Ray is several inches taller and a naturally bigger man than Floyd. Do you disqualify Hearns as an elite welter because he sweated down below his natural weight?
Floyd was 36-0 years ago. Kalule wasn't elite just because Ray kicked his ass. It is absolutely about name recognition. You're comparing guys that have been built up to legendary status to guys who are still actively fighting.
I don't really agree. Benitez wasn't unbeatable but any stretch of the imagination.
Yeah, you do understand what I mean. You rate Hearns as some incredible win (Which it was, sure) but ignore that Hearns hadn't really even come into his own as a pro at that point. He's never even fought to a decision before.
He didn't make that fight when Hagler was near his peak. Hagler was still elite, no doubt but had certainly shown vulnerability in the Mugabi fight.
Floyd has fought more champions, more p4pers than Leonard did. You can't argue against that. He's had more success vs championship calibre fighters than Leonard. The only argument would be that Duran and Hearns were "better" than say, Pacquiao or Marquez but you can't really support it. Its all about those legendary names. Duran quite frankly IMO was an embarrassing loss for Ray, especially when you consider how poorly Duran performed against every other elite level welter that he got in the ring with. Duran is a fighter whos career is viewed like a highlight reel. No one remembers his schooling by Benitez. No one recalls him losing to Kirkland Laing. He's remembered for being so great because he was so fun to watch. His record against the elite is not that strong. Lost to Hearns, lost to Benitez, lost to Hagler....