Did Tommy Hearns have a stamina problem?

[Popkins]

I read in the newspaper today that David Haye's coach Adam Booth was asked if Haye's lack of stamina is a problem, and he replied:

"Hey, people questioned Thomas Hearns's stamina."

:huh Did they? Other than maybe gassing a little against SRL because he was a bit weight-drained, has this accusation been levelled against Hearns seriously and often? Or is Booth just talking shit? I haven't heard it being given much credence before.

[rekcutnevets]

Fast twitch muscle fibers burn up more quickly than slow twitch fibers. Mike Tyson and even Roy Jones have lower punch outputs than fighters that were less than in this department.

I think Hearns' actually had above average stamina for the amount of exertion required for his punches. That being said, he would probably fade faster than fighters that were less explosive.

[Jaws]

He's making a point by using Hearns as an example. He's saying "No, my fighter doesn't have a stamina problem."

His point is Hearns didn't have a stamina problem, but people still questioned it.

[The Wanderer]

It was something that people questioned about Hearns a bit, mostly because for a long time he didn't have to go the distance. (And didn't look good at first when he did). For example, I heard an alternate commentary once for Hagler-Hearns, (maybe it was the British commentary), where they had I think they had Curry calling the fight with them, and Curry speculated that maybe Hagler opened up so quickly in order to test Tommy's stamina and make Tommy shoot his bolt early.

[Popkins]

He's making a point by using Hearns as an example. He's saying "No, my fighter doesn't have a stamina problem."

His point is Hearns didn't have a stamina problem, but people still questioned it.

Yes, I do own a human brain and I do speak the English language, so I am aware of that. My question is, did people question Tommy's stamina, because I haven't heard that accusation being levelled at him, so I dunno if I've just been under a rock all this time or if Booth was talking shit.

[Popkins]

It was something that people questioned about Hearns a bit, mostly because for a long time he didn't have to go the distance. (And didn't look good at first when he did). For example, I heard an alternate commentary once for Hagler-Hearns, (maybe it was the British commentary), where they had I think they had Curry calling the fight with them, and Curry speculated that maybe Hagler opened up so quickly in order to test Tommy's stamina and make Tommy shoot his bolt early.

I haven't heard that commentary. Interesting.

[teeto]

I wouldn't go crazy on his stamina being a problem, but of course you could call it his weakness in the grand scheme of things.

[sugarsean]

no he did'nt have a stamina problem he fought at a great pace

[Duodenum]

Back in the day, Tommy's stamina was indeed sharply questioned. Randy Shields in particular indicated that Hearns faded in strength as the rounds wore on. This is significant, because Shields previously had gone the distance with both SRL and Cuevas. Prior to the first SRL-Hearns match, Randy penned a remarkably accurate forecast of how that bout would turn out.

Ringside observers noted while Tommy was still undefeated that he appeared to lose some potency when going longer than eight rounds, although still remaining dangerous.

Many feel that Hearns might have been stopped in his rematch with SRL if that one had also been scheduled for 15 rounds.

True, Tommy earned his 15 round stripes in decisioning Benitez, but he also boxed smartly and conservatively in that one. Wilfredo did not hustle him strenously.

What I gather from all this is that it might be fair to label Hearns a front runner. He wasn't likely to come back late from a deficit to overtake an opponent. Of course with his abilities, building up an early lead was problematic, to say the least.

Somebody like LaMotta would have been swarming all over him during the championship rounds. I don't see Tommy surviving to the final bell against the Jake of the Dauthuille fight.

[Popkins]

Back in the day, Tommy's stamina was indeed sharply questioned. Randy Shields in particular indicated that Hearns faded in strength as the rounds wore on. This is significant, because Shields previously had gone the distance with both SRL and Cuevas. Prior to the first SRL-Hearns match, Randy penned a remarkably accurate forecast of how that bout would turn out.

Ringside observers noted while Tommy was still undefeated that he appeared to lose some potency when going longer than eight rounds, although still remaining dangerous.

Many feel that Hearns might have been stopped in his rematch with SRL if that one had also been scheduled for 15 rounds.

True, Tommy earned his 15 round stripes in decisioning Benitez, but he also boxed smartly and conservatively in that one. Wilfredo did not hustle him strenously.

What I gather from all this is that it might be fair to label Hearns a front runner. He wasn't likely to come back late from a deficit to overtake an opponent. Of course with his abilities, building up an early lead was problematic, to say the least.

Somebody like LaMotta would have been swarming all over him during the championship rounds. I don't see Tommy surviving to the final bell against the Jake of the Dauthuille fight.

This is exactly the sort of info and analysis I was after. Great post :good

[la-califa]

Back in the day, Tommy's stamina was indeed sharply questioned. Randy Shields in particular indicated that Hearns faded in strength as the rounds wore on. This is significant, because Shields previously had gone the distance with both SRL and Cuevas. Prior to the first SRL-Hearns match, Randy penned a remarkably accurate forecast of how that bout would turn out.

Ringside observers noted while Tommy was still undefeated that he appeared to lose some potency when going longer than eight rounds, although still remaining dangerous.

