Julian Jackson vs Thomas Hearns

At 154, Hearns, at 160, Jackson.

 

hearns at both weights, but......!!?!!

 

Hearns at both, but there's always the chance Jackson would catch him.

 

Hearns at both weights, early rounds. Peak Hearns was much more adept at landing the big bomb without taking one back.

 

Even money IMO. Hearns definitely had the punch to end it early, but so did Julian Jackson. Tommy had the longer reach...and a china chin. I can see a scenario where Tommy, given his height and reach advantage, gives Julian hell with his jab. However, just as likely, I can also see Tommy jabbing his way to a sure victory, and then BAM, Julian lands that fateful blow to Hearns' chin, sending him to the canvas. IMO Hitman has to go all out and shoot down the Hawk early, because if he doesn't, the chance of his chin hitting Julian's bomb rises exponentially with each passing round.

 

I would pick Hearns because of his power and the fact that Julian rarely fought hard punchers who could knock him out with one punch. He fought Gerald when he was old though. I pick Hearns by 2 or 3rd round knockout. This fight was going to happen in June of 1986, but Hearns fought Medal instead on the Triple Hitter card. But Julian stopping Tommy would not be a shock since he could stop anyone. I always wondered how a well places Jackson punch to Hagler would go. Would Hagler wobble?

 

Hearns wins easily at either weight.

Remember Tommy's last fight at 160 or under was against Barkley (fight one).

Hearns only ever lost at 160, because he was fighting a great (Hagler) or was grotesquely over confident (Barkley).

Jackson is not great, but hit hard enough that Hearns would respect him.

Whether Tommy stays on the outside and dominates Jackson with his jab, or fights in a more offensive manner to land the right to get the job done inside the distance, is the Motor City Cobra's and Steward's business.

Either way, Hearns wins.

 

Hearns in both.
too much speed, long jab, good right hand.
but he better tuck in that glass chin, or else it'll get crushed.

 

Sometimes I thought Jackson would have been less effective as a puncher had be been a little better boxer. In a way since some guys were beating him easily, Julian lulled them into relaxing and then boom he knocked them out. It just seems like some of his knockouts like Graham and Norris were the result of surprise. With Graham, he just dropped a tremendous punch on a non suspecting fighter.

 

Jackson is one of the few MW's that could have wobbled Hagler, but I get the feeling it'd take a FEW of Jackson's K.O's to drop Hagler, if you know what I mean.

Jackson would land one or two then get disheartened. I then see Hagler meeting him with a barrage and stopping Jackson, in the fourth round of a war.

Jackson is GREAT H2H at JMW, awesome power, faster and more mobile. Plus, smaller guys would be even less adept at taking his shots, although no one at any weight ALL-TIME could take one of his shots flush and not feel the effects. They could shrug it off no doubt, but even someone like Hagler would struggle to act as if nothing had happened if Jackson landed flush.

But at MW he really became The Hawk. Studying his prey then BAM he takes them out. The Graham K.O was basically luck, I remember Jackson only had 'one more round' for some reason, but the Norris K.O was something else, Norris boxing well, one right on the jaw and Norris is out on his feet, a left and then another right and Norris is GONE




Except he wasn't, 'cause he got up again, but was obviously in no state to continue.

Basically, good technicians and/or decent punchers beat Jackson. People who could nullify his strengths had him beat as there was basically no plan B for Jackson if his opponent didn't fold. Also, his chin wasn't the greatest which meant he could be hurt himself by a decent puncher (or sparked by a very good puncher like G-Man)

However, Hearns, in getting into a gunfight with Jackson, whose head movement in gunning for a K.O was always subtle, makes me think (at MW at least) that Hearns would go to drop a right after a jab, but would find himself getting up five minutes later, not seeing what the rest of us has seen; Jackson moving in and throwing a right over the jab, stunning Hearns, and ending it with a left hook, in the 2nd round.

Jackson is bad for Hearns. IMO.

 

The Jackson KO of Graham was luck?:huh That one sentence jumped out from your post since everyone knew that punch was probably coming considering Jackson knocked nearly everyone the F out. Even the commentators were waiting on that punch & were only surprised at the devestation of it not that it happened.

I think Jackson had a cut over his eye which could have stopped that fight soon.

I would take Hearns ,but I would not bet the farm with two punchers like that in the ring.

 

Bomber was absolutely caning Jackson, it was more his own stupidity rather than Jacksons skill which resulted in the knockout.

 

Well, I wasn't insinuating that Jackson just swing wildly and managed to hit, I was of course making the above point that Rebel picked up on.

Jackson was truly a Hawk as I said in the same post. Just that this time, he didn't have to go looking for his prey, it literally came to him, and Jackson was only happy to oblige.

Hard to believe now that an awkward, elusive customer such as Graham would walk right into the P4P hardest hitter at that time (and IMO of ALL time) but Bomber Graham made these mistakes, one of the reaons he never captured a World title was due to his own mistakes and not people 'ducking' him because he was so awkward (much the same way Witter has been ducked by Hatton, the likes of Hagler didn't see Graham as commercially/aesthetically appeasing; McCallum took up the challenge and later said it was 'the hardest fight of his life')

 

Hearns

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