MOST OVERRATED FIGHT EVER;Leonard vs. HEARNS

Too be honest I havent watched the fight more than twice. It's not on my list of favorite fights.
Hearns was drained as ####. Would have liked to seem him come in heavier but that's neither here nor there now.

 

The first bout between Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas Hearns was not the best world welterweight championship bout that I saw in person. The first bout between Carlos Palomino and Armando Muniz is my pick in that department. By the way, that Palomino-Muniz bout generated only a mere fraction of the total revenue that the first Leonard-Hearns bout did. Leonard simply was an incredible gate attraction.

- Chuck Johnston

 

yeah they fought, although still Curry and McCallum were looking for the punches to land similar to Hearns and Leonard. I remember Mike going to the body and Curry switching to the head and then Curry's eye started to swell, which really changed something. HBO barely mentioned it and acted like Curry was the one winning the fight, yet I felt Mike was looking stronger in the exchanges and taking over a bit in round 4 and Donald backing up. The swelling distracted Donald, but I do know that Mike was taking over in round 4 and HBO missed it. I think it was because Ray had some issues with Donald, and Donald Curry did not want Leonard doing the commentary, so Ray said he would be fair in his commentary, and HBO went the other way and said how great Donald was doing.. I love Hearns vs. Leonard one, and at 154 I do love McCallum vs. Curry. I can watch either fight over and over..

 

Troll thread. You guys got the equivalent of Rick Rolled.

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leonard hearns I big drama show, hearns dominates with jab, dundee in corner saying " you loosing it kid" ray goes to inside game, ray comes back rings tommys bell.

from that point on leonard knew he could hurt tommy. tommy became more cautious......the rest is history.

great fight

 

There was plenty of drama in this one, even if there weren't a lot of Rocky-style exchanges of clean punches. Shifting momentum, high tension, a come-from behind finish. I can think of an awful lot worse than this. It was sort of like Spinks - Qawi in that there weren't a huge amount of clean punches landing, but there was always the looming drama that they WOULD eventually land, and the very cerebral yet physical game of cat and mouse was compelling.

 

My personal favorite fight that year was Sanchez vs. Gomez but Hearns and Leonard 1 was fantastic with so many shifts in momentum.

 

Actually I'd like to see more Floyd vs Pac threads. They are few and far between nowadays.

 

Hagler-Hearns is more overrated.

 

Your opnion your welcome to it. Most who saw the fight see it differently. And it was the Rings fight of the yr. For 81, so most would disagree with you.That fight showcased skills that no fight in the last 20 yrs or so has showcased, and a prerequisite of greatness in my opnion. That is the ability to adjust while the fight is happening (Prime example Shane Mosely, one of the better fighters of the last 20 yrs,never adjusted in a fight,came back and won If plan A was taken from Moseley, he never had a plan B ) Leonard came out the boxer. Trying to use his exceptional quickness to fight Hearns on the outside. He and his team realized by the 5th rd they couldn't win that way, Hearns's physical advantages and being exceptionally fast himself was piling on the points at long distance. Leonard Adjusted his strategy began to fight flat footed, take some punches to get in close to punish Hearns to the head and body. Meanwhile, we saw how capable Hearns could be from long distance, as he got on his bicycle, and began to use the jab and movement to control the fight until the 13th and 14th rds. The rest is history. Did it have the raging all out war of Pryor v Arguello, Pintor v Gomez, Saad Muhammad vs anyone he fought? Or B.Chacon vs anyone he fought? Of course not. Did those other fights and fighters display half the skills of Leonard v Hearns? Not close in my opnion. For purists, who want SKILLS as well as action, very few fights the last 100 yrs top it.

 

It was a fascinating fight. It was a tense tactical fight with bursts of action.

 

Leonard-Hearns, to me...it’s poetry in motion. A masterpiece.

The dance they did in the first? Oh my! The feinting, the measuring, the occasional one-two. The tension was palpable...and gradually building! Ray taunts Tommy at the end of the first. Then Hearns strikes back in the second and stings Ray hard with the double jab-straight right. Hearns stalking Leonard for the next few rounds...then BOOM Leonard flurries into that hook and Tommy is on rubber legs. Then the determination and grit he shows these next few rounds is truly amazing.

Equally impressive is Ray turning from the Hunted into the Hunter. With his sights set on Hearns and his eye rapidly closing at the end of the 12th...the camera pans out from his corner as Dundee is screaming in his ear “you gotta be quicker and you gotta take it away from him! SPEED!!” And Leonard looks like he was shot out of a cannon. He hurts Hearns again badly and it now becomes a case of can Hearns just stay on his feet? More drama in the 14th when Leonard lands the wide, looping overhand right and raises his arms in victory as Tommy slumps along the ropes. And finally, and mercifully...the ref stops it as Barry Tompkins’ memorable call of “Ray Leonard is the welterweight champion of the world against a very game Thomas Hearns. You can not say enough about both these fighters”.

Indeed. The combined skill displayed that night was truly awesome. I don’t think there’s been two welterweights that high caliber leave it all on the line for the world to see since that night in 81. Not Whitaker-McGirt, not Mosley-DLH, certainly Mayweather-Pacquiao didnt even come close. There was a lot at stake and the whole world was watching...and they delivered.

Just a quick note...it’s threads like this that make me think of my father, who before he passed, used to tell me grand stories of this fight, and the other great fights of the 70s-80s. So thanks to everyone who shared in this thread...but especially those of you that were around to see this fight live...thank you for sharing your insight.