John Mugabi vs Thomas Hearns @ 154lbs

[Rocky Balboa]

During the early 1980's, it was possible these two fighters could have boxed each other.

Mugabi was a murderous puncher, a Knockout artist, who seemed to me to be very big for his weight (11st). Hearns was a great boxer, mover, had a longer reach than Mugabi, a murderous right-hand etc.

I would like to know to hear peoples predicition on this one! Although Tommy was the better all round boxer, I feel Mugabi would have defeated him. Remember, when Tommy got hit with a good shot, his legs went, as in the fight with Hagler. I believe John Mugabo would have stopped Tommy Hearns in Round 4.

Thanks.

[The Keed]

Remember, when Tommy got hit with a good shot, his legs went, as in the fight with Hagler.

Yeah, but the key there is you have to hit him first.

Mugabi's strictly come-forward style and lack of defense would've been made for Hearns.

And besides, even though Hearns' chin was shaky, he was usually able to shake off a shot or two, even if it did land.

Then throw in the fact that Mugabi has never proven he could beat a quality fighter in his career, and I'll take Hearns by KO in 4.

[crooked nose]

I have to go with Hearns. He had plenty of boxing ability to go with the power. Mugabi was strictly a rocket launcher. Yes, Hearns could be tagged (Barkley, Leonard, Hagler) but I don't see Mugabi getting past the Hit Man's jab. Hearns in six or seven.

[knockout artist]

Remember, when Tommy got hit with a good shot, his legs went, as in the fight with Hagler.

Yeah, but the key there is you have to hit him first.

Mugabi's strictly come-forward style and lack of defense would've been made for Hearns.

And besides, even though Hearns' chin was shaky, he was usually able to shake off a shot or two, even if it did land.

Then throw in the fact that Mugabi has never proven he could beat a quality fighter in his career, and I'll take Hearns by KO in 4.

I think you need to look at Mugabi's record a bit more closely.

He beat plenty of quality fighters.

If anything, Hearns avoided him like the plague. Mugabi had to move up and fight Hagler.

Mugabi KO3.

[MightyWarrior]

I'd have to go with Mugabi, who was a real monster at 154.
Punched hard with either hand and had a better chin than Tommy, which I think would've made the difference. Similar to the first Barkley fight I think: Hearns dominates early before Mugabi catches him around 4, in an absolute war.

[The Keed]

He beat plenty of quality fighters.

Who?? Frank Fletcher? Earl Hargrove? Rene Jaquot? That's pretty much as good as it got for him.

[knockout artist]

He beat plenty of quality fighters.

Who?? Frank Fletcher? Earl Hargrove? Rene Jaquot? That's pretty much as good as it got for him.

Fletcher, Hargrove and Jaquot were good fighters.

Fletcher was a MIDDLEWEIGHT, as was Curtis Parker who Mugabi stopped in 1 in 1983. At that point Parker had never been down or stopped in his career.

Curtis Ramsey went the full 10 with a young Tony Ayala jnr. Mugabi then starched Ramsey (and the referee) in the first.

Hearns could not have handled Mugabi who had a good chin at that point and was VERY strong.

Despite standing 5'8", Mugabi had a reach of 75".

Styles make fights, Hearns could not have handled the heat Mugabi brought.

In a GREAT WAR, Mugabi KO3.

[FreeIkemefula]

Hearns in one. Mugabi was the the non-heavyweight Razor Ruddock...that is he is known for being a game loser. I don't even think that reputation is justified. Norris and Mccellan stopped him in one. Hearns would definately stop him in one. Mugabi wasn't even a puncher either. I think he was a very overrated fighter. China Chinned Terry Norris knocked him down 3 times before the ref stopped it.

[The Keed]

China Chinned Terry Norris knocked him down 3 times before the ref stopped it.

You also notice that Mugabi caught Norris with a pretty good shot in that round, just before getting KO'd, but Norris shook it off with no problem and then proceeded to flatten him.

Lighter-weight Razor Ruddock... that's a good comparison. Both get their reputations mostly from a fight each lost.

[barry]

Mugabi beat several quality fighters, he just couldn't beat some of the all-time best...no disgrace there! To state that Mugabi wasn't a puncher is just silly and sounds like something that someone who never saw him fight, except in bouts during and following 1986 would say, because if Mugabi couldn't do anything else...he certainly could punch! After Hagler, Mugabi was through and when Norris and McClellan knocked him out, he should not even have been in the ring. I would pick Hearns by early knockout in a shoot-out!

