Whose is the best in your view both in the terms of technical skills & from fan following vise? I'm personally really impressed by Sugar Leonard who is five times champion in different middle-weight classes! What's your choice?
Ray. His comport and recovery from defeat in Montreal, the way he dealt with the trials in Hearns I & II, and his incredible comeback performance against Hagler (regardless of whether or not he's considered to have won or lost), was a staggering achievement. (Jofre's comeback is one which might be compared, but MMH was the unanimous consensus P4P best at the time, and the only longstanding undisputed champion in boxing.)
GGG was never tested, and now he's reached an age where any defeat can be dismissed to being past prime. He's also in an era of PED's, a suspicion of use which will forever taint all top competitors of his era.
Ali said during his late 1960's peak that unanswered questions about greatness through having proved "toughness" or recovery from defeat are actually in the ideal interest of a boxer to aspire to at retirement (and it seems certain he'd be alive now if he'd never returned from exile), and it seems GGG could achieve this as PBF did. (RJJ blew the same opportunity to continue after Ruiz.)
Bill "Superfoot" Wallace did not win a poll in an old karate magazine as GOAT in that sport after retiring 46-0-0. Joe Lewis did, and the manly way he dealt with defeat was a primary reason. (Wallace was the highest rated undefeated competitor at six. Traditionally, there was always a sigma to being undefeated.) Ray's measure had been taken. GGG's measure never was, but SRL's was in Montreal, as was Ali's in the FOTC and Norton I.
No comparison to be honest. Leonard dared to be great and moved up in weight classes, he has some of the most iconic wins of all time even if I disagree with the Hagler decision.
Leonard at the min. I doubt Golovkin will go past him but as he hasn't retired who knows.
I never liked Leonard anywhere near as much as Hagler but he has an outstanding record and is a genuine great!
No slander on GGG..seeing that he is probably the only legit banger in the entire sport right now..but he aint nowhere to SRL level..in fact..given GGG's resume' he's nowhere near any of the top guys from 147 - 160..much less Leonard.
He's a banger..and we ll love bangers..but that's about it.
GGG, he simply has a better resume. I dont see Leonard walking through Geale, Murray and Stevena and wouldnt have had half the career he had if he was put in todays middleweight division. He'd be just another contender.
it will be very hard for GGG to ever match the wins Ray Leonard had or even the wins Thomas Hearns had.. People underrate the wins Tommy had because he lost to Ray and Marvin.
SRL - Beat Hearns and Hagler, not sure GGG could have accomplished that
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