Was Hearns chin actually shaky?

He was suspectable to sustained punishment, more than your average ATG.

Not really chinny when it comes to single punches though.

 

The slightly below-average chin bestowed on this unfairly gifted fighter was a flaw compounded upon by his long thin stilts that would have him careening around the ring whenever he lost equilibrium.

Kinda hard to bluff when you're Hearns. You can't exactly feint, shoot out a jab and pretend you're not shook up.

 

Yes, it was plain to see throughout his career that his chin was shaky...and it was the one thing that kept him from being an even greater fighter than he was. Hearn's chin was his achilles heel.

 

I'd say his chin was fine...but look at his competition and the moving up through weight classes. I think you'd be best expecting someone to knock him out a few times considering. He got knocked out first by an ATG at welterweight in the fourteenth round and last all the way up at cruiserweight for crying out loud. Maybe I'm biased though because that's a pet peeve of mine. Unfairly labeling someone as a glass jaw. To be honest, I always thought Lennox Lewis got that label unfairly too.

 

I'd say his chin was average..... that and a combination of only good (rather than very good) stamina made him vulnerable at times.

That said he fought more than his fair share of bangers, he could have fought a smarter fight against Hagler, though it might not have made much difference, the only way Hagler was losing that fight was by being struck by a ringpost.

 

There are so many guys that should've thought of that strategy. That would be plan A for me.

 

Kinchen had him in lots of trouble in 1988 when he still had something left. He was wobbled by Roldan but there's no real shame in that, especially when Tommy willingly traded.

 

of course it was his weakness. but even that his hieght/reach, style and power usually lulled you into a false sense of security.

 

I agree. The problem was his trainer didnt spend time teaching him the finer points of defense and it showed. He is more or less a rigid and erect figure that doesnt bend or roll like a Micheal Nunn. I believe hagler mentioned this in his prefight interview.

During his decline from the Andries fight on, he was much easier to hurt and that's the time he came across as very vulnerable (see Kinchen-Hearns)

 

Hagler claimed that he did long-term damage to Hearns. I think Hagler is on the money. Hagler dented Hearns' chin for all time, by my estimation. Hearn's wasn't the same after that bout -never quite as dangerous and more easily hurt. Hagler dented Mugabi's chin for all time as well, and probably Scypion's too.

Hagler wasn't a pretty puncher once he hit thirty, but he was a heavy puncher. He didn't have the speed to put your lights out with the snap of a wrist, but he'd do worse -repeatedly sending your brain spinning on its stem.

Hagler was a very dangerous fighter. He ruined guys...

 

He didn't have a granite chin, but neither was he glass jawed. Took some big shots from Leonard & lost that fight more from exhaustion. Was mauled by Hagler, no shame there, took some big shots before he went down. Barkley caught him with a haymaker flush on the chin, but by then he was on the slide IMO.

 

That was a rough one. And it depleted the aging Marvin too. Come to think of it, Marvin should have boxed Mugabi and brawled on Leonard.

A friend of mine had a picture from Hagler-Mugabi on his wall in the 80s. We laughed everytime we looked at it because there's Marvin landing a vicious left on Mugabi's cheek, the sweat is spraying, the jaw is jammed to the side, but Mugabi's eyes are jerked to the left right on Marvin. He ain't taken his eyes off him and the look in those peeper's were saying: "I'll get you! I'll get you!"

 

One of my fave fights Hagler v Mugabe, they both took some frightening punishment.