Is Vernon competitive, or is this one sided? For my money, Ray is just too dynamic an he won't be as easy to control with the jab as was Mosley. I see a Leonard stoppage here before the 9th.
I think Ray could get him outta there earlier than 9. But nah, I don't envision Vern being too competitive. Different beast than Mosley here.
Forrest is a bit too normal to give trouble to Ray. Probably gets dominated and Koed in the later rounds
Ray wins but it goes the distance and he doesn't win easily , he has to work for it. Ray is usually a step ahead though because of his advantage in speed
No way in Hell Forrest goes the distance with Ray. Too fragile, and once in trouble, he'd be in with arguably the best finisher that ever lived.
Best finisher ever is Hagler. Now, onto business...Ray isn't as powerful as you make him to be. Forrest is a smart fighter and a spoiler and he wasn't fragile, he took everything Shane threw at him and I think the mayorga fights were just examples of those bizarre things that happen in boxing from time to time. Ray is not stopping Forrest in a 12 round fight.
Hagler's amongst the best finishers, but I wouldn't put him top 5. Best finishers of all time are Leonard, Louis, and Tyson. Ali was a superb finisher as well and belongs top 5. Forrest had a pretty mediocre chin to be quite honest with you. There's no way I can envision him handling Ray's offensive arsenal for a full 12 or 15. I can see Leonard ending it with 6-7, in all honesty. Vernon Forrest plain and simple wasn't that good. Well, it's all relative. He WAS a good fighter, but he doesn't have shit to offer Leonard.
His height and boxing ability present similar problems for Leonard as Hearns did. Now, before you have a coronary, I'm not saying Forrest is as good as Hearns, obviously he isn't . Hearns had hand speed and power on him....I get that, but Vernon is taller than anyone Ray faces at welterweight with the exception of Hearns and he presents a few problems as a result. Not enough to come close to winning ( unlike Hearns) but enough to keep Ray honest.
Forrest lacks Hearns' mobility and dynamism. For all of his height and reach, Forrest didn't have great mobility, himself. He wasn't all that difficult a target either, and for a fast guy like Leonard who was also a tall welterweight in his own right, I think Forrest would find himself focusing more on trying to survive Leonard's onslaught than getting off his own offense. Forrest's chin was alright, but nothing made of iron. Not sturdy enough to go the distance with Leonard, that's for sure.
