Didn`t have Ali`s chin, that hook from Cooper would have knocked Hearns out and the hook that Frazier dropped Ali with.
He didn`t get hit much at 147 or 154, he hit Leonard more than Leonard hit Tommy. Nunn got tagged often by Roldan, Starling, Toney and Curry, he was also pretty easy to hit at 168 where he was dropped by Cordoba.
Nunn ain`t doing that to Hearns and before that shot landed Hearns was fighting better the clip I pasted of Nunn v Cordoba, plus Nunn didn`t have Barkley`s chin, he was taking some heavy lead hand shots to body and head.
You’re right he DIDN’T have Barkley’s chin. Nunn was only stopped once in over sixty fights and hung in there longer with the same man who stopped them both.. Good call, Mark !!!
I'd favor Hearns pre Hagler. He's got the speed and reach to go with Nunn and his big right hand powa would be the difference for mine. Post Hagler it's a lottery as Hearns legs and durability started to decline. The Kalambay KO flatters Nunn much in the same way Laporte's KO of Lockridge. Both were hugely against the grain of what either did both before and after. Nunn was a lot like Greg Page in that both were very talented but both also stagnated or even went backwards. Nunn looked superb against Tate but it needs to be said Tate has very little on his resume. Sibbo was washed up and Olajide was mid pack. Nunn was solid against a ringworn but always awkward Roldan but lot some fanfare in an uninspiring performance against Barkley where he got on his bike and stayed there. A bit unfair perhaps as Barkley could be dangerous. Two very flat performances against welters after that particularly against Starling. He looked superb against Toney before being stopped but Toney was little known even if well rounded and a speedster was well quite suited against him. At the end of the day you have to go out on a bit of a limb with Nunn against top flight guys. He gets a LOT of mileage out of a somewhat thin resume. When he fought boring and boxed he was very effective and this would be his best option against top dogs. I think he'd be awkward for the Monzon's and Hagler's but i can't see him beating them. Stylistically i think he'd be very very awkward for a guy like McCallum. Probably guys like Briscoe and Valdes too particularly over 12.
Hearns could box just as well as Nunn but he had more pop and more of a warrior spirit. I think Hearns from the Hagler fight beats the best version of Nunn. Though that's not to say Michael wouldn't have made it a tough nite.
Often agree with your posts, PernellSweetPea. Not this time. I think Nunn is underrated, if anything. Thought he was a marvel of athleticism - and, despite being as pretty as a girl, much tougher than he is often given credit for. See how he laughed in Barkley's face in the early going. (BTW, I don't think their fight was as close as the judges had it. Barkley, while game as always, was outclassed by Nunn.) Further, it is decades since I last watched it but if memory serves Cordoba landed many low blows in their first fight before Nunn started complaining. Nunn was double-tough.
Hung in there? Toney was dissapointed with his punches against Nunn and stated that he knew he`d need to improve to get to the next level.