Quote Originally Posted by mokele


In my opinion, it's hard to favor anybody head to head against Hearns at welterweight. Leonard beat him but it took a miraculous effort to do it way behind on points and with a badly swollen eye. Hearns was a physical marvel, a rangy, small-boned guy with broad shoulders, a wide variety of punches, a great jab and a big overhand right. I have yet to see anyone who would have had much of any chance at all of outpointing him at 147 lbs. Maybe another very tall welterweight such as Mark Breland or Maurice "the thin man" Blocker would have stood a slight chance. In order to beat Tommy Hearns you had to knock him out.

I know that Floyd Mayweather Jr. is fast, but Hearns had a 78" reach. Picture Antonio Margarito, add 2" in height, make him faster, give him a better jab and overhand right and you're close to the offensive fighter that Hearns was. If Hearns had the chin of Marvin Hagler he would have been the greatest fighter who ever lived.
Spot on, Mokele - Hearns was truly an awesome fighting machine.