Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran are both in agreement on who they believe to be the best of all time.
The retired boxing icons fought during the same golden era of the sport, facing each other on three occasions between 1980 and 1989.
Their first encounter took place in the summer of 1980 and ended with Duran handing Leonard the first defeat of his professional career, capturing the WBC welterweight title in the process.
The situation was very different in their rematch just months later however, after Sugar Ray forced Duran to quit during the eighth round in what is famously known as the ‘No Mas’ fight.
Leonard put an end to their rivalry in their third and final clash in December 1989, defeating the Panamanian icon via unanimous decision to retain his WBC super-middleweight title.
With both men having secured their slots in the history books, they are well placed to assess their peers and choose a boxing greatest of all time.
In an interview with Fight Hype, Leonard was asked to name his pick, and said three top it for him.
“The best boxers? I would say Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Robinson and Rocky Marciano.”
One man who stands out on this list is Sugar Ray Robinson, who many regard as the best fighter to have ever lived.
Duran certainly believes so, once telling ES News:
“Sugar Ray Robinson, he’s the best! Sugar Ray Robinson is the best!”
The career of Robinson speaks for itself and his outstanding legacy has left a lasting impression on the sport for many years.
Reigning as the welterweight champion for half a decade between 1946 and 1951, he would go on to make the move up to middleweight shortly after, winning the world championship on five separate occasions in a nine year period.
His dazzling combination of speed, power, and skill former a final record of 174 wins from 200 professional bouts.
