Thomas Hearns vs. Sugar Ray Leonard 40 years ago today Sept. 16, 1981.

What a title unification it was, I heard that fight blow by blow over the radio. The commentator made it sound like Thomas Hearns had the advantage in that bout, apparently he did until round 14, then Sugar Ray Leonard then changed things. Sugar Ray had been told by his trainer Angelo Dundee, You Are Blowing It. Leonard came alive, then ended it.

 

Wow, 40 years ago exactly. I don't remember it when it happened but I've seen it about half a dozen times now. One of the great matchups in history that lived up to the hype.

 

It was one of those "classic bouts" that oddly didn't have a hell of a lot of clean punching being done, for all the skill and athleticism involved. Guess that is supposed to speak to the quality of their respective defenses but truth be told, neither was all that outstanding on defense. Leonard appeared to be but that was all speed and reflexes, not so much honed skill in blocking, parrying, that sort of thing. As soon as they both slowed down they weren't all that tough to hit.

Still, that's rambling...…..it's a riveting encounter for a lot of reasons, featuring two all-time greats at their absolute respective physical peaks. Not often that happens.

 

Yup.

The now famous You're Blowing it son You're Blowing it...

 

Went and saw it on closed circuit...great crowd that night...the build-up to this fight was huge...

 

They don't make them like this anymore

 

Best welterweight title fight ever.

The thing that’s so great about it is it played out like a drama in five acts:

1) Early rounds, Ray moving and plans to box but he can’t get anything done and Hearns is banking rounds as he stalks

2) The tide turns with a body punch from Ray as he batters Hearns over a couple of rounds

3) Hearns turns boxer and takes command, Ray stalking but can’t get past that jab as Thomas puts on a clinic

4) You’re blowin’ it, kid: Dundee tells Ray where he stands and that if he doesn’t make a move now it will be too late. Leonard reaches deep into his champion’s heart and puts a battering on Hearns, but can he close the deal?

5) Leonard is relentless and closes the show as Hearns sags through the ropes

This was the telling of a magnificent story and probably the best, or at least one of the best, prime-vs.-prime fights ever between ATGs.

 

I was just turned 17 when that fight happened. I was out running around the neighborhood when I saw a backyard with tables set up and a big movie projector screen; they were all set to watch the fight. Once it got dark I came back and stood on a brick to look over the fence and watch the fight. I would get a couple rounds, sometimes less before their dog would notice me and start barking and I would leave, walk around for a while then come back and watch some more of the fight. It was many years later that I finally saw the whole fight.

 

I dunno about that. I thought Leonard -Duran 1 was a far more exciting fight to watch. Not saying it wasn’t a good fight but it was more like a top level chess match rather than what everyone were expecting. From what I read of what the expectations of the bout beforehand people were thinking about whether Leonard would be able to take Hearns power and how well Hearns could deal with Leonard’s speed and boxing nous. Instead Leonard seem to be the puncher in the fight and Hearns content on outboxing Leonard and wining on points. I don’t think Hearns really landed flush with his right hand at all in the whole fight.

Now the 2nd match between the two years later was I think,more like what people were expecting beforehand on how the first fight would go with Hearns clearly been the dangerous puncher and Leonard the boxer. I think the rematch was also a more exciting fight than the first but people underrate it and look past it because both were way past their primes by then whereas they were arguably at their best at the time of the first one in 81.

 

In the words of Larry Merchant...
"What a night. What a fight".

 

I remember really being excited about this fight. Then I watched it and was disappointed. However, the disappointment was my fault. For some reason I had built this up to be a bout that would feature the action and ferocity that Hearns and Hagler displayed a few years later. I was in my 20s then and I should have known better. That would not be a game plan that SRL would have ever chosen.

I watched it again a few months later with a different mindset and enjoyed the fight for what it was. A high level battle of styles with momentum swings throughout and an excellent finish.

 

welcome back btw .. I saw the fight at my friends house as his older brother and uncle were into boxing so they got the fight .. Hearns was already my favorite fighter and always has been .. I was 11 years old .. I saw the rematch with the same group 8 years later.

 

40 years to the exact day! Nostalgia. Greatest Welterweight fight of all time and my introduction to boxing. One of the great memories that will last a life time.