Thomas Hearns vs Gerald McClellan

[Saurfang]

Fight is @ middleweight.12 Rounds.Who wins.

[Duran Fan]

Tom Hearns wins 9 out of 10
McClellan only has a punchers chance.

[Goodnight, Irene]

McClellan's chin wins out, & he KO's Hearns.

[dr_devious]

McClellan's chin wins out, & he KO's Hearns.

Agreed, McClellan had serious power and a great chin

[orbtastic]

Has anyone seen McClellan's fight with Milton? I'm at a loss to see how someone with so much power took more than 2 rounds with Milton when he got banged out quite a few times?

[Bricks]

Tommy takes Gerald in my mind.

Sure Tommy had a vulnerable chin, but Tommy at 160 created so many openings had so much speed and could bang to the body just as well as to the head. There is a clear disparity in skill, tehcnique and speed and I see Hearns dissecting Mclellan within 5-6 rounds.

Mclellan was a warrior and could had incredible will to win but there is nothing in his history to suggest that after weathering the early Hearns storm he could bring it on in the later rounds.

eveything to me points to Hearns winning.

It isnt really of any great relavence but the 1989 sparring match on youtube of these two provides a fair few clues of how Tommy would handle Mclellan.

[gilgamesh]

I think McClellan wins by KO in the middle rounds.

[Goodnight, Irene]

McClellan was an absolutely massive Middleweight. He was the king of the drain during his era.

[Roco]

Still see a win for Hearns.

[Diamond WEAPON]

Tommy takes Gerald in my mind.

Sure Tommy had a vulnerable chin, but Tommy at 160 created so many openings had so much speed and could bang to the body just as well as to the head. There is a clear disparity in skill, tehcnique and speed and I see Hearns dissecting Mclellan within 5-6 rounds.

Mclellan was a warrior and could had incredible will to win but there is nothing in his history to suggest that after weathering the early Hearns storm he could bring it on in the later rounds.

eveything to me points to Hearns winning.

It isnt really of any great relavence but the 1989 sparring match on youtube of these two provides a fair few clues of how Tommy would handle Mclellan.

McClellan wasn't as dangerous as he'd become.

The supposed "disparity" in skill and speed may have helped Hearns whack out some guys quicker and more decisively than Gerald would but wouldn't help him against the man himself. McClellan would've been in his face from the opening bell and he definitely hit harder than Hagler did. Gerald would've stopped Hearns in 4 or 5 rounds. Anyone that could take bombs from Jackson could take them from Hearns.

[Goodnight, Irene]

^^^That last sentence surmises this fight for me.

[Datsue]

Anyone that could take bombs from Jackson could take them from Hearns..

Sorry, don't agree. Your reasoning is flawed, & here's why:

Hatton shook off Tszyu's right hands, but not Pac's straight left. Why not? Wear & tear on Ricky's noggin? Certainly played a part. But I will give you odds to evens that Pacquaio's left --though less of devastating shot in a sheer force kinda way-- came at a weirder angle, was quicker & exploded in a place that Ricky didn't see coming.

What's this got to do with the topic at hand? Well, Hearns was about eleventy trillion times quicker & more technically capable than Jackson. He may have lacked Jackson's awesome "hit guys with an arm punch to the cheekbone & knock them clean off their feet" bludgeoning power, but again, I'd take his shots to be not only faster but much more cleanly delivered & far more accurate.

There were guys Jackson didn't knockout (Thomas Tate, fer instance). Does that mean Roy Jones hit harder, because he flattened Tate? Nah. Brute power is not the be all & end all of it, certainly not when dealing with a fighter like Thomas Hearns. Timing, placement, speed, the angle the shot is delivered -- plays a huge part in whether or not a dude "goes" or shakes off the punch.

Just 'cos Jackson didn't knock out Mclellan, it does not immediately follow that Hearns couldn't.

I have no immediate thoughts on the topic at hand, BTW, but thought I'd just step in to offer up this snippet.

[Rocky Balboa]

McClellan was an absolutely massive Middleweight. He was the king of the drain during his era.

I heard he was still Draining big time even at 168lbs?

[orbtastic]

Anyone that could take bombs from Jackson could take them from Hearns..

Sorry, don't agree. Your reasoning is flawed, & here's why:

Hatton shook off Tszyu's right hands, but not Pac's straight left. Why not? Wear & tear on Ricky's noggin? Certainly played a part. But I will give you odds to evens that Pacquaio's left --though less of devastating shot in a sheer force kinda way-- came at a weirder angle, was quicker & exploded in a place that Ricky didn't see coming.

What's this got to do with the topic at hand? Well, Hearns was about eleventy trillion times quicker & more technically capable than Jackson. He may have lacked Jackson's awesome "hit guys with an arm punch to the cheekbone & knock them clean off their feet" bludgeoning power, but again, I'd take his shots to be not only faster but much more cleanly delivered & far more accurate.

There were guys Jackson didn't knockout (Thomas Tate, fer instance). Does that mean Roy Jones hit harder, because he flattened Tate? Nah. Brute power is not the be all & end all of it, certainly not when dealing with a fighter like Thomas Hearns. Timing, placement, speed, the angle the shot is delivered -- plays a huge part in whether or not a dude "goes" or shakes off the punch.

Just 'cos Jackson didn't knock out Mclellan, it does not immediately follow that Hearns couldn't.

I have no immediate thoughts on the topic at hand, BTW, but thought I'd just step in to offer up this snippet.

The reason that Hatton shook them off is because he never allowed KT the room to wind up his right hand, if you watch the fight he spends almost all of it closing down the space, crowding him and fighting at a different tempo to what KT was normally used to dictating.

Jackon rattled Gerald in the 3rd and 4th rounds, he definitely hurt him.

