Could Hearns have ever beat Hagler?

COULD Hearns have beaten Hagler? Possibly, but not probably.

Hearns had two good hands for a mere few seconds of the entire fight, yet stunned Hagler with the first thunderous right he landed and came very close to stopping him on a cut. He fought almost three entire rounds against a bloodthirsty champion two hands against one and-a-half, and held his own.

Man, I'm convinced a couple of well-placed Hearns rights could stop anyone.

But that chin will always betray Tommy.

 

We just do not know. Hearns broke his right hand. After his hand was broken he would not land a clean punch by the right to stop Marvin. I am saying if that right hand was intact, I think Hearns right would have kept on landing and hurting Hagler. Why wouldn't it? Hagler did not rush to fight Tommy again and I admit why should he? He knew it would be a tough fight. I am one person who thinks the way Hearns would have beaten Marvin is by first or second round knockout. Not by decision. Hagler would have been very hard by decision for Tommy the way Tommy fought. But I could very well in my mind see the rematch in 1986 come out with Hearns looking stronger like he did with Shuler and coming out with a slower pace and landing to the body first and dropping in right hands and knocking out Hagler. Hagler is not a guy who had great defense and agaisnt Hearns you need it. He got a good win in April of 1985, but I think November of 1986 might have been when Tommy beat him up.

 

Forget a different weight, it would need to be at MWT to be considered anything like any version of Hagler we have ever seen.

Possibly, if Hearns boxed, boxed, boxed & boxed some more, he might be able to outscore the versions of Hagler that fought Mugabi & Leonard... but even then I doubt it because eventually Hagler wore Mugabi down & he eventually in the 2nd half of the fight made Leonard go to war & even tho Leonards early lead was enough to see him the winner, he was made to fight more than he wanted & I genuinely dont feel Hearns is as gutsy or as plain tough as Leonard & therefore would likely fold under that exact same Hagler pressure albeit late on in the fight.

To answer the thread title - possibly more than probably but my pick is probably not.

:good

 

I think Hearns could. But the main thing is that I think Hearns career is greater than Marvin's. Tommy fought more legends and beat them than Hagler did. Hearns fought world class fighters since he had 20 fights and he fought them all the way to almost 70 fights.

 

A slower pace would have helped Tommy but I think going to the body would have helped him even more. I think before the Sibson fight there were rumours that Hagler was 'weakest' around his midsection, especially in the middle of his torso. Tommy stated that he went to the body with Shuler cos "James didn't like those body shots too much" or words to that effect. It would have been interesting to see Hagler deal with the ripping left hooks that doubled over Barkley and Shuler.

 

it would have been very interesting seeing the Hearns who fought Shuler landing left hooks to Hagler's body and then landing some leverage right hands. I think it would have been a different fight.

 

Yes, Hearns is always dangerous and the right punch at the right time like the one he K.O. Duran with could allow him to beat Hagler. But i do favor Hagler 8 out of 10.

 

Mag1965.

"I think Hearns career is greater than Marvin's."

I don't.

P4P he is greater, but as a career....

Hearns is a ATG. But...

Hearns was never undisputed Champion. He had a chance at Welter but was stopped by Leonard.

He had a chance at Middleweight v HAGLER but got KO'd.

Look who HAGLER beat before the winning the title, compare that to Hearns before winning the title.

HAGLER had 50 fights before beating Minter. HAGLER had a whole career before beating Minter.

Held undisputed title for 7 years.

Never been stopped or officially dropped.

All defeats were controvesial.

 

I think Hagler wins every time just because of his superior chin.

 

With Hearns sharp punching and power and if he came in a full 160 I think he could cut up Hagler and stop him. Anyone who says Hagler would win everytime hasn't seen Hearns fights. Hagler never fought Hearns again and could of. It would have been a good payday. He knew Hearns could hurt him with that right. Hearns did!!!

 

Not really.Hagler at middleweight was another breed of fighter.And as great as Thomas was, he would always have them flaws of his to exploit, and Marvin would always find a way to do that.

 

My take on this subject might seem odd, but the answer is "no" in spite of the fact Tommy had the "skills" to out box Marvin. Tommy Hearns was physically capable of out boxing Marvin and winning a close but clear UD. Tommy was NOT, and I repeat, NOT, mentally/emtionally capable of beating Haglar.

Marvin would always be hyper aggressive. Tommy's response to agression was always going to be WAAAAARRRRRR! And Hearns can't win that kind of fight with Marvin Hagalr.

 

I think that depends on what version of Hagler comes out that night.

 

Ray Leonard predicted immediately following Hagler-Hearns that he thought Tommy was going to retire. "The man got beat!" He also said while sitting in on a post fight interview with Marv that, "Now you know why I decided to retire!" (He affably reached over to pat Hagler on the shoulder while saying this. His relations with both Hearns and Hagler were very friendly and cordial when everybody still assumed that Ray was finished forever. Remember that Hagler-Hearns took place in the aftermath of SRL's dismal comeback attempt against Kevin Howard. It really looked like he was completely done.)

Bob Arum had previously said that he'd be "honored" to promote a return match between Hagler and Duran the morning after they went the championship distance. When asked the same about a return with Hagler and Hearns, he replied that he did not know how he'd be able to sell a second fight after how decisively that three round war concluded.

The body punching of Hearns has been discussed as having key potential for a second go around. Just how effective can Tommy be with that when he's getting pounded and driven around on the back foot? Plus, going underneath means exposing his chin to those ruinous right jabs. The version of Hearns who got squashed in three was the version who bombed out Duran and starched Shuler. He was 26 years old for Hagler. The championship distance outboxing of Benitez was under his belt. He wasn't likely to ever get any better.

For a rematch, both would have had the outcome of that first bout in mind. Hagler was a miserable ******* in rematches. He made Monroe, Seales, Watts and Antuofermo pay dearly for blemishing his record (The Worm twice for handing him his one decisive defeat), then Obel and Hamsho discovered he wasn't any easier the second time in defense of his title either. Tommy's meager sequel resume consists of a draw with SRL that would have been another stoppage loss over the championship distance, and a second defeat to Barkley. Marv went right for his lanky frame direct from the outset. Combine the fact that Tommy never could take it downstairs well with his occasional difficulty in going longer distances, and I have a hard time seeing him last the limit.

 

I dont know if it was haglers pressure or that hearns broke his right hand early,but hearns did not seem to be throwing his right hand 'straight' after the opening fussilade which wobbled hagler. I can really envisage hagler (fantastic chin though he had.) being hit with a 'duran like' right thus putting an end to proceedings. However,hagler was pretty special that night,fought the perfect fight and just seemed that he wouldnt be denied.
No middleweight in history would beat that version of hearns with that gameplan...Full props to hagler.
The schuler hearns may very well get a 12 rounder over 86 marvin.