Floyd Mayweather Jr vs Thomas Hearns

I cant fathom Floyd beating a peak Tommy

 

Hearns by wide decision.Floyd would fight a survival fight and only succeed at that.Floyd is a defensive master and puts his mind in going the distance it would probable happen

 

Fantastic. What a great read and intelligent break down from the man himself.

Who am I to speak for or contradict Tommy, but I think he does somewhat better than his own forecast.

Anyway, thank you!

 

Of all the dream fights against 80’s legends, Hearns is the one I feel confident would bear Floyd.

 

Tommy is too much Hearns for Floyd.

I know Floyd did avoid as and when high risk matches (that includes timing of bouts).

I am by no means a personal fan but Mayweather was a great fighter. His avoidance didn’t speak for his performances once in the ring.

Based on less than perfect evidence, due to his highly successful accent on defence, I still think Floyd actually had a decent beard.

I also think once in the throes of extreme adversity, with defeat looming, Floyd would give a good account of himself in terms of heart and effort.

This one is Tommy all the way but Floyd just might garner some new fans when the smoke of Hearns’ victory begins to clear.

One reservation: Reading Tommy’s take on a fight v Floyd, I wouldn’t want Tommy to show too much respect and allow Floyd any opps. to be in the fight more than he deserves.

 

Mayweather gets KTFO. This fight doesn't go past 4 rnds. This is not a stylistic nightmare for Floyd , this is a stylistic DEATH for Floyd. Learn the difference. Floyd has absolutely no pathway to victory against Hearns. This ain't no 5ft7 135 pound Castillo here. The Hitman in his prime was a whole different breed of killer

 

Exactly and you are right ...... not only that ... it's an unrealistic matchup where Floyd doesn't even take the fight anyway ... .and Duran KO's floyd in mid rounds at LW , so let's do that first .. because if Floyd cant handle the strength of JLC ,, well hell Duran probably would KO Floyd in 6 rounds ... being 5 levels above a JLC anyway in boxing skill ... it's people who try and keep a dying sport alive that fell off the cliff 10 plus year ago alive ... so they come up with this garbage ... you would think a realistic' matchup would be more appropriate ... but the sport has come to this , pretty sad
people get fixated on the bling on Vegas Blvd and jerking off to Floyd every night because ... well ... because thats all they got .... ...

 

I am disappointed some of Floyd's more hardcore supporters haven't come out for their man on this thread!

I am far from his biggest champion but considering how many on this forum seem to think that a Sugar Ray Leonard fight would barely cause Money to break a sweat I am surprised Tommy is such a shut out choice. I have heard the words "unbeatable" used about the Munster on other threads, I have heard the phrase "anything Leonard can do (who beat Hearns) Floyd can do better" so I may as well play devils advocate here as others are too chickensh*t and say I feel Mayweather may have a chance due to the following. Keep in mind I am trying to assess this as if it was a real fight, not as though peak Tommy and Floyd were dropped in the middle of a car park and told to slug it out with a chain and a broken bottle.

Planning
Floyd always had a plan and seems to know his opponents backwards, every aspect of Tommy's strengths would be analyzed in forensic detail while I feel Tommy was more of an instinctive fighter. Also Floyd is not going to do this type of fight without some strings attached! There would be all sorts of d*cking about as far as the weight, the ring size blah blah blah, all of which would play in Money's favor.

Control
Hearns could loose his head and get caught in the heat of the moment. While Floyd is not likely to get into a slug fest with Tommy he could disrupt Hearns, break up his rhythm and game plan enough to get enough points in the bag. Also while Floyd is not known as a puncher he certainly hits hard enough to stop DLH or Alvarez from simply walking through him. Having some pop is part of a good defense. Hearns will have to make the fight and be the one taking chances which leaves him more vulnerable, Floyd certainly isn't going to make things happen which will frustrate Tommy. I am maybe in a minority who thinks Tommy was more effective on the back foot when boxing, rather than slugging.

Conditioning
I have never seen Floyd gas out, depending on the pace of the bout Mayweather could be stronger down the stretch. Also while Light Middle maybe a stretch for Floyd I don't see him being less than 110% prepped for whatever weight the fight is agreed at. Floyd has consistently disproved the saying "a good big man beats a good little man". We will certainly not see Floyd being as ill disciplined as Benitez, Mayweather always respects his craft.

Chin
If anyone is going to get hit with a lucky KO punch it wont be Mayweather. While we don't really know how good Floyd's chin is he has faced many hard punchers and managed to avoid a single loss let alone a KO loss. If Tommy's punch is more or less negated as an offence weapon we have a much more even playing field.

Defense
Tommy was certainly an underrated boxer, but Floyd is a defensive wizard who only seemed to have issues with swarmers. I often thought Hearns reach and height was a disadvantage in some fights as he got tangled in his stick insect limbs. Tommy's balance was not always the best and I can see Floyd giving him angles and using his smaller stature to his advantage.

Business
Money is a business man whose genius is turning bullsh*t into gold. Tommy was an old school fighter who did it for the love of the game and the glory. Floyd doesn't care if he takes your $70 and bores you to sleep by round 3. Floyd would fight for himself, for the win and know we would all still keep shelling out our hard earned money even though we have never been entertained by the guy. This being the case Mayweather will be happy to fight a purely negative exhibition, only doing what it takes to sneak enough rounds to win.