[FreeIkemefula]

Mugabi beat several quality fighters, he just couldn't beat some of the all-time best...no disgrace there! To state that Mugabi wasn't a puncher is just silly and sounds like something that someone who never saw him fight, except in bouts during and following 1986 would say, because if Mugabi couldn't do anything else...he certainly could punch! After Hagler, Mugabi was through and when Norris and McClellan knocked him out, he should not even have been in the ring. I would pick Hearns by early knockout in a shoot-out!

Well, he is an overrated puncher for sure. I was a little kid then, but forgive me when did Frank Fletcher become an All-time great. He didn't just compete with very good fighters...he got plowed. Hagler, Norris and Mccellan starched him good. Only guys he knocked out are guys that if you follow their respective records got stopped by other people as well. He was a game loser. He was fun to watch too. I just think he is a bit overrated, but I was young at the time. However, my opinion won't change much. He got blasted by the Terry Norris He was not shot at that time. I will give you the Gman one though. He was shot then.

[barry]

No one ever said that Fletcher was an all time great. Like you said, you were a kid when he was fighting, I was a kid also, but I know and watched Mugabi plow through the actual middleweight contenders of the time...yes Fletcher was a top contender at the time, just like Curtis Parker, James Green and several others and Mugabi destroyed them and went 11 valiant rounds against one of the best middleweights of all time, Hearns went three, albeit the three most exciting that I have seen. Mugabi was shot after that, as Duane Thomas showed and when he faced Norris, he wasn't half the fighter he was before Hagler. Mugabi's not overated, I don't know anyone who calls him an all time great, but he was certainly one of the all time great punchers...not the greatest, but one of the great punchers, possibly a better right than Hearns!

[knockout artist]

Hearns in one. Mugabi was the the non-heavyweight Razor Ruddock...that is he is known for being a game loser. I don't even think that reputation is justified. Norris and Mccellan stopped him in one. Hearns would definately stop him in one. Mugabi wasn't even a puncher either. I think he was a very overrated fighter. China Chinned Terry Norris knocked him down 3 times before the ref stopped it.

The Mugabi who fought Norris and McClellan was completely shot.

For you to say Mugabi wasnt a puncher is pure crap.

Get a tape of his fights prior to 1986 on NBC.

[mapp35]

I Would have to go with Hearns....even though I loved Mugabi back then. I think the experience and boxing ability would give Hearns the edge. Echols reminds me of Mugabi a lot .

[FreeIkemefula]

Hearns in one. Mugabi was the the non-heavyweight Razor Ruddock...that is he is known for being a game loser. I don't even think that reputation is justified. Norris and Mccellan stopped him in one. Hearns would definately stop him in one. Mugabi wasn't even a puncher either. I think he was a very overrated fighter. China Chinned Terry Norris knocked him down 3 times before the ref stopped it.

The Mugabi who fought Norris and McClellan was completely shot.

For you to say Mugabi wasnt a puncher is pure crap.

Get a tape of his fights prior to 1986 on NBC.

Regardless, Tommy starches him in one. Norris was definately an overrated puncher and he stopped him. Mugabi was a cross of Echols/Ruddock a guy who was a game loser, nothing more. Tommy would destroy him.

[MightyWarrior]

Hearns in one. Mugabi was the the non-heavyweight Razor Ruddock...that is he is known for being a game loser. I don't even think that reputation is justified. Norris and Mccellan stopped him in one. Hearns would definately stop him in one. Mugabi wasn't even a puncher either. I think he was a very overrated fighter. China Chinned Terry Norris knocked him down 3 times before the ref stopped it.

The Mugabi who fought Norris and McClellan was completely shot.

For you to say Mugabi wasnt a puncher is pure crap.

Get a tape of his fights prior to 1986 on NBC.

Regardless, Tommy starches him in one. Norris was definately an overrated puncher and he stopped him. Mugabi was a cross of Echols/Ruddock a guy who was a game loser, nothing more. Tommy would destroy him.

Like knockout says, Mugabi was completely shot when he faced Norris and co. I was ringside for the GMan fight and Mugabi could barely walk in a straight line on his way to the ring.
He suffered badly from syphilis and in the end it left him a shell of the fighter he once was.

To call him an overrated puncher shows you never really saw him in his prime - he was a truly ferocious hitter and almost killed the rock chinned Parker in one round ( terrible ref that night I remember ).
Tommy would defintely have had his hands full, because in his prime Mugabi had a very good chin too.

[knockout artist]

The Mugabi who fought Norris and McClellan was completely shot.

For you to say Mugabi wasnt a puncher is pure crap.

Get a tape of his fights prior to 1986 on NBC.

Regardless, Tommy starches him in one. Norris was definately an overrated puncher and he stopped him. Mugabi was a cross of Echols/Ruddock a guy who was a game loser, nothing more. Tommy would destroy him.

