Randy Shields faced both Leonard and Hearns So Who Hit Harder?

how does this make sense. "I just wasn't whole when I fought him. So I was in a daze. So it's hard for me to say one way or the other" I don't get this. Who put Randy in the daze? The fact is he would know how hard Hearns fought not matter what excuse he has.

 

Interesting article about Shields, post boxing.
http://articles.latimes.com/1994-06-18/sports/sp-5675_1_randy-shields

 

Shield reminds me of Jerry Quarry. Always tried his hardest and fought anyone and though he didn't win every fight at his best he gave his opponent hell.

 

I think he’s talked about being in more of a fugue in his personal life during parts of his career — detached, going through the motions and not mentally engaged. Had a lot to do with his father’s mismanagement per Randy but there may have been other stuff going on. So I gather he’s not talking about ‘I was dazed by a punch’ so much as in ‘I was in a daze in that part of my career.’

I think we all sleepwalk through parts of our jobs at times: distracted, not in a good state, not plugged in, etc. I get my tasks done but I don’t really remember anything about how I did it the way I do when I’m on point. And we all probably block out a lot about when we’re in a bad place personally … it’s like some kind of dark cloud and our minds say ‘you got through it, forget it, we’re not going back there.’

Believe it or not, boxers are people and the same can happen — doesn’t mean they’re not paying attention to try to avoid or throw punches, but that can be autopilot for an experienced fighter. I doubt the best marathoner in the world can tell you about every inch of every course (or even every course period) he’s ever raced; I bet Lance Armstrong’s mind was adrift sometimes in legs of the Tour de France, etc. In short, I don’t see the issue here.

 

Wow, this post I don't remember. About Randy. The fact is most guys say Tommy hit harder than Ray. Roberto knows Tommy hit harder and Marvin did also.. it is not a hard one to figure. I forget when I answered this. It must have been a long time ago. I forget this post. Yes March 19, 2019... I remember the Randy Shields video. I just thought it sounded like many boxing interviews like the best that I fought surveys, which I love but the fighters usually do not say who the toughest guys was honestly. Sort of like Barkley saying he didnt legit lose to Benn.. Barkley says he is the fifth king. It is sort of ridiculous.. A lot of guys just talk and are not truthful and yet you have guys like Marvin Hagler who was so honest and down to earth. But I do think from all the sports people I talked to boxers are the nicest and most humble guys in person.

 

Agree on the last part, although I’ve met some NHL players and they come across as real and very nice/humble athletes and people.

I think Randy was a mess for a good portion of his career — father throwing him in for highest payday whether he was ready, hurt, had time to prepare or not. Had a chance to maybe make it as a championship fighter (he could make 140 for much of his top days but I think his father wanted the short/quick money at welter and threw him to the wolves).

Personally don’t see him as a guy who is going to refuse to say Hearns hit harder for no good reason.

I also don’t think people understand boxers’ mentalities very well in looking at those best-I-faced things, by which I mean:

1) Fighter A may very well hit harder than Fighter B, but Fighter C (who is doing the best-I-faced) may not have been hit as hard by A than he was by B.

2) Fighters mitigate by what version of themselves they felt they were in the ring. I’ve seen a few articulate this — ‘I discount that because I wasn’t in shape/was sick/wasn’t prepared.’ A fighter’s ability to avoid taking a punch flush AND his ability to recover are impacted by those things. Fighters also have to have an inner feeling of confidence … invincibility even … that makes them dismiss things that would bring in doubt. It’s hard as hell to walk into the right with self-doubt in a big fight, so the mind plays tricks — and in some cases that probably has merit. The guy who hits you hardest when you’re at your best probably makes a better impression … it’s not like the fighter is always lying.

3) I’ve also seen fighters who say ‘Fighter A was better than B’ in whatever category based not on which version of those fighters they faced, but on what they knew about their careers — if you fight 40-year-old Roberto Duran and prime Vinny Paz, then maybe you say Roberto was the harder puncher even if Vinny hit you harder. Because you know their resumes and what they’ve done.

If you think Randy is outright lying here, that’s your right. But I hate seeing people who know less than the guys who were actually in the ring saying they know better.

If you think Hearns hit harder than Ray, why do you need Randy to back up your opinion? Doesn’t seem like him declining to say so has changed your opinion, but it also doesn’t make him a liar.

 

nice post. I saw that fight a few times, and I noticed Tommy having a bit of an attitude toward Randy in a way he does not with other guys. I am not sure.. Maybe I should have mentioned this before-this is what influenced me to think Randy was making it up. It is as though Tommy and Randy had personal issues toward each other. I am not sure why I felt this, and when I saw the interview this sort of made sense to me. Tommy was making more faces in this fight with Randy in little taunts. Maybe Randy said something Tommy didn't like or vice versa. I watch a lot of interviews of fighters online. I think youtube is an amazing thing. I hope they never start to charge us to watch it because it would be tough to pay for all that good stuff. I was watching interviews of Buddy McGirt oneday after watching two of his fights against Frankie Warren in 1986 and 1988 which he won in 1988.. Amazing to study this stuff.

 

To me, Hearns was the most exciting fighter hands down. He was elite with a chip on shoulder because of his losses to two all time greats. He was always striving for the greatness he felt eluded him. He was electric.

 

First off, I can't imagine a defendable scorecard for Shields against Cuevas. I actually think that while Shields fought well here and there, that fight is actually a feather in Cuevas's cap, being able to fight at that pace and intensity for the full 15. Showed he was more than just the stereotypical big-punching lummox that burns himself out after 4 or 5 rounds.

You'll also notice that Shields did preface his comment about Hearns and Leonard's power by saying that "at least I got hit harder by Leonard." He also emphasized Leonard's speed as a big ingredient as to why he felt his power more. Makes perfect sense to me. Nothing weird at all about that.

 

Randy's dad was stuntman-actor Sonny Shields and had a bit part in Friday the 13th V as a vagabond who ends up getting knifed by the killer. Just a little trivia.

 

I can believe it too. Look at the size of Ray's shoulders and arms compared to Tommy's. 154 is a different story