Many feel that Hearns might have been stopped in his rematch with SRL if that one had also been scheduled for 15 rounds.

True, Tommy earned his 15 round stripes in decisioning Benitez, but he also boxed smartly and conservatively in that one. Wilfredo did not hustle him strenously.

What I gather from all this is that it might be fair to label Hearns a front runner. He wasn't likely to come back late from a deficit to overtake an opponent. Of course with his abilities, building up an early lead was problematic, to say the least.

Somebody like LaMotta would have been swarming all over him during the championship rounds. I don't see Tommy surviving to the final bell against the Jake of the Dauthuille fight.In the Shields and Benitez fights, Hearns seemed to look strong in the late rounds. But when he was pressed & hurt, he didn't know how to effectivly clinch. Hearns appeared to have wobbly legs & couldn't tie his man up. But when he chose to Hearns moved & boxed to great effectivness. even in the late rounds.

[Duodenum]

In the Shields and Benitez fights, Hearns seemed to look strong in the late rounds. But when he was pressed & hurt, he didn't know how to effectivly clinch. Hearns appeared to have wobbly legs & couldn't tie his man up. But when he chose to Hearns moved & boxed to great effectivness. even in the late rounds.Tommy seemed all right to me against Shields also, but Randy was the one actually in the ring with him, and in an especially unique position to compare the Hearns stamina against that of Cuevas and SRL. (Shields also conclusively asserted that Hearns was a harder hitter than Pipino, a very interesting revelation at this early date, coming before Roger Stafford upset the still feared Cuevas.)

The information Popkins was seeking had to do with whether or not Tommy's stamina was being questioned during his career, as Adam Booth was claiming, and indeed that was true and well documented. Cuevas, Benitez, Palomino, Duran and SRL did not have the same doubts raised about their abilities to perform over the 15 round distance that Hearns was dogged by at the time, and in fact, the supposition that he had a deficit in this respect does set him apart from those other top welterweights of the day.

Cuevas, Palomino, Benitez, Duran and SRL all won protracted wars of attrition during the late 1970s and early 1980s. (Ray at the expense of Tommy himself.)

Benitez prevailed against endurance specialist Palomino, and came on strong in the championship rounds to overtake Weston. Duran, Benitez, SRL and Palomino all held stoppage wins in the 15th round. The second match Cuevas had with Espada was a classic 12 round war of attrition which conclusively proved Pipino's staying power, and Cuevas reiterated this ability with his decision over Shields, perhaps the greatest performance of Randy's career. Montreal saw both combatants finish surprisingly fresh considering the grueling nature of that brawl. In sharp contrast to all this, Hearns never stopped an opponent beyond round ten, excepting the head butt induced ending with Shields. In relative terms, the record does not support him as having stamina equal to the others.

[Popkins]

Tommy seemed all right to me against Shields also, but Randy was the one actually in the ring with him, and in an especially unique position to compare the Hearns stamina against that of Cuevas and SRL. (Shields also conclusively asserted that Hearns was a harder hitter than Pipino, a very interesting revelation at this early date, coming before Roger Stafford upset the still feared Cuevas.)

The information Popkins was seeking had to do with whether or not Tommy's stamina was being questioned during his career, as Adam Booth was claiming, and indeed that was true and well documented. Cuevas, Benitez, Palomino, Duran and SRL did not have the same doubts raised about their abilities to perform over the 15 round distance that Hearns was dogged by at the time, and in fact, the supposition that he had a deficit in this respect does set him apart from those other top welterweights of the day.

Cuevas, Palomino, Benitez, Duran and SRL all won protracted wars of attrition during the late 1970s and early 1980s. (Ray at the expense of Tommy himself.)

Benitez prevailed against endurance specialist Palomino, and came on strong in the championship rounds to overtake Weston. Duran, Benitez, SRL and Palomino all held stoppage wins in the 15th round. The second match Cuevas had with Espada was a classic 12 round war of attrition which conclusively proved Pipino's staying power, and Cuevas reiterated this ability with his decision over Shields, perhaps the greatest performance of Randy's career. Montreal saw both combatants finish surprisingly fresh considering the grueling nature of that brawl. In sharp contrast to all this, Hearns never stopped an opponent beyond round ten, excepting the head butt induced ending with Shields. In relative terms, the record does not support him as having stamina equal to the others.

Another brilliant post on the subject. Thomas Hearns is one of the few major 80s fighters whose career set I do not own, as I have always been a little bit of a Hearns sceptic, so it is great to read such intelligent and in-depth analysis of the Hitman.

[MrMarvel]

He overtrained sometimes. Leonard I and Hagler fights are good examples.

[JohnThomas1]

What I gather from all this is that it might be fair to label Hearns a front runner. He wasn't likely to come back late from a deficit to overtake an opponent. Of course with his abilities, building up an early lead was problematic, to say the least.


That's a very loose accusation.

When was Hearns ever behind in a fight all the way thru to the Barkley rematch?

You sound like you hold leading on points in basically every fight he ever had anywhere near prime against him.

