Thomas Hearns - Should've (Could've) Been #1 GOAT.

[Master]

For me, Thomas Hearns was the most frightening boxer ever. I would have preferred to face Tyson, Foreman or Julian Jackson than the Hit Man. He looked like he wanted to decapitate your head from your shoulders with that right hand. His jab was razor sharp and would slice his opponents. The left hook to the head or body was unappreciated because of his other outstanding weapons. He was fast, tall and had tremendous power which he loved to use. His will to win and excitement he brought to boxing is legendary.

His physique and those eyes would make me want to run out of the ring. I am sure X will not mind me saying that he shared a gym (and ring) with him.

How Ray Leonard beat him god only knows, and I wonder how Sugar Ray Robinson would have fared against at welterweight. I could only see Robinson being able to beat that version of Hearns. Floyd, Tito, Oscar, Manny, Spence or Crawford would all lose.

Thomas Hearns was a better p4p fighter than Leonard even though he lost to him. Tommy really beat him in the rematch knocking Leonard down twice and was robbed in that fight. Hearns was better at light middleweight, super middleweight, and light heavyweight. He beat the undefeated Vigill Hill which elevates him on the p4p list.

If Hearns fought Benn, G Man, Jackson, Roy Jones, GGG, Canelo there would be dynamite in the ring.

Leonard is higher as an ATG. (Cue Primo ripping into me )

[Primo Carnera]

For me, Thomas Hearns was the most frightening boxer ever. I would have preferred to face Tyson, Foreman or Julian Jackson than the Hit Man. He looked like he wanted to decapitate your head from your shoulders with that right hand. His jab was razor sharp and would slice his opponents. The left hook to the head or body was unappreciated because of his other outstanding weapons. He was fast, tall and had tremendous power which he loved to use. His will to win and excitement he brought to boxing is legendary.

His physique and those eyes would make me want to run out of the ring. I am sure X will not mind me saying that he shared a gym (and ring) with him.

How Ray Leonard beat him god only knows, and I wonder how Sugar Ray Robinson would have fared against at welterweight. I could only see Robinson being able to beat that version of Hearns. Floyd, Tito, Oscar, Manny, Spence or Crawford would all lose.

Thomas Hearns was a better p4p fighter than Leonard even though he lost to him. Tommy really beat him in the rematch knocking Leonard down twice and was robbed in that fight. Hearns was better at light middleweight, super middleweight, and light heavyweight. He beat the undefeated Vigill Hill which elevates him on the p4p list.

If Hearns fought Benn, G Man, Jackson, Roy Jones, GGG, Canelo there would be dynamite in the ring.

Leonard is higher as an ATG. (Cue Primo ripping into me )

no I'm not going to rip into you, I can see some logic in your thought there. But losses are losses unfortunately.
it highlights a difference in ATG and P4P thinking though. the other thing i would say, is that I am more confident that Hearns would've beaten Floyd in a Prime v Prime matchup than i am about SRL v Floyd . (I Know their primes are different weights , so that's something else that makes it difficult.)

[Master]

Leonard beats Floyd all day long, it would be a good fight but see him better in all departments. It would be a similar fight to how he beat Benitez.

[Master]

Hearns actively went on to take the biggest challenges. Some may have rated him higher if he avoided Leonard, waited for Hagler to retire, not taken on the champions at the higher weights to protect his zero like some fighters do.

Tommy should not be penalised to losing to greats or someone who had his number like Barkley. Ali had his Norton, Tyson his Holyfield, Shane his Forrest.

Canelo should not be penalised for his losses or Wlad for his early KO’s when he dominates the weight to beat all credible challengers when they are on the p4p list.

[Master]

“It was crazy, someone sent me something about ‘The Best Welterweights’," Mayweather told Fight Hype. “They had Sugar Ray Leonard No1. Like I said before, he was the guy that paved the way for myself. But how can you have a guy ranked No1 when his first loss was to a lightweight, Roberto Duran?

“And then they also talked about me facing [Juan Manuel] Marquez, which was at catchweight of 144lbs. But this same guy, Marquez, knocked out their No3 ranked welterweight – because they had Pacquiao No3. He got knocked out by Juan Manuel Marquez. They were trying to say that basically he [Marquez] was too small for me. But he wasn't too small for Manny Pacquiao?"

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/boxi...c95461941d1ece

[TitoFan]

Hearns actively went on to take the biggest challenges. Some may have rated him higher if he avoided Leonard, waited for Hagler to retire, not taken on the champions at the higher weights to protect his zero like some fighters do.

Tommy should not be penalised to losing to greats or someone who had his number like Barkley. Ali had his Norton, Tyson his Holyfield, Shane his Forrest.

Canelo should not be penalised for his losses or Wlad for his early KO’s when he dominates the weight to beat all credible challengers when they are on the p4p list.

Ironically... if the red bolded part were a question as to "Who does this?".... the answer is bolded below that in blue.

[mikeeod]

Tommy was an ATG- no doubt about it, but I agree that you can’t fault Duran for fighting a MUCH bigger man at a higher weight. I can see a solid case for Duran over Tommy- despite the head to head loss/blow out. Duran moved up after cleaning out 135 and beat a guy regarded as the top 1 or 2 welters ever when he beat an undefeated Ray Leonard. That win surpasses Tommy’s biggest wins and Tommy never cleaned out any weight class.

Tommy’s physical gifts, his heart/toughness, and his boxing skills were impressive and land him in the top 3 or 4 welterweights ever- but for me his losses to Leonard and Hagler keep him out of the top 15 all time. I have Duran as a solid top 10 ATG, with his loss to Hearns being an aberration/bad style match up. It was great growing up and being able to watch these guys compete in their primes- hoping we get another era of talent and toughness like that soon…

[Primo Carnera]

Tommy was an ATG- no doubt about it, but I agree that you can’t fault Duran for fighting a MUCH bigger man at a higher weight. I can see a solid case for Duran over Tommy- despite the head to head loss/blow out. Duran moved up after cleaning out 135 and beat a guy regarded as the top 1 or 2 welters ever when he beat an undefeated Ray Leonard. That win surpasses Tommy’s biggest wins and Tommy never cleaned out any weight class.

Tommy’s physical gifts, his heart/toughness, and his boxing skills were impressive and land him in the top 3 or 4 welterweights ever- but for me his losses to Leonard and Hagler keep him out of the top 15 all time. I have Duran as a solid top 10 ATG, with his loss to Hearns being an aberration/bad style match up. It was great growing up and being able to watch these guys compete in their primes- hoping we get another era of talent and toughness like that soon…

You make me feel a lot better about my original assessment, thanks for that.
But if Hearns is punished to outside the top 15 for losses to Leonard and Hagler, what does the “no mas” do for Duran’s ranking?
In no way am I dismissing your view, or Duran’s standing but It’s intriguing.