Thomas Hearns... WOW!

[ricardoparker93]

I decided to re visit my love for Tommy Hearns and i'm going to go out and say he is the most exciting fighter of all time.

The way he snapped out that jab, dropped it to the body and banged with that left hook downstairs before closing the show with that lightning bolt right hand. Add to this that he consistently fought the very best and his resume reads like a list of ATG's and there you have it.

Cuevas
Benitez
Duran
Hill
Leonard (1989!)

And his brilliant performances against Shuler and Dennis Andries surely make him more than the 4th member of the Fab four! People may say he lost his two defining fights but a premature stoppage IMO, and a broken hand dont help you out when your fighting other ATG.

So what im asking for please is some appreciation for Thomas 'the hitman' Hearns! :good

[turpinr]

I decided to re visit my love for Tommy Hearns and i'm going to go out and say he is the most exciting fighter of all time.

The way he snapped out that jab, dropped it to the body and banged with that left hook downstairs before closing the show with that lightning bolt right hand. Add to this that he consistently fought the very best and his resume reads like a list of ATG's and there you have it.

Cuevas
Benitez
Duran
Hill
Leonard (1989!)

And his brilliant performances against Shuler and Dennis Andries surely make him more than the 4th member of the Fab four! People may say he lost his two defining fights but a premature stoppage IMO, and a broken hand dont help you out when your fighting other ATG.

So what im asking for please is some appreciation for Thomas 'the hitman' Hearns! :goodpurely on punching alone he's up there with the very best.him julian jackson and big bob foster in any order.

[Titan1]

That right cross Tommy had was no joke.

[laxpdx]

Tommy could lay out anybody at any given moment. At 154/160, he reached his potential, with monstrous results. If that had been anybody but Hagler...

[frankenfrank]

.but a premature stoppage IMO

i also saw that fight and i agree it was somewhat premature.

, and a broken hand dont help you out when your fighting other ATG.

didn't know about that.

[lefthook89]

i wonder how the fight wouldve turned out if hearns didn't break his right hand????

[ricardoparker93]

You can always debate Thomas Hearns and there are many if's and buts. But i believe i am right in saying that Hearns broke his hand with a right to the side of Haglers head in the first round. That and the infamous leg massage really turned the tables against him.

The craziest thing with him though was that chin; i mean that paint job he did on Barkley in the third round was crazy and then BOOM. Fight is over and Hearns is flat on his back.

[Robbi]

Hearns was Tyson and Ali rolled into one. Anyone else see where I'm coming from?

[ramalinga]

I decided to re visit my love for Tommy Hearns and i'm going to go out and say he is the most exciting fighter of all time.

The way he snapped out that jab, dropped it to the body and banged with that left hook downstairs before closing the show with that lightning bolt right hand. Add to this that he consistently fought the very best and his resume reads like a list of ATG's and there you have it.

Cuevas
Benitez
Duran
Hill
Leonard (1989!)

And his brilliant performances against Shuler and Dennis Andries surely make him more than the 4th member of the Fab four! People may say he lost his two defining fights but a premature stoppage IMO, and a broken hand dont help you out when your fighting other ATG.

So what im asking for please is some appreciation for Thomas 'the hitman' Hearns! :good

He was incredibly exciting. No need to make up bad excuses for his losses. The stoppage wasn't premature, a fighter and his corner always go crazy when a stoppage is premature, did you see Hearns or Steward protesting? He was beaten after a heroic effort.

The broken hand against Hagler was the direct result of Hagler's iron head. Hearns hit Hagler with his best shot and it was Hearns' hand that was damaged. It wasn't as if he was going into the fight with a broken hand. That iron head was one of Hagler's weapons and it won the contest with Tommy's power that night. Not shame in these losses to two great fighters, no need to make up excuses for them.

[sugarsean]

one of the top 3 greatest welterweights of all time and the greatest light middleweight of all time, one of the elite all time greats and gives anyone in history hell.

[itrymariti]

The other day "walk with me" said Hearns vs. Williams at 154 was a 50/50 fight.

Yes, Hearns is under-rated.

[ricardoparker93]

The other day "walk with me" said Hearns vs. Williams at 154 was a 50/50 fight.

Yes, Hearns is under-rated.

Dont worry 'walk with me' is the biggest nut hugger on the forum. He knows in his heart of hearts that its not a contest.

[ricardoparker93]

He was incredibly exciting. No need to make up bad excuses for his losses. The stoppage wasn't premature, a fighter and his corner always go crazy when a stoppage is premature, did you see Hearns or Steward protesting? He was beaten after a heroic effort.