So you saying "he wasn't likely to come back late from a deficit to overtake an opponent.", well, how could he? :blood

[Ezzard]

I feel it was a combination of perhaps average stamina and less than average durability, combined with the fact he came in too light against Leonard in the first fight.

When I say 'average' I mean average or 'below average' for an all-time great boxer. It was more than fine for beating meat and potatoes contenders.

I believe Tommy was the most naturally gifted of the fab 4. That includes Leonard. He was never outboxed. He's the most exciting fighter I have ever seen.

[duranimal]

I feel it was a combination of perhaps average stamina and less than average durability, combined with the fact he came in too light against Leonard in the first fight.

When I say 'average' I mean average or 'below average' for an all-time great boxer. It was more than fine for beating meat and potatoes contenders.

I believe Tommy was the most naturally gifted of the fab 4. That includes Leonard. He was never outboxed. He's the most exciting fighter I have ever seen.

I think he came in at 145 for the 1st leonard fight, incredible!!!! he's 6ft 1in tall, how did he manage to screw up like that, what a shame as he was well ahead in the fight & thats got to haunt Steward.

[Unforgiven]

Hearns won a 15 rounder, several 12 rounders and scored late KOs too.
So his stamina wasn't necessarily bad.

He didn't have the stamina to go 14 rounds with Leonard, or 3 rounds with a ferocious animalistic and desperate Marvin Hagler, but that's more a credit to those guys than a serious doubt on Hearns' stamina.

[Unforgiven]

What do people mean when they say he was "too light" in the Leonard fight ?

[Robbi]

What do people mean when they say he was "too light" in the Leonard fight ?
He came in at 145lbs.

I have an interview from The Ring magazine not long after the fight and he clearly stated he never had any problems making the weight whatsoever for the fight. He also mentioned that stamina wasn't a problem during the late states of the fight either.

[Jaws]

I think he came in at 145 for the 1st leonard fight, incredible!!!! he's 6ft 1in tall, how did he manage to screw up like that, what a shame as he was well ahead in the fight & thats got to haunt Steward.

He did--pretty crazy. Steward admitted they definitely made some mistakes as a corner in that fight.

Anyway, Tommy's stamina definitely wasn't bad....but it wasn't a strength either. So it's a non-issue. It wasn't a trait that was going to win or cost him a fight.

[Ezzard]

I think he came in at 145 for the 1st leonard fight, incredible!!!! he's 6ft 1in tall, how did he manage to screw up like that, what a shame as he was well ahead in the fight & thats got to haunt Steward.

Apparently Steward had to stop him training. He claims that Hearns was so up for the fight he couldn't stop himself. Emmanuel argues that Hearns basically overtrained. Some people at ringside noted that Hearns wasn't sweating at all.

I don't know...but at 145 he was obviously going to be drained. I think that impacted on his stamina to some degree but then i think the late rounds KO loss probably impacted upon him mentally in later fights.

[Unforgiven]

He came in at 145lbs.

I have an interview from The Ring magazine not long after the fight and he clearly stated he never had any problems making the weight whatsoever for the fight. He also mentioned that stamina wasn't a problem during the late states of the fight either.

:good

He was 145 against Bruce Curry too.
It's often a case that a fighter will be at his lightest when he's in his best shape. So 145 is not necessarily too light.
What exactly do people think he's be doing differently at 146 1/2 ?

[Robbi]

:good

He was 145 against Bruce Curry too.
It's often a case that a fighter will be at his lightest when he's in his best shape. So 145 is not necessarily too light.
What exactly do people think he's be doing differently at 146 1/2 ?

Hearns said in an interview with The Ring after the fight that by coming in at 145 showed he never had a problem with the weight.

[Bill Butcher]

I read in the newspaper today that David Haye's coach Adam Booth was asked if Haye's lack of stamina is a problem, and he replied:

"Hey, people questioned Thomas Hearns's stamina."

:huh Did they? Other than maybe gassing a little against SRL because he was a bit weight-drained, has this accusation been levelled against Hearns seriously and often? Or is Booth just talking shit? I haven't heard it being given much credence before.

I only ever recall Tommy looking to have stamina trouble in the first SRL fight as he came in at 145 - 2 lbs under the max limit - & he supposedly overtrained for that fight too as it was the biggest fight of his career.

I wouldnt put his stamina on the same level as an Armstrong or Salvador Sanchez but he certainly had at least average stamina for an elite level fighter, Ive never seen stamina as a major flaw in his arsenal, personally.

[Bill Butcher]

Another brilliant post on the subject. Thomas Hearns is one of the few major 80s fighters whose career set I do not own, as I have always been a little bit of a Hearns sceptic, so it is great to read such intelligent and in-depth analysis of the Hitman.

Thats the way I was until one day I was bored as shit with lots of time on my hands & I went thru his entire record searching for every full fight of his on the net, there were quite a lot & since then he has become one of my favourites, a real master boxer on the level I never knew he was like... well worth checking out the Hitman in more detail, freighteningly good fighter, seeing Tommy vs the mortals of boxing really makes me respect Leonard & Hagler all the more if thats possible, check him out.

:good