in 1987, thomas hearns moved up to lt hw to defeat fellow kronk stablemate dennis adries who was a very good fighter and i think a 3x lt weight title holder. micahel moorer was the boxing mystery holding the lower recognized wbo belt with 22 wins all comming by knock out over lesser known opponents except fringe contender frankie swindal and former world champ leslie stewart. hearns the great flagship for emanuel stewarts kronk gym and moorer, one of the most exceptianally gifted boxers from kronk. i think around 1989 this match up could have been a major possilility. both have advantages, who would win.
I'll probably go for Moorer by stoppage too, but Hearns was always a classy fighter no matter the weight he fought at, and he carried 175 well. He also had more than respectable power even at 175, as evidenced by the way he handled the tough Andries, who joined the Kronk after this fight. Moorer holds most of the physical advantages, but he could be somewhat tentative and hesitant at 175, despite his fearsome image at the weight. Leslie Stewart was giving him a boxing lesson for 7 and a half rounds before Moorer's power eventually surfaced, and I'd imagine Hearns would not only do the same, but hurt Moorer a couple of times too and have him hanging on in some moments. Still, Moorer had huge power at the weight and Hearns' chin was never that good past 154. Eventually I think Moorer would catch Hearns with a bomb or two and stop him.
I think Moorer would've KO'ed Tommy. Great as the Cobra was, he's severely disadvantaged here. Tommy would have some moments, but his power would have much less effect against these bigger guys. Moorer is ultimately too big and strong for Hearns to overcome.
I have always picked Hearns in this one. While Moorer had ample power at lightheavyweight, he was very inexperienced and never proved himself against a decent opponent at 175. The leslie Stewart figth may very well be the best showing of Moorer in that division, and he was outboxed for nearly 8 full rounds before finally scoring a stoppage late. Had that been Hearns there, with the better boxing ability and more power than Stewart. I don't think Moorer would pull it off.
Hearns also outboxed Barkley before being stopped. Of course he might take rounds with his skills, but Moorer had huge physical advantages. Hearns was KO'd by SRL, Hagler and Barkley, fighters that Moorer would most certainly beat. Moorer was KO'd by Foreman and Holyfield, Hearns doesn't beat them.
The primary difference is that Hagler, Leonard, and Barkley had the skills and experience to land more flushly on Hearns than a lightheavyweight version of Moorer did. Moorer was still very unrefined at that weight class, and a good boxer like Hearns, Hill, or Jones would have schooled him.. That said, I do agree that a single punch from Moorer to the chin of Hearns could end the fight. No doubt about it. But make no mistake about it, its definately not a given...
Hearns and Arguello are probably my two favourite fighters but i cant see Tommy winning this. Tall, long limbed and extremely powerful southpaw, MM is tough head to head at LHW. MM had sound boxing skills he wasnt just a slugger. Hearns skills keep him in it for a while
I think Moorer because at 175 Hearns was nowhere near his prime. However, Hearns is a better fighter. Moorer was lucky that he fought when the heavyweight division sucked. P4P Hearns is worth 10 times more than Moorer.
