Hearns vs. Fitzsimmons at catchweight

dont think it goes that long 2 be honest

 

i think Hearns beats him possibly a late stoppage by modern rules. Fitz was tough and would try t counter Tommy as he attacked but i think Hearns was abit too quick and tall for him.

 

He never, but he was fighting 40 odd pounds above his original weight and was over the hill.

 

hearns wins but is it silly to think that he has to get off the floor to do it

 

I would be inclined to go with Fitzsimmons here.

Both these guys are teriffic pound for pound punchers as you know but Fitzsimmons was definitely the more durable of the two. Don't forgett that he was taking punches from the best heavyweights of his era with 4 oz gloves.

Simply put it comes down to what breaks first.

 

I don't know about that. Fitz was coming in at around 170 in catchweight fights and probably understated or overstated his weight prior to some fights.

Adam Pollack thought that Fitzsimmons could have made the junior middleweight limit under curent weigh in rules.

 

He could do it:

A. At that point in his career.

B. If that is what he actualy weighed at that point.

One thing that quickly becomes aparent when researching that period is that the published weights of fighters were often BS.

For example when Fitzsimmons fought Gus Ruhlin his published weight was 155 lbs while some sources indicate that he was really 170. John L Sullivan's weight has been given as everything from 175 lbs to "230 lbs in fine physical condition".

 

So do you think Fitz actually weighed with in the MW limit?

 

Fitz would win via Ko. Remember he flatten heavies, and took shots from heavies. Hearns was an offensive machine, but lacked durability.

 

In the title fight against Dempsey at least he would have to have weighed inside the middleweight limit.

If Dempsey had even suspected that Fitz was cheating with the weigh in he would not have gone ahead with the fight and as champion he held the whip hand.

I do recall however that after the fight Dempsey said disparagingly that Fitz was "a boiled down heavyweight". So by the standards of his day he was doing a Tommy Hearns to make weight.