Like knockout says, Mugabi was completely shot when he faced Norris and co. I was ringside for the GMan fight and Mugabi could barely walk in a straight line on his way to the ring.
He suffered badly from syphilis and in the end it left him a shell of the fighter he once was.

To call him an overrated puncher shows you never really saw him in his prime - he was a truly ferocious hitter and almost killed the rock chinned Parker in one round ( terrible ref that night I remember ).
Tommy would defintely have had his hands full, because in his prime Mugabi had a very good chin too.

Very accurate summing up. You obviously saw plenty of "The Beast" in his prime.

I seem to recall that the ref for the Parker fight was a guy called Max Parker Jnr, who still refs in Tampa today.

I recall that he let Parker carry on after the first knockdown, when Parker was "gone" and instead of waiting in a neutral corner, Mugabi was poised behind the ref and knocked Parker straight out of the ring.

Great KO, great TV fight. Both guys were throwing huge shots, you could hear them landing. They were really planting their feet.

[MightyWarrior]

That's right I remember now, Max Parker: a dithering idiot, stood there flapping his arms while Mugabi almost decapitated Parker on the ropes.
That should've been his last fight as a ref.

[barry]

When Mugabi's right landed solid, you could almost feel it through the T.V.! I'd loved to have been ringside for any of his 1983, 1984 fights. Hell, the first knockodown of Parker staggered me and I was about seven, or eight hundered miles away! Truly one of the most viscous punchers in history!

[turn2stone]

When Mugabi had the aura of invincibility around him he was a monster.
As versatile as Hearns could be at times, I still have visions of Barkley, and to a lesser extent 2nd tier guys like Kinchen and Roldan tagging him.
Pussy that i am, I would bet no money on this fight .

[knockout artist]

When Mugabi's right landed solid, you could almost feel it through the T.V.! I'd loved to have been ringside for any of his 1983, 1984 fights. Hell, the first knockodown of Parker staggered me and I was about seven, or eight hundered miles away! Truly one of the most viscous punchers in history!

I'm gonna watch the fight on tape again tonight.

I can remember them standing toe to toe with Parker backing Muagbi into a corner with a ferocious body attack, but then Mugabi planted his feet and threw a left hook to the body and regained centre ring. Parker backed of to the ropes, still firing and Mugabi threw a HUGE overhand right that nearly sent Parkers head into the 10th row. I'll never know how Parker remained upright from that shot, but he carried on exchanging until Mugabi drove Parker accross the ring with three successive booming overhand rights. Parker still stayed up, but was pushed down. Shortly after he was knocked down with a great left hook right hand combo and got up on very shaky legs and had glazed eyes, it should have been stopped, but the ref let it continue, one booming right hand is all it took and Parker was lying on the ring apron.

And Marv Albert sounded like he was creaming his pants.

Great days.

[MightyWarrior]

In his next fight Mugabi showed he had the heart to back up his big punching too.
Mickey Duff ambitiously matched his prospect with the well named James "Hard Rock" Green, who took him to hell and back before getting stopped late. I seem to remember he rocked Mugabi early, and cut him too, but John showed he had what it takes to win on a bad night.

Earl "The Pearl" Hargrove was another ferocious puncher, but unlike Mugabi, he lacked the heart for a real battle. He'd just seen his unbeaten knockout streak ended before they matched him with Mugabi, who flattened him in one round.

[knockout artist]

In his next fight Mugabi showed he had the heart to back up his big punching too.
Mickey Duff ambitiously matched his prospect with the well named James "Hard Rock" Green, who took him to hell and back before getting stopped late. I seem to remember he rocked Mugabi early, and cut him too, but John showed he had what it takes to win on a bad night.

Earl "The Pearl" Hargrove was another ferocious puncher, but unlike Mugabi, he lacked the heart for a real battle. He'd just seen his unbeaten knockout streak ended before they matched him with Mugabi, who flattened him in one round.

If you watch the tape of the Hargrove fight, where I dont think either fighter threw one straight punch, you can see that Mugabi had excellent reflexes then. He was much much faster than when he fought Norris.

But looking at the Hargrove tape, at the time of the KO, the crowd are going mental and you can see Michael Spinks at ringside, with his mouth wide open, blown away by what he just witnessed.

If he had fought Mugabi, Hearns would have been more vulnerable than he was against Hagler.

Mugabi was a much quicker starter than Marvin.

[silkov]

I d give a peak Mugubi a good chance against Hearns... I think he'd have been too strong for Tommy... Hearns best chance would be to box and move but he loved to slug it out and even if he boxed and moved I can see Mugubi wearing him down!... just too big a puncher for Hearns. Mugubi was never the same after the Hagler fight, up till then he was a match for anyone at either 154 or 160... I think Duff made the mistake of going after Hagler when really they should have steered Mugubi to the 154 title first...