Today in Boxing History | Sugar Ray Leonard KOs Thomas 'Hitman' Hearns to Unify the World Welterweight Title
SteemSports Presenter:@brandonk
SteemSports Editor:@scottybuckets
This fight transcended boxing and sports itself as it brought two of the three kings together in an era where these men ruled. Duran, Leonard, and Hearns ruled the welterweight heirarchy that led to some of the greatest battles we've ever seen between those canvassed ropes.
This old school affair lasted for 15 rounds, and Sugar Ray Leonard was on the end of a lot of brutal jabs and right hands from the Hitman himself. This bout may have gone the other way with today's rules initiated, but in a 15 round fight, Leonard was arguably unbeatable.
A lot of the old legends actually made a living off surviving until the very deep rounds and knocking off the more powerful foe due to exhaustion. Leonard vs Hearns is a solid example as is Ali vs. Foreman, Frazier and Shavers. These tactics would've not played out so well in the modern era...
...but that doesn't really matter because the all time greats would have adjusted for twelve rounds as well. Leonard arguably knocked Hearns down late in the fight but it was called a slip, and this seemed to be the beginning of the end for one of the greatest jabbers in history.
Leonard's face by the end of this fight was a catastrophe, and he was arguably on his way to losing this fight by a somewhat wide margin. The attrition, heart, and championship spirit possessed and posed by Leonard that night is in the ranks of greatest sports moments ever!
Hearns was quite under rated for the losses he took later in life, but when one thinks about him taking the Hagler fight at middleweight and going to absolute war with him, one can't help but to respect and admire everything about what this legend represented.
There was no fear in the 70s and 80s era fighters. Nowadays boxers seem to care more for the signed check than than anything else, but old school Olympians were a different breed. Fifteen round machines that could turn the tide of a fight at seriously any moment.
The fire in the hearts of the three kings made the 80s era of boxing what it was. All Olympians turned pro who were as daring as they were technical... it was something we may never bear witness to again. Hearns, Leonard, and Duran, they are truly owed so much for they did.
The legacy of a fighter isn't so much in his record, but how he achieved that record and whom he beat for it. The Marcianos, Leonards, Alis, and Tysons.. they all took their losses in stride but showed brilliance in the ring that is eternally everlasting. Never forget the greats!
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