Hagler vs Leonard
While Hagler and Hearns have very different styles of course I feel the same mind games, business dealing and showmanship would be all part of the Mayweather circus in a Hearns fight, as they were with Leonard preparing for Hagler. Ray was fighting a hard hitting boxer puncher at a higher weight class and used smoke and mirrors to win. Many may argue SSL used his greater celebrity to guide the perception of the fight even before he stepped into the ring with Marvin, I can see Mayweather doing the same.

Verdict
If Floyd's defense is enough to remove a KO as an outcome then we have someone who will have a better game plan, better balance, more control and a better understanding of how to manipulate the events to his advantage against a fighter whose heart ruled his head who lost the two biggest fights of his career. A catch weight controversial points victory for Floyd is a possibility.

Look I am old school, I grew up with the four kings and my first reaction was to join the consensus but why not throw the cat amongst the pigeons!

 

Hearns is one of the worst hypothetical matchups for Floyd ever. Like it would really be awful, and honestly unfair to Floyd. Personally I don't think it's very fair to Floyd to match him p4p historical vs. the top WW's ever, that simply isn't his best weight class (despite the fact that he was great against his contemporaries)

 

Like I always say, Hearns is undefeated in fantasy fights, but got stopped three times during his prime and almost got put away by ****ing Roldon.

 

Fair play to you Blofeld for having the courage to not only post a minority opinon, but also for breaking it down. I also appreciate you've said you're only playing devil's advocate in adopting the minority view & without someone doing that, there's no debate. So everything below is written with respect.

Firstly, your point about Mayweather insisting on strings attached/catchweights etc., if he were the "A side", is well taken. Indeed, it's only something along those sort of lines that would lead me to give Mayweather any kind of realistic chance in this hellish stylistic match up.

Secondly, I respectfully disagree with your assertion that Hearns would be the one who had to make the fight and take chances. This is a little simplestic, but essentially, in a Hearns vs Mayweather fight - Fighter A would be able out jab, hit & not get hit by Fighter B, at a safe, long distance, range. Fighter B would therefore have to close the distance & at some point risk walking through punches to either win by KO or outworking Fighter A, to stand any chance. i.e. you either outbox the other from a safe, long distance range, or you walk through their punches to deliver your own. So, we first need to establish which is Fighter A & who is Fighter B.

Once their opponent was in range, Mayweather's defense was substantially superior to Hearns', but at long range - both had excellent footwork & were great at controlling the range. Both had very fast hands. Mayweather was 5ft 8ins with a 72ins reach. Hearns 6ft 1ins with a 78ins reach. When you consider Hearns jab would be parallel to his shoulder, maximising his reach, to land in Mayweather's face, whereas Mayweather's jab would need to thrown upwards, restricing his reach, that 6" reach advantage in effect becomes closer to a 9-10" reach advantage. That's almost a foot of jeopardy Mayweather would need to get past, before Hearns was even in his punching range. There's no way I can see Mayweather potshotting from range, landing his jab whilst simulteanously making Hearns fall short or miss with his. i.e. he can't outbox Hearns from a safe, long range position.

So, to win, Mayweather has to close the distance. Every second he is in Hearns's punching range, he's in a perilous position. Could he let his hands go enough, for 12/15 rounds, to win a decision, without getting caught with that laser guided, detonation of a right hand? Not a chance, in my view.

Finally, it's not a "fair" fantasy fight. Yes, Mayweather boxed at WW/LWM & yes, imo, he's both better & greater than Hearns P4P. Hearns boxed at CW, he's both better & greater than Maris Bredis P4P, but I'd heavily favour Bredis by brutal KO in a fantasy prime for prime matchup vs Tommy.

 

Hearns UD

 

this is really funny . and you know it .. Hearns at 160 was his 4th best weight .. How can you say Hearns gettin stopped at 160 has anything to do with Floyd who never EVER fought at MW ... you get that now ? .. . .. you actually Do .. which is is the funny thing how you rally the other 2 behind you , who they both type out 8 paragraphs of garbage but DKSAB
but the other 2 have no ****ing clue and dont realize you are just blowing smoke up their ass ... thats the funny thing .... its a circle jerk with you 3 and they dont get it .... jaja ..

 

There is no world that Mayweather would ever beat a PRIME Leonard at welterweight EASILY. Hes not faster. He doesnt hit harder.
Ray has a great chin how exactly would Mayweather beat Leonard easily?
You forget welterweight is not Mayweathers prime weight while it is Leonards. Not only that but Leonard is the faster fighter and hits much harder.
Mayweather has never fought anyone who has the power and speed of a Hearns not to mention the reach and height of a Hearns. Its a horrible match up for Mayweather.
Ive seen Hearns in with master boxers so I know what he could do. Ive never seen Mayweather fight anyone even close to a Hearns or Leonard.

 

why is that ?? ... because it takes you 2 pages and 13 paragraphs to type out to realize what ?? that you are a new mid 90's boxing fan ? who DKSAB? is that it ? a millennial is my guess .. who just recently got interesting in the sport ? Not realizing what ? that Floyd did nothing in his career to take on prime Tommy at 147, . .. He doesn't take the fight newbie .... Learn the sport or save your breathe ...