Was the Hearns v Shuler blow out one of the greatest in middleweigt history?

Slow down. Breathe. Maybe it was a exciting, impressive win over fighter with a bright future that was tragically cut short?

 

Often the form a fighter displays is heavily influenced, if not dictated by the level of resistance and threat offered by their opponent. I understand it’s a fun exercise to take a performance in one fight and apply it to a different fight but the reality is that the real world is much less cut and dry.

 

Where's Rod Serling?

 

"There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man [except mark ant]."

 

I think Hearns problem was he moved up and down too much after Hagler. Had he stayed at middleweight he could have let his body adjust fully to the weight and become as great there as he was at 147 and 154. He was just so anxious to win at 175 and then 160 if he did not get Hagler, then he wanted the titles. I would have liked to see how Hearns would have done had he decided to stay at middleweight after this fight and fight there a few years without moving around.

 

One of the most underrated, maybe

 

Well he didn't look as good against Ray in the rematch no, but
I thought he looked well against Ray, but not like he did against Shuler. He looked good against Shuler. I thought moving down and fighting Medal was a mistake after looking solid at middleweight finally. It was irresponsible to move back down. To me, Hearns was irresponsible, but he was so great he still managed to win. I mean moving down to 154 in June of 1986, then to middle in October 1986 for Dewitt, then up to 175 in March 87 for Andries, then back down for Roldan at middleweight. I mean how dumb. Had he been solid at middleweight he would have beaten Barkley originally in my mind.

 

Well Pee there was that slight problem of a tapestry made jaw and fragile constitution. At middleweight his career shows him a bit above a sloppy club fighter. Gift decisions. Wobbly all the time. You really had to be seen as a glass man for Leonard to pick you after 1982. As a matter of fact M Night Sayamanomanamnuman has a movie coming out this month called "Mr. Glass". I thought is was Hearns bio but it isn't. No Tommy never should have allowed Leonard to chase him out of the Welters and could of regained the throne and been a great champion.

 

Well Steward is on record by saying that Tommy probably reached his peak in the Shuler fight. It was an awesome performance with some wicked body shots and that last overhand right cross. Tommy's left hook was definitely underrated and when he turned it in to body or head he nailed people - he badly hurt Virgil Hill with left hands in their fight for example.

So yeah, it is overlooked for sure.

 

This was a great performance from Tommy, and it could be that his subsequent move up to LHW and then back down to MW ended his prime. But it's almost impossible to say. The difference for me when seeing him against Barkley, Roldan and Kinchen is not that he looks less sharp but that they kept coming whereas Schuler folded almost instantly. And the simple fact is that Tommy always struggled when his best punches weren't enough to stop his opponents in their tracks.