Who do you pick? De la Hoya vs. Sugar Ray Leonard

By Boxing News - 10/18/2010 - Comments

By Gerardo Granados: Both fighting at welterweight, young and hungry for glory, fame and money. This fight would set PPV records. Yeah sure, this two warriors belong to different eras (but still both are modern era fighters) and as usual the young boxing fans did not get the chance to watch Leonard engage with other historical greats such as Roberto Duran – Tommy Hearns – Wilfred Benitez – Marvin Hagler, or even the youngest boxing fans can not remember Oscar fighting for the WBO super featherweight title against Jimmi Bredhal (his first title) or the WBO lightweight title against Jorge “Maromero” Paez, both fights way back in 1994. So most opinions will be based on YouTube boxing material I guess. Oscar also fought boxing greats, such as Hector “Macho” Camacho – Julio Cesar Chavez (twice) – Pernell Whitaker – Felix “Tito” Trinidad – “Sugar” Shane Mosley (twice) – Bernard Hopkins – Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr. – Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao.

Ray Charles Leonard aka Sugar Ray Leonard won the light welterweight gold medal in the 1976 Olympics, and became five time division champion from welterweight to light heavyweight, retire with a record of 40FIGHTS- W36(25)-L3(KO1)-D1 / with thirteen title fights; 5´10´´ tall, reach 74´´.

Oscar De la Hoya aka “The Golden Boy”, won the Olympic lightweight gold medal in 1992, and became champion in six different weight divisions from super featherweight to middleweight, retire with a record of 45FIGHTS-W39(30)-L6(KO2)-D0 / with twenty-nine title fights; 5´10 ½´´ tall, reach 73´´.

Both were PPV Kings on their respective eras, and perhaps are as successful outside the ring as they did inside of it.

This is a really hard choice to make; at the end we will choose the boxer whose style is more attractive to us. Both faced great opponents, both are Olympic gold medalist, physically are similar, both orthodox, so who has the edge?

I think Leonard was just a little more overall skilled than Oscar, and he had a bigger heart than Oscar; but De la Hoya was more determined and disciplined inside the ring; both in their prime were ring masters of offense and defense, it would take too long to compare footwork, punching technique, overall defensive skills, chin, hand speed, power, who had a better left hook to the body, uppercut (left or right), jab, stamina, etc.

I believe Leonard fought better opposition, based on that he fought boxing greats while they were on their prime; De la Hoya instead fought Hector “Macho” Camacho, Julio Cesar Chavez and Pernell Whitaker when they were way past their prime and indeed beat them, but against the rest of the boxing greats he fought, he lost. Can you remember his fights against Shane or Floyd? Also Leonard fought fifteen rounds while Oscar only twelve.

I think Sugar Ray would win by TKO in 12. I´ll leave it to your consideration, after all I am the one who is asking “Who do you pick? De la Hoya vs. Sugar Ray Leonard”.



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