Leonard demanded an immediate rematch and outboxed Duran, forcing him to quit in the infamous “No Mas” bout five months later. When it was over, opinion on the verdict was mixed, but Duran left with a close unanimous decision. But he wanted to make a point and so he stayed in the pocket and fought Duran’s fight. He showed the ability to stay outside and box, and could have won that bout by using his legs and his jab. Leonard, though, proved his toughness in that bout with Duran. Duran fought with a snarl that made him as intimidating as any boxer ever. Leonard was regarded as the so-called “pretty boy,” when he first met Duran, who by that point had been regarded by many as the best lightweight in history. He quickly unified the super lightweight title and now has the opportunity to unify the welterweight crown. He won a lightweight belt six years after turning pro, and that's when things began to click for him. That all changes, though, on July 29 when Spence will face WBO champion Terence Crawford for the undisputed welterweight title at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.Ĭrawford's entry into the professional ranks was as unheralded as Spence's was trumpeted. He's held a welterweight title for six years and has never seriously been challenged. Spence is 28-0 with 22 KOs and is widely regarded as one of the top five or so pound-for-pound fighters in the world. More than a decade later, as Spence heads into the biggest fight of his career, those comparisons mostly remain intact. He’s one of the 10 greatest boxers ever and proved it in an era teeming with elite talent. Spence is a southpaw and Leonard, who won gold at Montreal in 1976, was an orthodox fighter, but the point was that Spence had the ability to do the things that made Leonard one of the game's legends.
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