George Kimball noted the fight was scheduled to happen on the 9th September 1978 in Providence Rhode Island, but Dundee pulled Leonard out a few weeks before and Ray ends up fighting Floyd Mayweather Sr (for the same money). If the fight had happened in 1978, who wins?
The Mayweather bout proved SRL still needed some polishing about that time. Hearns was only like 10-0 himself..not exactly the finish product yet either. I really dont think Ive seen much film of him at that time, but having a quick peruse of his record at the time he was knocking out the likes of future challenger to Leonard's unified title Bruce Finch and multiple challenger Clyde Gray. Looking at the success Hearns had against Leonard with his size and style and the fact that Mayweather certainly troubled SRL around that time, if the fight is over 10 (which it most likely would be) I actually gotta say Tommy might edge this one out.
It was indeed going to be over ten, and you seem to see what Dundee saw in Hearns at the time, and not what Trainer and co saw.
I think Ray pulls out a close decision.He had enough just to take the inexperienced Hearns at this point.
Hearns would have been less drained but less experienced as well . I think d draining factor was bigger by far , he could have done everything that he did vs Leonard in their actual fight , it really doesn't take a genius for it , if any1 needed 2b experienced here then it's Leonard . But IDK (still) how it would have ended .
Ray had the better stamina, was more physically mature at 22, and Tommy wouldn't go beyond three rounds until December 1978. The following year, Weston would give Hearns some problems before succumbing to the detached retina which ended Harold's career. SRL had gone ten rounds against Dick Ecklund and Raf Rodriguez by this point, and would continue to perform well over that distance through the rest of 1978 and into 1979. Aside from Gray, Tommy wouldn't do this until Mike Colbert at the end of 1979. The gulf in competitive experience and extended bouts would have been too much for Hearns to overcome this early. Plus, he couldn't clinch and survive if hurt, while Ray really had his bell rung by Fireball Rodriguez in just his second bout. Frankly, I believe Tommy really needed his extended title defense against Shields in April 1981 to be able to viably compete against SRL over a significant length of time in their unification bout.
This. There is no way Tommy finishes Ray early, and he'd have some real trouble in the later rounds with how inexperienced he was. Ray had also beaten some tough fighters, and his confidence was sky high. I think Ray would win a decision. He'd probably fall behind early, but I easily see him clawing back into the fight, and then topping Hearns. Ray came out in their actual fight to box-In this one, he'd come out to punch, the strategy that eventually did finish Hearns.
It was so hard to vote for Leonard here. But I had to if I were to be honest. Hearns was not ready for Ray in 1978, but it would have been a great fight. I think Ray was lucky he fought Heans in 1981,, once 1982 and 1983 came I think Tommy starts to win everytime in very tough fights.
