Margo's chin is like titanium, he took hundreds of flush shots from a sharp, powerful puncher in Cotto, as well as Cintron. But this is a different level of puncher. Margo's got the chin to absorb a good amount of Tommy's shots, and the power to stop him, but he gets hit to much to stay in for 6 rounds with Hearns. Tommy's edge in height and reach would help him a lot also. Same thing with Trinidad. A great chin to take all of those flush shots from Cotto, but a middleweight or lightheavyweight with a solid chin isn't going to be standing if they take that many flush shots from a puncher Hearns or Trinidad or Robinson. Great acheivement by Margo in stopping Cotto, and who knows, maybe he fights Pavlik and walks through everything he throws (I'm doubtfull), but if he does his chances improves drastically here.
Hearns takes this via wide decision. It isn't the power, it's the speed and reach. Hearns doesn't get enough credit for his handspeed from his days at 147. Cotto doesn't feature in this matchup as much as Paul Williams does. Margarito is going to struggle against a guy who has reach, because the other guy goes first, and he catches them on the way out. With Williams (whom I do think he would beat in a rematch) or Hearns, he doesn't have that ability.
If this goes more than 3 rounds I'll be shocked. Cotto is no where near as skilled or powerful as Hearns. Tommy is a whole different animal. I acknowledge Margorito's strength and will power, but seriously Margarito will be getting connected with about 60% of Hearns punches and he's not going to survive that for long. Likewise I think Tito would knock Margarito out, but it may take about 6 rounds.
I'm surprised by the amount of people picking Hearns by KO, even in the early rounds. Iron chin almost always outlasts even the biggest of punchers. And make no mistake about it, Margarito definitely has an iron chin... guys with lesser durability and skills went 10 or more with Hearns as well. On top of that, Margarito is at least 160lbs come fight night. While Hearns' power at middleweight was no joke, it wasn't the all-destructive force it was at 147, either. The Mexican has all tools to trouble Hearns: constant pressure, averaging 90 punches a round, very heavy hands, iron chin... i think this fight is a lot harder to call than most here.
Hearns is different in that regard though, even some of the most iron chinned fighters felt Hearns' power. Cuevas was destroyed, Duran likewise. Hagler, arguably the greatest chinned fighter ever even was stunned/wobbled by Hearns. Add to that that Margarito isn't good defensively at all and its a recipe for disaster. Cotto was able to land 3 and 4 punch combinations. Hearns can too and when that happens I think he could crack that chin.
Well if your talking 36hour weigh ins, Hearns would be grately benefited as he was drained at 147 for my money and we would see the 154lb fresher version in there. Margaritos chin is tough, but Cotto isnt a massive puncher, especially not on the back foot without sitting on his shots. Margaritos chin appears so good because he backs his opponent up taking away their leverage and their ability to sit on shots. If Margarito gets backed up or he takes shots from obscure angles his chin won't like quite as impressive Hearns jab and 1-2 controls Margarito easily beating him to the punch and sets him up to take some wicked punnishment. Can Margaritos chin go the distance? As for Margaritos 90punches a round, he won't throw near that amount when hes getting beaten to the punch, backed up and made to miss. Its quite possibly Margaritos chin is good enough to keep him in it but Hearns is going to be winning every moment of the fight
See Tommy's fight with Juan Roldan. This matchup would probably play out very similarly. Roldan was much like Margarito...Unrelenting, high pressure fighter but somewhat crude with a phenomenal chin (I mean cement block chin like Marg, he's from Argentina they have robo-jaws). He continually came forward to Tommy even when he got hit with bombs. But eventually Hearns hitting the bullseye over and over was too much for him. I'd suspect that same may occur with Marg. Only 2 people stopped Roldan in his prime, Marvin Hagler and Tommy Hearns.
Hearns by stoppage. Marg. just takes too many square shots, and with Hearns on the other end of the shots, punching more accurately than most, using his size advantage, and hitting as hard as anyone I've seen @ lower weights, it's hard to imagine Marg. not getting KO'd by Hearns. If the fight went as expect, Hearns landing @ will early, often, and with great authority and Margarito see's the end of the fight, that would be all world chin caliber.
Well, i agree that Hearns has a decent chance of stopping him or winning a decision otherwise, but i just don't see it as such a walkover as most do.
This is my opinion too. I haven't yet seen the Cotto-Margarito fight but I have seen a couple of Margarito's fights and it seems to me he's a pressure fighter, with power and a great chin. Hearns if I recall, (haven't seen him fight in years but I'm old enough to have watched the Hearns - Hagler fight) needed space to deliver his devastating blows. So it seems to me, if Margarito can get on the inside and stay there most of the fight, he's definately got a chance of winning this fight. But if it's an outside fight and Margarito is in range of Hearns powershots then it's a different story. That's my take on it anyway.
I agree. I don't think Margarito could make 147 without day-before weigh-ins, so we can probably assume this fight would be at 154 or 160. Hearns was not the destructive puncher there that he was at 147. What makes this fight difficult for me to pick is that Hearns never fought well when crowded. Margarito is kind of unique because he's a big, strong WW that comes forward but doesn't use his size to jab and throw long-range artillery - he uses it to maul his opponent with roughhousing, hooks, and uppercuts. Roldan was doing very well against Hearns when he was on the inside. The tide only turned when Roldan, fully committed to finishing off a wounded Hearns, started to try and trade bombs from long range. That's NOT the way to fight Hearns - Hearns has a giant reach and the WORST place to be against him is at the end of those huge, winging hooks and straight right hands. Roldan doesn't have the reach that Hearns did, so he was poleaxed...but let's not fool ourselves here, from the looks of the film Roldan was probably about 2-3 good clean shots away from knocking Hearns down, and possibly out. It was anybody's fight at the moment where Hearns was hurt and both of them started swinging for the fences. Margarito wouldn't do what Roldan did. He would get in close, as he always does, and throw some hellacious uppercuts. The uppercuts at close range are the key...Margarito has one of the best uppercuts I've seen from a WW.