leonard putting up and Mayweather shutting up?

STATISTICS

Leonard: (all stats for bout on 9/16/81)
Age – 25 years old
Height – 5’10”
Weight – 146 lbs
Reach – 74”
Record – 30-1 (21)

Mayweather: (all stats for bout on 12/8/07)
Age – 30 years old
Height – 5’8”
Weight – 147 lbs
Reach – 72”
Record – 38-0 (24)

STYLE

Leonard:

A brilliant fighter who is often spectacular in the ring, Leonard could box well from the outside, firing quick jabs and right hands. On the inside, Leonard would fire his hands with amazing quickness, including hooks, uppercuts, and body punches. Once in control, Leonard would also play with his opponent’s mind, dropping his hands and using bolo punches. Leonard is an impressive finisher, firing hard and accurate punches until his opponents wilt under the barrage.

Mayweather:

A very relaxed boxer who does everything well with an arsenal that includes a snapping jab, accurate right hand, and left hook that can be doubled and tripled with tremendous effect. Uses feint moves to freeze opponents and open punching lanes. Tucks his chin well behind his shoulder to roll with punches. Even on the ropes, he is a difficult target to land a solid punch. He doesn’t have great punching power. Most of his stoppage victories come from outpunching and outclassing his opponents but rarely scoring clean knockouts.

STRENGTHS

Leonard:
1) Speed – Leonard was blessed with dazzling speed, both in hand and foot. He could attack from the outside, or fire impressive combos on the inside. Bolo punches or shoeshine flurries, all came with breathtaking speed and accuracy.
2) Toughness – There was a lot of substance behind the flash and Leonard proved his mettle on several occasions, most notably when stunned against Roberto Duran or with a severely swollen eye against Thomas Hearns.
3) Killer Instinct – Even as an amateur, Leonard was impressive in finishing a wounded opponent. And as a pro, he only improved. Even in bouts he was comfortably ahead on the scorecards, Leonard did not back off his attack and scored several late stoppage victories.

Mayweather:
1) Experience – Boxing is in Mayweather’s blood since his childhood. Completed an extensive amateur career by competing in the ’96 Olympic games. He has been competing successfully on a championship level for over a decade, facing and defeating all styles.
2) Speed – Speed Kills. Mayweather has incredible hand and foot speed, which allows him to move inside, unload his offense, and dart out of range before his opponent can set himself.
3) Ring Generalship – Mayweather knows every inch of the ring and how to control a fight. When to attack, when to box, and when to coast, Mayweather owns the ring when he is in there.

WEAKNESSES

Leonard:
1) Tactical Mistakes – While he was dominant in most of his fights, there were several times when Leonard got drawn into the wrong type of fight and it proved problematic for him.
2) Swelling – In some tougher bouts, Leonard has shown damage, specifically around his eyes. Impaired vision could be deadly against an opponent with such rapid-fire combinations.

Mayweather:
1) Punching Power – Most of Mayweather’s stoppage wins have come from an accumulation of punches. The usual result is the referee or opposing corner stopping the bout to prevent further punishment. It is rare to see Mayweather finish a bout with one punch dating back to his days as a 130 lb boxer.
2) Brittle Hands – Mayweather has been plagued throughout his career with hand injuries. The soreness in his hands, especially the right hand, reduces Mayweather’s exceptional offense, often forcing him to rely on his foot speed to dance around and pitter-pat opponents.

BEST PERFORMANCES
** Indicates the Version of the Fighter Used for this Matchup

Leonard:

1) ** Thomas Hearns (9/16/81) – In facing Hearns, Leonard was up against a freakishly tall 6’2” welterweight with dynamite in his right hand and superb boxing skills. Fighting with a swollen eye and behind on the cards, Leonard was buoyed by his trainer Angelo Dundee’s famous call “You’re blowing it, son.” Rallying in the championship rounds, Leonard broke through and had Hearns in serious trouble, wobbling around the ring, forcing the referee to stop the fight.

2) Roberto Duran (11-25-80) – Duran won the psychological battle in the first fight, goading Leonard into a slugfest and ruining his perfect record with a razor-thin decision victory. Leonard came into the rematch supremely focused and put forth a brilliant performance, outboxing and taunting Duran. Leonard’s physical and psychological victory was complete when a beaten and frustrated Duran abruptly surrendered.

3) Wilfred Benetiz (11-30-79) – Leonard’s first title came against another undefeated prodigy in Benetiz, a smooth-boxing counterpuncher. Starting with an intense stare down, the bout was a fast-paced technician’s dream, with each combatant having moments of success. Leonard had a close but clear edge going into the 15th and final round when he finally broke through, flooring Benetiz with a homerun uppercut and stopping him moments later.

