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

[mikeeod]

I am sure Leonard was favourite against Hearns?

Tommy was undefeated and looked like a killer/monster (he was a killer/monster) where Ray had suffered the upset against Duran. He had avenged the loss but it was close into the 8th and no one had ever seen Hearns do anything but blow opponents out- so from my recollection I remember it being close but Tommy being the betting favorite (slightly). I may be remembering incorrectly but I recall it being a true 50/50 split that leaned slightly towards Hearns when the bets started coming in.

[TitoFan]

I am sure Leonard was favourite against Hearns?

Tommy was undefeated and looked like a killer/monster (he was a killer/monster) where Ray had suffered the upset against Duran. He had avenged the loss but it was close into the 8th and no one had ever seen Hearns do anything but blow opponents out- so from my recollection I remember it being close but Tommy being the betting favorite (slightly). I may be remembering incorrectly but I recall it being a true 50/50 split that leaned slightly towards Hearns when the bets started coming in.

I don't recall either... but for the reasons you mention... it seems logical that Hearns would have been favored. I know going in that I thought SRL was gonna get knocked out. What followed was an epic fight, with the ebbs and flows I also look for when ranking the greatest fights of all time.

[Master]

[X]

Tommy was completely an ATG. No question about that.

A deserving P4P in a great era. As a Welterweight, and possibly light middle, there is not a fighter in history who you can say would definitely beat him. Great slick boxing skills and a pulverising equaliser that was always a threat no matter what round it was.

Fought everyone. Ducked nobody. Never intimidated by anyone.

I was lucky(?) enough to spar hundreds of rounds with him back in the day, if not thousands.

The problem with fighting him was …… it was the fine details. Reflexes, technique, skills - he just got those little things exactly right every single time. If there was a tiny opening for a jab, you knew he would fire it in really fast, really hard, EVERY SINGLE TIME.

If the situation called for some movement , you knew his footwork would be immaculate EVERY SINGLE TIME.

He never turned up in the gym unfocused, or tired, or hung over, or late.

A brilliant fighter. And quite a nice bloke too really. Loved a childish practical joke (filling your gloves with shaving foam stands out)

[Master]

Tommy Hearns genuinely scared me; I would rather face a prime Mike Tyson or George Foreman than look across the ring and see Hit Man stare at me in his Kronk trunks as I shrivel with fright.

How Hearns kept on having these amazing fights against top fighters and fearlessly took on all comers is truly amazing.

No shame in losing to Leonard, the second greatest welterweight of all time and Hagler one of the greatest middleweights in epic contests.

Tommy is my favourite ATG and that right hand detonating on Duran is forever stuck in my memory.

[NoSavingByTheBell]

It was great but it's weird how he smoked Roberto Duran but at the same time Duran smoked I ran Barkley who totally smoked Tommy hearns two times

[Master]

It was great but it's weird how he smoked Roberto Duran but at the same time Duran smoked I ran Barkley who totally smoked Tommy hearns two times

Duran beat Leonard and gave Hagler a tough time.