Would Tommy Have Fared Better If He Didn't Allow His Fight With Marvin To Turn Into A War?

''Allowed"

What happened to Tommy that night was not consentual.

 

I think the worst thing that could have happened to Tommy was when he staggered Hagler 30 seconds into the fight. When he hurt him and drew blood, his superior outside Boxing went away and he went for the kill against Hagler which was a huge mistake. Tommy's legs were gone after that and his right hand was broken in half. He had nothing to keep Hagler off.

 

Hagler knew he couldn’t outbox Hearns and came into the fight with the intent to make it a war. Hearns had absolutely no choice in how the fight occurred. I had never seen Hagler start a fight with that ferocity.

 

Well being English as a kid watching I beg to differ, he just took it to Alan Minter who was a box puncher and dragged him into a firefight and opened him up, cut him to ribbons and stopped him. In 3 , like Hearns.

Hagler advertised what the fight with Hearn's would be about, baseball cap WAR.

 

I will have to look at the Minter fight again. I don’t remember Hagler starting the Minter fight with the ferocity he exhibited against Hearns but I very well could be wrong.

 

No. Hagler was ready for WAR.. and he said so.

Either way, down goes Hearns.. box or fight. Hagler looking to crush the interloper to middlewweight, Hearns.

 

Nope. It might have lasted longer but Marvin would still have gotten to him eventually by rounds 5-6 through relentless pressure.

Like even if Tommy decided to box Hagler from the start and not tried to outlast him in a slugfest where he probably would have had more stamina for the rest of the fight, but Hagler would have still broken him down with body shots before going in for the kill.

Tommy is my favorite fighter of all time, but I know the Marvelous One was always his kryptonite.

 

If he could somehow establish control of the distance between them with his height, reach and jab then he might have faired better

 

Brawl or box Hearns was just never gonna get Hagler off of him no matter what. Hagler was on seek and destroy mode from the start and was able to take what Hearns dished out. It was only going to be a matter of time until Hagler got to Hearns.

 

Yep,he knew what was coming his way with Tommy Hearns.

 

Duran was also an interloper to middleweight

 

Nailed it!! Hagler was a friggin TANK--even Hearns's power couldn't stop him. When he went "all in" early and Hearns couldn't finish him he shot his wad--and that was all she wrote for the "Hit Man."

 

Realistically, the only chance that Hearns had to win that fight was to hurt Marvin early then try to box a cautious Hagler and win a decision. As others have stated, even if Hearns tried to box him, Hagler was going to press him and work his body and wear him down.
Hagler knew that so he decided to settle the one question in the fight- can Hearns hurt hagler?- right up front. Hearns hit him a good shot, Hagler shook it off in a second and the fight was essentially over at that point.
Tommy didn't have an option in that fight; never, up to that point, had he shown the legs, the stamina , the durability to win a long fight against Hagler. To his credit, when Hagler went after him from the bell, Hearns went right with him, as hard as he could, because Tommy Hearns had heart like a gunslinger.