Chris Eubank (1990) Vs Tommy Hearns (1985)?

I agree, Eubank was never ko'ed and 15 rounds is a L-O-N-G time for Tommy to be in the ring with a stout middleweight like Chris.

 

I was about to go ballistic then I realized it was Benn SENIOR not Benn JUNIOR in the poll.

Are we talking at 147? Then Hearns.

 

Eubank Snr is a natural 180-190lbs fighter, the process he went through to make weight… well look at his build, peeled down to nothing left CE’s physicality would be a step too far if he comes in “at his best” did you see the Carl Thompson fights? Hearns was the much better fighter but he was much better than Iran too.

 

Chris Eubank snr is my favourite boxing personality for his courage,convictions and gentlemanly demeanour. His feats of bravery in the ring were swashbuckling.

But I think the great man himself would admit he'd never fight a Tommy Hearns.

Eubank was a born contrarian. He'd never fight a Toney,Nunn,Jones Jnr or Mclellan but he had no issue fighting the fearsome Nigel Benn twice. Nor a brutally strong Carl Thompson 20 lbs heavier than him. He had no issue fighting a Calzaghe,weight drained and inactive at a couple of weeks notice

I suspect if Eubank had come around 5 years earlier and there was no WBO title or economically viable 168lbs division he would fight either a 1985 Hearns or Hagler and he would fight to win the man wasn't capable of any other mindset. Eubank was hungry before the Watson tragedy

I'm assuming this is the Hearns of March 1985 since that's the only date he fought that year.

My issue is I see only 2 things happening.

1)Hearns in my opinion was at his middleweights peak in 84/85. He is blisteringly fast and has pulverising power. He can also move out of range at will. A decent possibility Tommy knocks him clean out. It could be either face shots or more likely a devastating body attack that simply leaves Eubank gasping for breath If he could knock out Duran he can knock out Eubank.If he could beat around another brutally tough Brit like Dennis Andries like a rag doll he could do exactly that with Eubank snr.

2) A longer sustained bout where Hearns outpoints Eubank very widely.
Theres nothing Eubank can do to outbox Hearns no one outboxed Hearns.

I lean towards an Andries type scenario

As much as I admire Eubank snr the man and fighter his legend with the greatest respect has grown beyond proportion on these pages. For a kid with a tonne of moxy who arrived in New York took up boxing slept on a gym floor and managed to beat NY amateur stars like Ronnie Esset, to beat guys like Lindell Holmes,Tony Thornton and John Jarvis what stands out is how he never fought a legitimate top 10 North American middleweight....no Nunn,Tate,Barkley,Jones Jnr,Toney ,Mccallum or Jackson. Steve Collins who was for a while based in America beat him twice though they were close fights. He never fought a Herol Graham or Kalambay. I get it Eubank avoided spoilers but you cant avoid almost all the cream of the middleweight divisions and call yourself number 1. He beat a contender in Watson and a strong champion in Benn who was legitimately a top 3/ top 2 super Middleweight champion and a wbo middleweight champ that rare thing very fast and a power puncher. Those 2 wins and a draw are very good ones

I'd argue we never quite saw the very best of Eubanks...the Watson tragedy and the car accident where a motorway worker died ended his finishing spirit in a ring.

But he simply didn't have the workrate or tools to even be competitive with a prime Tommy Hearns.

If this was the suddenly vulnerable ageing Hearns of June 1988 whose once very good chin had deserted him there is a chance Eubank could catch him with a right hand and Hearns legs which had transmogrified into jelly around 88/89 before a special strengthening programme stabilised him by 90...might betray Tommy if a straight right hand landed in 88 .

But this is the March 85 Hearns who absorbed dozens of power punches from Hagler that 2 alone would have ended pretty much the entire middleweight division apart from Mugabi. Hearns chin and legs went in 1988 because Hagler,Andries,Roldan and Barkley all short circuited them and that's at least 3 short circuitings too many given the power or strength of those 4.

I doubt many will agree with me.I know mine will be an unpopular view...possibly even a very wrong one...but its all I see happening here.

Very very bad style match up. Eubanks doesn't have the work rate unless he has a pressure fighter type pushing him.

Tommy's bombs could land without pressure.

 

Hearns outboxes Eubank but he does n't stop him. Chris had iron chops.

 

He’d of fought King Kong if he had to, he said, Eubank Sr. But not try to unify against a boxer he probably won’t outbox, or a fight he could lose his life. He was already champion, making millions.