If Leonard have fought Hearns the same way Hagler did, which was to bull rush and slug it out with Hearns right away do you think Leonard would have pulled it off the same way as Hagler?
Maybe. But Hagler had a better chin than Leonard. I think that played into Leonard not being as aggressive ... until he had to be.
Hagler was a naturally bigger stronger fighter than either. I don't see SRL having the type power to blitzkrieg Hearns.
Hagler also hit harder than Ray. Noticeably harder as he was a natural middleweight, leonard was not.
SRL would have ended up like Duran did when Duran fought Hearns...if SRL had rushed Hearns early in the fight.
No. Even SRL's promoter Bob Arum said on camera that he expected Tommy to catch Ray early and end it quickly. Hearns was thought by many to be invincible. SRL knew for a fact he wasn't invincible himself, and it took him three rounds by his own admission to fully clear his head in Montreal after Duran stunned him with that monster left hook at 1:25 left to go in round two. He wasn't taking chances in his WW unification. Hagler was unique. While SRL had been stunned by Fireball Rodriguez in his second career bout as well as Duran in Montreal, Marv's chin was long since legendary going into the Hearns bout. If Ray had rushed Tommy like that, Hearns knew from Montreal and Rodriguez that SRL's chin was not impervious. Even now, many speculate that MMH may have actually had a Toney caliber HW chin. Tommy would have been briefly surprised at getting rushed by Ray before nailing him coming in. He was startled by Marv tearing after him after the way Hearns flattened Duran, but then Tommy bombed MMH coming in with the same right he dropped Cuevas and Duran on their faces with, and got his hand broken, taking away his best weapon. So far as I know, SRL never fractured anybodies fist with his head. Only Hagler had the combination of chin and power to pull a Hagler on Hearns.
No Leonard didn't the same size and strength of Hagler I think Sugar Ray fought the right fight - He drug Hearns into deep water and then lowered the boom late.
Of course he could, after all that is exactly what he did when it mattered most. Might not be his best tactic, but he unquestionably proved he could walk Tommy down and KO him
