When Did Tommy Hearn's Prime End?

After the Marvin Hagler fight, he was still impressive,but not quite the same fighter he was at 154 and 147.

 

hmmmm I'd say the minute he left 154. he was punching above his weight then imo.

 

Even though he handled him, I didn't think he looked very good against Roldan. Granted, Roldan wasn't the kind of fighter it was easy to look good against, but that fight specifically showed how much his legs had stiffened by that point. He was looking good early on against Barkley, but I think that KO loss is when he really started to slide, despite remaining a very good fighter for a while.

 

After 1988

 

A lot of people are timing his decline upon his loss to Marvin Hagler in 1985.. I am not going to challenge this statement as it may be true. But we can't deny that he still had some steller performances after that bout.. Beatin shuler, capturing a LH title from Virgil Hill and besting Ray Leonard in what should have been a verdict in favor of Hearns, were all indications that he still had a lot left after the Hagler loss. My guess is that his prime is one that isn't so easily defined. The lines that separte hearns best from his decline are rather blurry as he fought so many different kinds of opponents at so many different weights.

 

when he lost to barkley the second time around...that fight was vicious stuff...one of the most violent fights ive seen at 175

the fight with freddie delgado proved a couple fights later proved it

 

impossible. He fought great at 154. Hagler sped up his prime a little so that Shuler was the end of his prime probably, or maybe Dewitt.

 

I think it was more gradual rather than a sharp decline, he was an athletic boxer who gradually slowed, happens to the best of them

It would have been nice to see him make more adjustments as he aged though

 

Hagler.

His prime was as a jr. middleweight beating Benitez and Duran ... when he challenged Marvin and was crushed he was never the same ... he still had some super exciting performances left but against punchers he was always a big shot away from ***** street ...

 

In my opinion,Hearns' prime was from 1982 (Benitez fight) to 1985 (Hagler fight)

 

Hearns was struggling with hand injuries before the Hagler fight, something that's often forgotten here.

I would say he was never even at his ABSOLUTE peak above 147 but despite the cronic hand problem he was still in his 'prime' until after Hagler tore him appart. After that he could be classified as shopworn or slightly passed prime.

 

For his height he should have peaked in theory at 175 but in reality his peak ended the minute he went a poofteenth over 154

 

he made adjustments. After Barkley he became a more patient fighter who held on and went 12 rounds several times not going as much for the knockout. After Hagler he actually became more of a bodypuncher than he was before, which actually made him more open to some punches, but made him bust up his opponents better.
The Virgil Hill-Thomas Hearns was very experience, but by that time he was slowed. He won that fight with his jab and experience.