The broken hand against Hagler was the direct result of Hagler's iron head. Hearns hit Hagler with his best shot and it was Hearns' hand that was damaged. It wasn't as if he was going into the fight with a broken hand. That iron head was one of Hagler's weapons and it won the contest with Tommy's power that night. Not shame in these losses to two great fighters, no need to make up excuses for them.

Yeah but its very unfortunate to nail a guy and end up breaking your hand. lol.

You may say that it wasnt premature but you have to balance that with Stewards father son type relationship with Tommy. At that point he didnt give a fuck about the fight, just whether Tommy was ok.

[pryorgatti]

I know where you're coming from Robbi.

Outboxer : Ali
Punching Power : Tyson

Hearns = Ali + Tyson

There is a chin issue with my maths though.

[Shake]

Hearns was an offensive monster -- but like many who are very tall for their weightclass, what they gain physically they trade back in vulnerability and stamina.

Hearns is the icon for this type of fighter since what he gained made what he lost almost impossible to exploit -- it took fighters like Leonard (who could have lost) and Hagler (who could have been stopped on cuts, though would win often in repeated contests against Hearns) to do it.

Looks great in highlights.

[ricardoparker93]

I think it only takes a chin and stamina to make Hearns the greatest of all time IMO, but those two factors could really be exploited.

He was so dangerous offensively that you needed luck, skill and a chin of iron to beat him.

[booradley]

If Tommy Hearns had Librado Andrade's chin, would they make being Tommy Hearns against the rules?

[Danny]

Tommy could lay out anybody at any given moment. At 154/160, he reached his potential, with monstrous results. If that had been anybody but Hagler...

Very true, but at 154lbs I would have liked to have seen Hearns take on Mugabi. At around 83, 84, Mugabi was up for it, but for whatever reason it did not happen!

I'm not saying Mugabi would have won, but it would have a rare time that Hearns found himself in there with someone who hit just as hard as him, if not harder!

[Jaws]

He was incredibly exciting. No need to make up bad excuses for his losses. The stoppage wasn't premature, a fighter and his corner always go crazy when a stoppage is premature, did you see Hearns or Steward protesting? He was beaten after a heroic effort.

The broken hand against Hagler was the direct result of Hagler's iron head. Hearns hit Hagler with his best shot and it was Hearns' hand that was damaged. It wasn't as if he was going into the fight with a broken hand. That iron head was one of Hagler's weapons and it won the contest with Tommy's power that night. Not shame in these losses to two great fighters, no need to make up excuses for them.

Oh, baloney.

Hagler's head isn't any harder than any other human being's. You could break your hand on anyone's skull.

It was just bad luck on Tommy's part. That's boxing sometimes.

[MrMarvel]

I decided to re visit my love for Tommy Hearns and i'm going to go out and say he is the most exciting fighter of all time.

The way he snapped out that jab, dropped it to the body and banged with that left hook downstairs before closing the show with that lightning bolt right hand. Add to this that he consistently fought the very best and his resume reads like a list of ATG's and there you have it.

Cuevas
Benitez
Duran
Hill
Leonard (1989!)

And his brilliant performances against Shuler and Dennis Andries surely make him more than the 4th member of the Fab four! People may say he lost his two defining fights but a premature stoppage IMO, and a broken hand dont help you out when your fighting other ATG.

So what im asking for please is some appreciation for Thomas 'the hitman' Hearns! :good

Of the five - Hagler, Duran, Hearns, Leonard, Benitez - he was third, right behind Duran, well in front of Leonard and Benitez.

[Robbi]

Of the five - Hagler, Duran, Hearns, Leonard, Benitez - he was 2nd last, between Hagler and Benitez, with Duran and Leonard first and second.

MrMarvel. Agreed.

[laxpdx]

Very true, but at 154lbs I would have liked to have seen Hearns take on Mugabi. At around 83, 84, Mugabi was up for it, but for whatever reason it did not happen!

I'm not saying Mugabi would have won, but it would have a rare time that Hearns found himself in there with someone who hit just as hard as him, if not harder!

I totally get that. Hearns could take out anybody, but also had glaring weaknesses that made him vulnerable to certain fighters, namely hard hitters like Mugabi, Julian Jackson or Tony Ayala. Tommy had the right hook to put any of them out if he hit them flush. On the other hand, if they connected with his chin or got to his ribs....

Unlike Duran, those guys are all natural 154 lbers.

