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“Mayweather Will Be Running for His Life”: Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. Fight Post Draws Strong Fan Reactions

Published 03/05/2023, 12:30 PM EST

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Some fights are destined to take place while others remain in the fantasy world. Floyd Mayweather Jr. fighting Sugar Ray Leonard is one such fight between two legends that did not come to fruition for obvious reasons. Leonard was prominent during the late 70s and 80s, whereas Mayweather made his pro debut in 1997. By the time ‘Money’ started competing, Leonard had already put an end to his legendary boxing career which lasted for two decades. Both boxers are in the hall of fame and have etched their names in the sport. It is natural that fans speculate who would have won if the two fighters competed against each other.

One can only speculate by scrutinizing their styles of fighting and analyzing how they performed against other opponents. As far as skillset is concerned, one would argue that Leonard had the edge in terms of speed while the 50-0 boxer built his whole career on his signature defense.

Notably, Mayweather has never been defeated and is known to take minimum damage in his fights. Some of his close fights include Oscar De La Hoya and Shane Mosley, to name a few. Meanwhile, Leonard has three defeats under his name. While two came at the end of his career, the only man to stop Leonard in his prime was Roberto Duran.

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Sugar Ray Leonard vs Floyd Mayweather Jr: Fans pick

Recently, Boxing Habit posted an image from their Facebook handle, titled “Fantasy Clash”, where the fans were encouraged to pick between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Sugar Ray Leonard, had they fought each other in their prime.

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@Louis Quinones said, “Mayweather will be running for his life.”

@Johann Rolle commented, “The greatest welterweight ever of course Sugar Ray Leonard.”

@Ben Cuevas said, Ray Leonard and it’s not even close!!!”

@Joe D’Ambrosio picked, “SRL, but not the cakewalk people want to think…..he would outwork Floyd with his volume and combos to a decision.”

@Lorenzo El Chacal Manjarrez commented, Never would’ve happened because Floyd would’ve ducked him.”

While some fans thought Leonard would have the edge against Mayweather, some believed Mayweather will emerge victorious.

@Preston Baker commented, Floyd would win by decision definitely out point him, close fight though.”

@Debra Wilkerson commented, Floyd…his ring IQ n the adjustment he makes.”

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@Tom Callaway joked saying, Mayweather wins by way of hugging.”

Noticeably, the fans are divided with respect to the outcome of the bout since there is no definite answer considering their respective skill sets. Interestingly enough, the two boxers do have some history in common. Mayweather’s father, Floyd Mayweather Sr. had competed against Leonard. In the bout, Leonard dropped Mayweather Sr. in the eighth round and ended the fight in the 10th.

Floyd Mayweather Makes World’s Richest Athletes Look Poor With ‘$20 Billion’ Announcement

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Unfortunately, the fans did not get to see Mayweather Jr. take on Leonard. Who do you think will win this fantasy matchup? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by:

Harddit Bedi

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Harddit Bedi is a Boxing writer at EssentiallySports. He has interned at multiple top sports media outlets and packs a great amount of knowledge regarding the sport. His love for boxing and writing has landed him on his journey at EssentiallySports, where he looks forward to adding value to our boxing coverage.
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Edited by:

Shibu Immanuel