Jr. Middle Leonard vs Hearns

The Hearns-Leonard rematch at jr middleweight is anyone's guess how it would go. Hearns knocks out Leonard or vice versa. However saying that because Leonard was knocked down by Howard he gets knocked out by Hearns, possible?. Probably so. But only on that particular night. But the bottom line is that safest comparison to make is when they previously fought. Because Hearns right hand was landing on Leonard's chin and he was going nowehere. And if Leonard could take Hearns punch before, no reason to suggest he couldn't take it again. By saying that because Howard knocked Leonard down Hearns could knock him out. If we are making predictions based on a fighter having one off night then thats simply stupid and unfair.

Thats like saying because Barkley knocked out Hearns then it automatically means that Jermain Taylor would as well.

The safest comparison to make at 154lbs is that Hearns previously hit Leonard all night when Hearns was previously decapitating opponents prior to sharing a ring with Leonard.

Leonard getting knocked down by Howard was one fight, one night.

 

Not taking nothing away from Hearns... especially at this weight (jr mwt) but Id always back Leonard vs Hearns at any weight from 160 downwards in their prime yrs.

The grit, the true inner toughness is more with Ray than with Tommy & thats what would show in the last rds... the championship rds.

Ray would take Tommy`s bombs better than vice versa & when both are exhausted, Ray has the greater will to win.

Leonard by TKO or UD mainly by putting a fatigued Hearns down late on more than once.

 

This fight wouldnt even go to the middle rounds let alone the late rounds. I'd hate to think what kind of condition Ray would be in after 8 rounds of slicing and dicing. Tommy was hitting with the kind of authority that made him unbeatable. If duran couldnt take it Leonard never would have.

Sugar Ray stood up to Kalule but what's Kalule ever done? Who's he ever ko'd?

Tommy as you know floored Duran 3 times and cut him over the eye. People can talk with confidence at this point "Ray always beats Tommy no matter what" but believe me, had this fight taken place within that same year, no one would be willing to lay their cash on Ray.

Ray had been getting hurt at this weight since the days of Marcos geraldo thru his fight with Howard until the Norris debacle. Ray leonard did not take a great shot at this weight.

Hurt him early and he's yours as was proved in the Norris fight, where the real Ray Leonard showed up. Ray Leonard when hurt is concerned about one thing only-survival. He proved that he is a creature whose instincts of self preservation will kick in and has precedence over the gross amounts he got paid for fights. He proved it when first retired in 1982. he proved it again when he immediately re-retired after finishing with Howard. He proved it in his 12 round track meet with Duran in 89 and he certainly proved it during the Norris fight.

Again looking closely at the Norris fight, Ray was competing fairly evenly with Terry early and was even winning round two on my scorecard until the KD when Terry regrouped and found his timing. But still, the round was close until that point.

But once Terry hurt Ray, he belonged to Norris from then on. In round 3 he sliced thru Ray's guard and destroyed him. He destroyed him physically, destroyed him mentally and spiritually.

Fact: hurt him early and he can't cope with the pressure and he won't regroup-ever.

I ask you, could peak Hitman do no less? Tommy Hearns at 154 was certainly much stronger than the scrawny 145 pound stringbean from 3 years before and at least as lethal as Norris. He is certainly on the same level with his speed.

 

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Will we ever see his likes again?


LEGEND.

 

Regarding the top line - C`mon rooster, you telling me Tommy would be KOd even quicker than in 1981 ?, its possible but give him a chance.
Now....

Fact: Duran v SRL - montreal - rd 2 - left hook by Duran - Fight goes 15.

If Im not mistaken, Rd 2 IS VERY early on.... that punch BADLY HURT Ray.... Duran was on his ass RIGHT AWAY.... Duran stayed on his ass the WHOLE 15 RDS.... Ray fought like a lion right until the end losing narrowly.

Think its safe to say that your `fact:` was proved infactual.


Ps. Just give it up, its not a good look with this Leonard thing.

:thumbsup

 

Hearns, probably by decision.

 

I never said it was Tommy but rather Ray that wouldn't make it to the middle rounds. He would be in too bad a shape. I also believe he would have been decked sometime in the first 3 or 4 rounds and at some point in the fight, realized he was badly overmatched and resigned himself to the inevitable. This can be seen when Ray is coming out for the 5th to face Camacho. You could see the look of resignation on his face, his head bowed in defeat-prey to power that knows no equal.

Tommy was much too sharp and I can guarantee you he'd have Ray hurt a lot worse than Duran did in fight 1. No one could hit with the kind of results certainly not a 5-7 ex welterweight who didnt have the kind of leverage Tommy could put on his punches.

I look at the fight between Leonard and Howard who, retired him and tell myself there's no way Leonard's getting any better. He's never really been tested at this weight and Hearns would be much of a test. It would be a totally different fight this time around. Tommy was in fact the new athlete; bigger, faster, stronger, sharper with room for further improvement while Leonard was still the same old leonard. hadn't improved since the day he retired.

 

seriously, when fans talk about not fullfilling potential that really applies to leonard. yes he faced Duran and Hearns but that should have just been the beginning.

He failed to fight Pryor. A big time fighter like Leonard and he didnt even give him the time of day. I thought Pryor did him a favor by walking up to him at the post Hearns press conference trying to make a fight but leonard as usual didnt have the heart. Mr. big fights told him to go sit down.

Likewise with Hagler. Fighting him late at the end of his career isnt good enough. It's not the same as taking him on during his prime. Knowing leonard, he would do something like this.

I don't know how his fans could be so stupid and just let this pass, bringing marvin into the ring for no reason just to cancel it. What a toal bunch of BS. No other fighter would dare **** with the fans as Ray had done. He just has very low standards and like I said, it's just not the same as making the fight in 82. It's alright tho, the real threat at this time anyways was Tony Sibson.

However it was still very upsetting to see him pull (it'll never happen) a quit job similar to what he did after his fight with Kevin Howard. He just didnt have it in him to take very many chances.

Among his other failures were no timely rematches with Hearns & Duran. Instead he waits 9 years for a battle of geezers and wheezers. Those are just crumbs he's throwing out to his public forgetting his eye is supposed to keep him strapped at home.

I really hate his approach to taking matches-giving his own fans scraps instead of the more meaningful bouts with Nunn/McCallum/Jackson. Not to mention that total farce with Lalonde. THe only fighter not sporting a cane but is white and can't fight a lick. Any of you know how frustrating it is to see a fighter hand pick all his opponents?

 

The reason I say Herns gained lot moving up are two-fold. First of all, the experience from the Leonard fight would be key in the rematch as the experience from the Duran fight was key for Leonardd in his figh with Hearns. Notice how in their second fight Hearns learned to hold on to Leonard better when he was hurt. Second, I do believe that Hearns physically would stand up to Leonards shots better at 154. He definiteley belonged in that division more and you can clearly tell when looking at his build.

 

I think Hearns would win a decision there is a reason Ray waited until Tommy was getting beat by Barkley to give him a rematch. The move up in weight would more likely benefit Hearns since he was naturally the bigger man.