I am watching Hearns vs. Pipino Cuevas, it is beautifull and painfull at the same time to see Hearns demolishing Pipino. However, my question here is: Had Pipino any chance at all? Could the best Pipino manage to defeat Hearns? With the right strategy could Pipino pull a Hagler? Or Hearn's incredible physical advantages (range, speed, punching power) were simply too big too overcome? I have been thinking this, and to be honest my impression is that even the best Pipino, at any weight, any age, would still have gone down in flames. Hearns was just out of of his league. But, I would like to know if there is some alternative opinion, and if that is the case, what should be Pipino's perfect gameplan.
No, Hearns is just all wrong for him and a class above. If he could close the gap using a jab and fast feet, using head movement to avoid shots on the way in, be relentless, work the body and keep it on the inside he'd be in the fight. But the simple fact is he wouldnt be good enough to do those things
Pipino always had a punchers chance, if he caught Hearns early with some of his trade mark power shots, sure he could stop Hearns, at the same time Tommy back then was unbelievable the way he blew out Pipino and then Duran shocked the hell out of me. Both fights bummed me out but I became a huge fan. It is doubtful the outcome would be different but stranger things have happened in the ring.
3 things I remember about the fight. One, his shoes were slipping on the canvas. Two, he told his corner he was going to box the first couple of rounds...then he was going to do something (per Sports Illustrated), and three, why did he ever take a dangerous fight in Hearns' home town? Should have demanded it be in Mexico or L.A. where his fans would have been behind him.
No, Hearns' arms were too long for him. He definitely had a puncher's chance, especially with Hearns' weak chin.
I was working security at the Forum in Inglewood the night they showed this fight live on closed circuit Tv. After Hearns KO"d Cuevas in the second round, a riot started. there was over 15,000 people there and most were of Mexican descent. Many people were stabbed, trampled or had chairs thrown at them. It was the first time since I was very young that I had **** my pants! jk
He had a punchers Chance, and IMO he came to fight I saw some genuine effort from Cuevas but he just couldnt get a leak out of Hearns. That Tommy beats any version. Great fighter, wrong match up.
Never, at any time did Cuevas have achance, in reality or on paper...Hearns owned him...it's written down devinely somewhere that Hearns owns him.
No, Hearns is miles out of his league in speed, power, accuracy, jab - everything. He was inevitably going to get caught coming in - Hearns landed that straight right more or less at will in that fight. If he learned to bob and weave he could have got close enough for a puncher's chance, but without a Hagler-esque chin would have eventually been bombed out.
Well, pretty much what I was thinking. Sometimes, physical advantage and style make too big of a difference. Short of a lucky punch, or Hearns slipping on a banana peel... I simply can't see Pipino winning this one.
I remember rewatching the fight about a month ago for the first time in a while and three things immediately jumped out at me. 1) Hearns sent Cuevas staggering with the first punch he threw. (That wasn't a jab). 2) Hearns was so much faster than Cuevas. 3) Hearns showed tremendous poise. Hearns was a young guy at the time, 21 years old, going in against an experienced, fearsome champion with crushing power and supposedly a granite chin. There have got toe be butterflies in the stomach going in there under those circumstances. There's all sorts of nerves at play... and then you send the champion reeling with the first punch you throw. A lesser fighter might have lost his head, try to seize on that and blast Cuevas out that second, leaving himself open to return fire from Cuevas in his anxiousness. Hearns didn't. Instead he keeps boxing calmly, and keeps his defense tight even when Cuevas is being rocked by his punches. And when he does press the attack against Cuevas, he's coming in and then darting back out afterwards. Effectively, Hearns is taking the puncher's chance out of the equation because he's not giving Cuevas the opening to take advantage of that chance. Instead Hearns continues using his combination of speed and power to dominate. Tommy's hand speed was so superior that it nullified what Cuevas could hope to do on offense or defensively, (Cuevas couldn't stop the punches any way except by keeping his hands up by his face, which means he can't return fire) and Hearns' foot speed means that he's never a still target for Cuevas to get a lock on. Cuevas is just not a match for the combination of physical gifts (height, reach, power, speed) and mental compsure that Hearns had. If they were to fight 100 times, maybe somewhere in the range of 1-5 times Cuevas would win, because anything can happen over that many times, but I'd be hard pressed to give Cuevas more than that.
Funny, but the thing that strikes me the most about Hearns in this fight, is not his punching power (although it was devastanting). What truly impresses me is his footwork. How fast and calm his leg movements look at the same time, how fluidly he moves and controls the space. While Pipino is jumping up and down all around, Hearns is always in control and collected, moving just when he needs, almost effortlessly. Truly a master performance