Mayweather:
1) ** Ricky Hatton (12-8-07) – Hatton brought an undefeated record and a raucous cheering section with him for this bout and he tried to maul Mayweather in close. After a few clinch-filled and rough-house rounds, Mayweather figured our Hatton’s face-first style and systematically picked him apart with precise combinations, finally flooring him and stopping him in the 10th round.

2) Arturo Gatti (6-25-05) – Although Mayweather was a solid betting favorite, many expected Gatti to make things rough for Mayweather. It never happened as Mayweather dealt out a severe beating before Gatti’s corner stopped the bout after six one-sided rounds.
3) Diego Corrales (1-20-01) – Experts were torn on who to pick in this one with many leaning towards Corrales to win by KO. Mayweather never let him in the bout, using his advantage in speed to blister Corrales, knocking him down five times before the bout was halted in the 10th round.

QUESTIONS

Leonard:
1) Will Mayweather’s prefight trash talk force Leonard out of his game plan?
2) Can his eyes handle Mayweather’s precise right hands?
3) Can he solve Mayweather’s superb defense?

Mayweather:

1) How will he cope with Leonard’s equally blinding speed?
2) If he falls behind early, will he be able to gun for the knockout?
3) Will Leonard’s taunts break his fragile psyche?

THE PREDICTION

Leonard is definitely the crowd favorite and Mayweather is at his peak, relishing his bad guy role. Leonard enters the ring wearing white trunks and red tassels adorning his boots while Mayweather is dressed in black trunks and sporting a black fedora as he struts into the ring.

During the instructions, Mayweather tries to goad Leonard by talking and gesturing towards him. Leonard meets him with an icy glare and a hint of a confident smirk across his lips.

At the opening bell, both boxers circle each other, moving laterally and looking for openings. Mayweather fires a few jabs and looks for range with his right hand. Leonard matches his jab output and tries to step in to land a couple of left hooks. While the 1st round is face-paced, few clean punches are landed.

The tactical battle continues through the 2nd and 3rd rounds. Leonard is taking the role as the aggressor, trying to back Mayweather up with his natural advantages in size and strength. Mayweather uses the opportunity to land several flush right hands over Leonard’s left but is unsuccessful in backing him up.

The pace picks up in the 4th round. Mayweather has found success with his straight right hand and is more willing to stand in front of Leonard. The ensuing action has the crowd on its feet as the combinations are freely exchanged. But the fact is that Mayweather, while successful in marking up Leonard’s left eye, doesn’t have the power to discourage The Sugar Man.

While the pace remains at a blistering pace through the middle rounds, it is becoming evident that the momentum is clearly shifting in Leonard’s favor. Leonard, without fear of Mayweather’s power, is boxing with his hands at his side and stepping in with jabs and right hands, forcing Mayweather back to the ropes.

Leonard is sporting a lump under his left eye to start the 8th round but he still looks relaxed and confident. His tough bouts in the past have prepared him for this. Mayweather is dripping blood from his nose and mouth, his face showing the look of confusion and fear. Leonard moves in, firing combinations and has Mayweather trapped in a corner as the bell rings.

Mayweather is a desperate fighter in the 9th round and he is doing anything he can to survive, moving more around the ring and holding whenever gets close. Leonard taunts him as he moves in on him, winding his right arm and sticking his chin out. But Mayweather is unable to do anything to stop him. Leonard lands another crisp combination including a double left hook and a picture-perfect uppercut as Mayweather falls to his knees. Up at the count of 7, Mayweather holds until the round ends.

Leonard races out to start the 10th round, sensing that victory is in his grasp. And it soon is. A left hook staggers Mayweather and a follow up flurry forces him to take a knee. He gets up on shaky legs and indicates to the referee that he can continue. But not for long as Leonard is back on him in a hurry, peppering him with relentless combinations against the ropes. As Mayweather starts to slump to the canvas again, the referee jumps in to spare him further punishment. Sugar Ray darts across the ring and jumps on the ropes, basking in the cheers of the Pro-Leonard crowd.

Your winner by Technical Knockout in the 10 th round is Sugar Ray Leonard!!!

For the next installment of Fantasy Dream Fights, we are going to switch gears from a matchup between two dazzling speedsters to an all-out heavyweight slugfest between “The Manassa Mauler” Jack Dempsey and “The Brockton Blockbuster” Rocky Marciano. Hide the women and children! It is going to be a war!!! This upcoming installment will be available on August 25.

Comments