was going to say the exact same thing. Outboxed the boxer (Benitez), slugged it out with Duran, knocked out the heavy hitter (Hearns).
I don't think Hearns had the in-fighting skills or the ability to handle strong, skilled, durable pressure fighters to be considered the most versatile, even though he was definitely a top notch technician.
At 147, Hearns had all the skills to handle inside pressure. He was even able to hang with Hagler for a while
Are you serious? That fight was very very close. People like to forget just how close, because Duran is everbody's hero, but that was a close fight. Leonard had no business going toe to toe with Duran for 15 rounds.
Yep. I'm serious. I was there. And made money on the fight. And the rematch (Only $20 both times but that was the price of admission in those days). I knew Leonard would probably brawl and lose in Montreal. And it was a given he would fight a different fight the second time.
For 3 rounds before that relentless pressure, strength, and power did him in. Hearns would've fared better at 147 and 154 than at 160 against most of those types though, I agree, due to his much more mobile legs. While he was capable of dealing with the majority of those types with his other tools, that still doesn't mean he was among the best in those particular categories, as he'd use other methods to get past them.