[Addie]

Roberto Duran
Sugar Ray Leonard
Thomas Hearns
Marvin Hagler
Wilfred Benitez

In a p4p sense, imo.

[Manassa]

If I could re-write history with an ounce of realism, I'd have Hagler beating Leonard, Duran giving Benitez a tougher fight and Benitez giving Hearns a tougher fight. In additional bouts, Benitez would narrowly beat Leonard in a rematch, Hagler would knock out Benitez, and Leonard would outpoint Hagler in a 1988 return. Duran and Hearns would also fight to a decision in 1989 which Hearns would win.

Then you'd have a Fab 5 with an ongoing debate about how to rate them.

[Robbi]

If I could re-write history with an ounce of realism, I'd have Hagler beating Leonard, Duran giving Benitez a tougher fight and Benitez giving Hearns a tougher fight. In additional bouts, Benitez would narrowly beat Leonard in a rematch, Hagler would knock out Benitez, and Leonard would outpoint Hagler in a 1988 return. Duran and Hearns would also fight to a decision in 1989 which Hearns would win.

Then you'd have a Fab 5 with an ongoing debate about how to rate them.

You're always a chap to come up with an interesting one. Sounds good. :D

And looks like you're feeling fishy.

[ricardoparker93]

If Tommy Hearns had Librado Andrade's chin, would they make being Tommy Hearns against the rules?

In a word NO. But the sport would soon be banned after the subsequent brutality.

[Bill Butcher]

I decided to re visit my love for Tommy Hearns and i'm going to go out and say he is the most exciting fighter of all time.

The way he snapped out that jab, dropped it to the body and banged with that left hook downstairs before closing the show with that lightning bolt right hand. Add to this that he consistently fought the very best and his resume reads like a list of ATG's and there you have it.

Cuevas
Benitez
Duran
Hill
Leonard (1989!)

And his brilliant performances against Shuler and Dennis Andries surely make him more than the 4th member of the Fab four! People may say he lost his two defining fights but a premature stoppage IMO, and a broken hand dont help you out when your fighting other ATG.

So what im asking for please is some appreciation for Thomas 'the hitman' Hearns! :good

Hearns is one of the greatest boxers that ever lived, a phenom in his prime & would be a nightmare for anyone 154 lbs downwards that ever sucked air.

A master boxer that could have a tear up with the best of them too... extremely fast & lethal one punch power, just an amazing fighter.

[Bill Butcher]

Roberto Duran
Sugar Ray Leonard
Thomas Hearns
Marvin Hagler
Wilfred Benitez

In a p4p sense, imo.

This could be true, I struggle splitting Hagler & Hearns in a p4p sense tho, Duran & Leonard are very close too but I always seem to have Duran one place above SRL on my lists.
As great as Benitez was, its hard to rank him over anyone here, he was in their class tho for sure on his day.

[SLAKKA]

Always remember the day before the first Leonard fight Manny Steward sparred Tommy 10 freekin rounds and Tommy weighed in at 145. He hadn't fought at "45" in years!!

[RyDogg123]

People might say im mad but the greatest fighter ever in my eyes, watched the majority of his fights and the leonard fights are beyond me! He outboxed Sugar Ray Leonard he outsped him! Cmon that alone makes u a God really in my biased eyes! BTW you can break your hand on a punch bag without a glove (well i did) paid the consequence but if its that easy to do it on a heavy bag imagine how easy it wud be on Haglers meat head!!

[Titan1]

People might say im mad but the greatest fighter ever in my eyes, watched the majority of his fights and the leonard fights are beyond me! He outboxed Sugar Ray Leonard he outsped him! Cmon that alone makes u a God really in my biased eyes! BTW you can break your hand on a punch bag without a glove (well i did) paid the consequence but if its that easy to do it on a heavy bag imagine how easy it wud be on Haglers meat head!!

In which fight did he outspeed Ray?

[aj415]

Oh, baloney.

Hagler's head isn't any harder than any other human being's. You could break your hand on anyone's skull.

It was just bad luck on Tommy's part. That's boxing sometimes.

Disagree. Haglers head broke Tommy's hand.

Im sure it was literally close to punching a rock

[The Wanderer]

Oh, baloney.

Hagler's head isn't any harder than any other human being's. You could break your hand on anyone's skull.

It was just bad luck on Tommy's part. That's boxing sometimes.

While it is true that you can break your hand on anyone's skull, it is also true that some people have considerably thicker and harder skull's than others. Julio Cesar Chavez, for example, had an abnormally thick skull, and some people think that contributes to his legendary, iron-clad chin.