I think about this match up quite a bit, and have been all over the place on how I see it unfold. Both were large, dominant welters with impressive offensive arsenals in their respective primes. That being said, both had enough flaws that they were not unbeatable, especially when fighting fellow elite fighters.

Hearns was significantly taller than Tito, which was a factor that Tito rarely had to deal with. Tommy also was much faster and mobile in his prime (hand and feet), and was able to outbox master boxers like Ray Leonard and Wilfredo Benitez. The one punch power advantage belonged to Tommy thanks to his right hand (he had a great left hook as well), but his chinks in the armor were his chin and stamina.

Tito was a monster at 147, and during his best years was actually a solid boxer who had legitimate one punch power (people forget how solid Tito was before he fell in love with his punch). I would argue that Tito's left hook was only slightly less effective/menacing than Hearns's right hand, and I feel that Tito was a much more devastating body puncher than Tommy ever was. Tito had phenomenal stamina during his prime, and was the definition of relentless pressure, grinding down top notch competition, many times rising from a knockdown to do so. Tito was a notoriously slow starter, was thoroughly out boxed by Oscar, Hop, and Winky, and became a one dimensional pressure fighter who moved in straight lines forward and backward (little to no lateral movement).

Tommy came out of the gate looking to blow the other fighter out, where Tito took a few rounds to find his groove, so I can see and agree with everyone's point/prediction that Tito would visit the canvas early. That being said, Tito always got up from the knock downs scarier/more determined, and often broke his opponents mentally through hard punching and sustained pressure. Tommy definitely had the versatility, speed, and boxing skills to change tactics and box circles around Tito, developing a lead on the scorecards and winning a decision.

My question/dilemma now, is whether Tommy could sustain that pace and not wilt from Tito's pressure, body work, and punch. Some days I think Tito doesn't touch him, but often remember that welter Tito could counter effectively, and was a devastating body puncher. So, while I see Tommy standing a better chance to win, it isn't by that much and feel that Tito had the power to land one left hook to the body or head and change the outcome of the fight. Would've loved to see these two warriors share a ring.