Originally Posted by
match
What's ridiculous is this notion that some people feel the 4 greats of the 80s just automatically beat every other fighter from every other era. The main thing they did to cement their own legacies was beat up on each other.
This doesn't work. Duran was a legend at lightweight b/f meeting any of the other fab4. Perhaps he cemeted his legacy by becoming the only person to ever defeat SRL at welter, but then he no-massed and lost to every one else.
Hagler, like Duran at lightweifgt, made his rep well b/f destroying Hearns in his signature fight. But he was an all-time great even before that, though denied the recogntion at the time.
Tommy Hearns, while not great yet, was considered freakshily powerful before meeting SRL. He knoocked out everyone, and often in brutal fashion. He rep was like tyson's b/f his first title fight. If you go back and read the press at the time, most of the smart money was on the hitman prior to the first fight with leoanrd. indeed, he out-jabbed him, outboxed him, and obviously threw harder punches. then SLR discovered his chin. Hearns rep with the public went up after the fight, as he displayed sick skills, but the revelation of his weakness erased his unbeatable rep.
SRL was the golden boy b/f meeting duran. but he proabaly needed the rest of the fab4 more than anyone else. take away duran, hearns and hagler, and he doesn't have much of a legacy.
But that was what was so special about the era. they all fought each other. Now we've had PBF(SRL-flashy boxer), PACman(Duran like size and offensive intensity with excellent defense), Willams(Hearns-b/c of the height and reach), and Mosely(Hagler-great power and a tad underappreciated) for the last few years and only PBF-Mosley have fought. WTF!
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