[Goodnight, Irene]

McClellan was an absolutely massive Middleweight. He was the king of the drain during his era.

I heard he was still Draining big time even at 168lbs?

That's correct. People see Hearn's impressive dimensions & perhaps assume these guys were quite similar in size, but from a weight perspective, while Hearns evened out between 154-160lbs, McClellan drained like few ever have. He was walking around the ring with Middleweights carrying the punch of a Cruiser. He'd have knocked out Hearns eventually, IMO.

[Diamond WEAPON]

McClellan was an absolutely massive Middleweight. He was the king of the drain during his era.

I heard he was still Draining big time even at 168lbs?

That's correct. People see Hearn's impressive dimensions & perhaps assume these guys were quite similar in size, but from a weight perspective, while Hearns evened out between 154-160lbs, McClellan drained like few ever have. He was walking around the ring with Middleweights carrying the punch of a Cruiser. He'd have knocked out Hearns eventually, IMO.

Well Hearns was a LMW/MW right at the advent of the day-before weigh-ins, and judging by how he looked against Hagler it appeared as though he started taking advantage of the extra lee-way, but even with that McClellan still would've been the heavier man by a good 10 lbs.

[Goodnight, Irene]

Right. He was a very big man. Dude essentially brought a gun to a knife fight, disguising the firearm as a blade.

He guns down Hearns in about six, I think.

[Roco]

Tommy takes Gerald in my mind.

Sure Tommy had a vulnerable chin, but Tommy at 160 created so many openings had so much speed and could bang to the body just as well as to the head. There is a clear disparity in skill, tehcnique and speed and I see Hearns dissecting Mclellan within 5-6 rounds.

Mclellan was a warrior and could had incredible will to win but there is nothing in his history to suggest that after weathering the early Hearns storm he could bring it on in the later rounds.

eveything to me points to Hearns winning.

It isnt really of any great relavence but the 1989 sparring match on youtube of these two provides a fair few clues of how Tommy would handle Mclellan.

McClellan wasn't as dangerous as he'd become.

The supposed "disparity" in skill and speed may have helped Hearns whack out some guys quicker and more decisively than Gerald would but wouldn't help him against the man himself. McClellan would've been in his face from the opening bell and he definitely hit harder than Hagler did. Gerald would've stopped Hearns in 4 or 5 rounds. Anyone that could take bombs from Jackson could take them from Hearns.

Gerald me have hit harder than Hagler, however I don't thing he has the strength of Hagler. In the Hagler/Hearns fight it was Haglers strength that did the damage IMO.

[Roco]

Tommy takes Gerald in my mind.

Sure Tommy had a vulnerable chin, but Tommy at 160 created so many openings had so much speed and could bang to the body just as well as to the head. There is a clear disparity in skill, tehcnique and speed and I see Hearns dissecting Mclellan within 5-6 rounds.

Mclellan was a warrior and could had incredible will to win but there is nothing in his history to suggest that after weathering the early Hearns storm he could bring it on in the later rounds.

eveything to me points to Hearns winning.

It isnt really of any great relavence but the 1989 sparring match on youtube of these two provides a fair few clues of how Tommy would handle Mclellan.

McClellan wasn't as dangerous as he'd become.

The supposed "disparity" in skill and speed may have helped Hearns whack out some guys quicker and more decisively than Gerald would but wouldn't help him against the man himself. McClellan would've been in his face from the opening bell and he definitely hit harder than Hagler did. Gerald would've stopped Hearns in 4 or 5 rounds. Anyone that could take bombs from Jackson could take them from Hearns.

Gerald may have hit harder than Hagler, however I don't thing he has the strength of Hagler. In the Hagler/Hearns fight it was Haglers strength that did the damage IMO.

[Goodnight, Irene]

Nonetheless, it was a single Hagler punch which put Hearns out, not Hagler's strength.

[Counter-puncher]

i'd call that the result of a prolonged beating though..? and one that came when Tommy looked well on his way to falling... doubtless at least partially precipitated by the fact that Hagler got to muscle Hearns against the ropes and bull him around with shoulders, elbows, etc, plus lay a pretty brutal beating to his body. Hearn's legs were doing that crazy bambi thing, even by the end of the 1st round, which makes it difficult to ascribe the ending to a single punch, for me.

[Goodnight, Irene]

A factor? Yes, I would say so.

However, I would attribute most of that result to Hearns simply buckling badly under Hagler's (inferior --- to McClellan) punch. That single blow doesn't put a man out unless it has more oomph in it than the victim can handle in his chin (even if Hagler had softened him). There wasn't really any prolonged beating --- just six or seven minutes of high-octane combat. Hearns got his licks in a-plenty, too.

[Counter-puncher]

if i was manny Steward i would, of course, ascribe it to Hearns' receiving a leg massage before the fight......

the final shot was a funny one, big winging thing that *shouldn't* ever land against an elite fighter, but seemed to catch Hearns around or behind the ear... so i guess i can see your point, but, really don't think that, had Hagler got him with that punch in the 1st round, he would have succumbed. hence my own leaning towards an attritional rather than single-punch ending.

[The End]

McClellan definitely could be outboxed and Hearns definitely could be knocked out. If this were to take place at 160 I would probably lean towards Hearns.

I know I've seen an exhibition somewhere where Hearns dominated and toyed with Mclellan.
I know it was only an exhibition and they had on headgear but Hearns seemed much better

[Roco]

Nonetheless, it was a single Hagler punch which put Hearns out, not Hagler's strength.

True, but it wasn't one particular punch more of a brutal beatdown/cluster of accurate shots. Which is also a factor as Marvin was much much more accurate than Gerald and better technically. I think Hearns would always be one step ahead of Gerald.