FIGHT OF THE WEEK 16- Thomas The Hitman Hearns vs Sugar Ray Leonard II

I remember watching it live and being livid when it was called a draw. Hearns should have won by a close but clear decision. Dalby Shirley scoring the 12th round 10-8 for Leonard was just ridiculous!

 

I scored it 5-5-2 in rounds with Hearns winning by 2 points because of the knockdowns. I had the first two rounds EVEN, I scored 3(2points),4,7,8,11(2 points) for Hearns, 5,6,9,10,12 for Leonard. Close fight, Hearns 115, Leonard 113.

I don't like to score even rounds and especially don't like to score two in a row even, but I just didn't see anything in the first two rounds to separate them. Two excellent technical fighters who also had plenty of heart and talent. It didn't look like a robbery to me either way.

 

Here’s how I scored it for the fights you watched/scored sticky thread last summer. I love this fight:

Ray Leonard vs. Thomas Hearns II on June 12, 1989, scheduled for 12 rounds in front of a crowd of 15,300 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas for the WBC super middleweight crown.

Leonard, age 33, entered 35-1 (25) and weighs 160. He is guaranteed $13M.

Hearns, 30, enters 46-3 (38) and weighs 162 1/2. His guarantee is $11M.

Leonard is a 3-1 favorite at the sports books. Odds on a draw are 15-1.

Interestingly, this is Ray’s fifth fight since their first meeting in 1981. Hearns has had 15 fights since that fight

This time, Hearns wears the gold Kronk trunks while Leonard is clad in red and white striped attire.

Round 1: Hearns 10-9 — Leonard moves around as in the first fight for about a minute and then settles down to hold his ground; He lands one good right whereas Hearns controls things with is jab and lands a few others blows to take it

Round 2: Hearns 10-9 — Tommy keeps working the jab and lands a solid right when Ray turns southpaw for a moment; Leonard throwing one shot at a time

Round 3: Hearns 10-8 — The Hit man lands a right that stuns Sugar Ray and puts him down with a glancing follow-up to the top of the head; Hearns rakes him along the ropes as he goes for the KO

Round 4: Hearns 10-9 — Several good exchanges, with Leonard starting to take over late in the round, but by that time Hearns has done enough to nip it

Round 5: Leonard 10-8 — Ray stuns Tommy with a right hand followed by a big hook and batters him the rest of the round

Round 6: Hearns 10-9 — Ray takes off the first 2 minutes, doing basically nothing after expending so much energy going for the stoppage the round before; Hearns wins the round by being busier

Round 7: Leonard 10-9 — Hearns comes on strong in the final minute but Leonard did more, especially to the body, over the first two minutes to put this one in his pocket

Round 8: Leonard 10-9 — Close round, not much happening but Ray is a tad busier

Round 9: Leonard 10-9 — This one is close until he last 30 seconds, when Leonard comes on strong to grab it

Round 10: Leonard 10-9 — Leonard has a big early part of the round and pulls even on my scoreboard

Round 11: Hearns 10-8 — Hearns tags Sugar with a big right and follows up with a left hook and another to put Ray on the canvas again; Tommy follows up on his advantage and pours it on for a big round

Round 12: Leonard 10-9 — The Motor City Cobra starts well but Leonard storms back and takes over, landing a lot of hard shots to the head and body in his last stand

Result: Draw

Cards: 113-112 Hearns, 113-112 Leonard, 112-112 even

My card: Hearns 113-112

Of note: The tale of the tap for the first fight credited Hearns with an 8-inch reach advantage at 78 1/2 inches; this tale of the tape his reach is half an inch shorter and Ray’s wingspan has grown 4 inches, haha.

Hearns accepts the verdict but Ray later admits his rival should have gotten the decision.

Fun fight. They aren’t the same as they were in their primes but are no less competitive and committed to winning. Bravo.

 

I've never scored this one before. I watched it back in 1989 but not sure if I've actually watched it since so will be giving this a go, for sure.

 

Here is my scorecard. More thoughts to follow.

Thomas Hearns v Sugar Ray Leonard 2

1 10-10 (cagey)
2 10-9 (close)
3 10-8 (Ray looked like he was off balance for the KD but his reaction showed it was a legit one)
4 9-10 (close)
5 9-10 (the first clear round for Sugar Ray and it's a big one - theoretically this could be a two point round but I decided against that)
6 9-10 (another close one)
7 10-9 (great start to the round by Hearns, who has Leonard in trouble but Sugar mounts a comeback and finishes strongly - great stuff)
8 10-9
9 9-10 (Hearns' legs go again after a very even and competitive round)
10 9-10
11 10-8 (Leonard down again)
12 9-10 (terrific final round - Hearns in trouble but holds on)

Hearns 114-113 Leonard

 

I love this fight. It's a lot more entertaining for me than the first one tbh. It kept me on the edge of my seat thru out.
I've watched it a few times. Have Tommy winning by a round or so.

 

This.

 

What a great and compelling contest this was between two ATGs in the twilight of their careers. No-one had any right to expect a fight this good but both fighters over-delivered with their performances.

I remember watching the recording of this at my grandparents' house a couple of weeks after the fight happened. In my mind back then, Hearns won (even though I wanted to Leonard to) because of the knockdowns. But watching this back now I can see that the scores were justifiably close. When two cards have it by one point to each man and the third has it a draw, it does make you question the motivation of at least some of the people calling this a robbery. No-one lost and if you think Hearns should have won, you'll get no complaint from me - I had it to him by one point - but it's a question of fine margins. Had I elected to score the 5th a 10-8 round for Leonard, which would have been a reasonable call, I'd have made it a draw as well.

In terms of clear rounds, I had it three rounds apiece with Hearns definitively winning rounds 3 (KD), 8 and 11 (KD) and Leonard winning rounds 5, 9 and 12. Round 7 is an interesting one as Hearns had Leonard in trouble early but Ray fought his way back - not enough to win it on my card but I'm sure others have it differently. The other rounds were nip and tuck. The 'Hearns was robbed' narrative may also have gained momentum over the years as Leonard has since acknowledged that Hearns won. However, I would take that with a pinch of salt - it's likely that Leonard was trying to deflect Tommy's continued insistence on a rematch, something Ray had no interest in - it became easier for him to say 'Fine, Tommy, you won'. Away from the spotlight, I doubt Leonard really thinks he lost.

 

I agree about the 12th - it wasn't a 10-8 to Leonard. The 5th could have been, though...

 

Well done Mr. Sanders well done! The second fight was almost a carbon copy of
the 1st without of course the knockdowns of Leonard, the ebb and flow,
without either man actually dominating . Your scoring is right on
point. It's what I had the actual night of the fight watching it live. I never got
the" Hearns dominated Leonard " opinions either. Both fights were very
close. If the 2nd fight was 15rd , Leonard more than likely stops
Hearns again.

 

Not terribly dissimilar to the first fight in a lot of ways. 12 rounds=Hearns. 15 rounds=Leonard.

 

One of my all-time favorite fights.
I remember it being made like yesterday and worried because Tommy hadn't looked too good in his last couple of fights.
Then a newspaper article covering the fight interviewed Yearns and asked him if he had anything to say to Leonard and he said: TRAIN HARD.
When I read that I knew Tommy was going to give it everything he had.
I watched the fight at a closed Circuit place and it was PACKED. Everyone was standing and cheering throughout the entire fight.
God I miss those boxing days.