BoxRec

Who do you think would win at this weight. I know most would expect Leonard to be blown away because Hearns was a monster at this weight, but this is Leonard, great skills, chin and finisher. I expect if it were a 15 rounder that the odds may favor Leonard, however, I would expect Hearns to win if it was 12 rounds.

Sorry to say this, but, as a great Sugar Ray Leonard fan, I don't see him beating this monster at 154lbs named Thomas "The Hitman" Hearns. Hearns was too devastating of a puncher at 154lbs. More lethal when he was at 147lbs.

Yes elmer are some kind of Leonard fan. That is why he constantly bashes him. He once even said that Leonard was not a real fighter.

Leonard by TKO in the late rounds. We already saw this movie at 147, not much reason it would be much different at 154.

It will always be a tough fight between these two, whatever weight they fight at.

Hearns isn't knocking a still living Leonard out at any weight.

If it is in real time & their fight at 147 had happened, I'd fancy Hearns to box a more disciplined fight & not try to blitz Leonard & win out on points, that's providing nobody massaged Tommy's legs before the fight or he didn't over train!

Hearns would always outbox Leonard and he would always be more vulnerable to getting hurt by Ray. The rounds are really huge, 12 favors Tommy bigtime and the extra 9 minutes are huge for Leonard.

Tommy Hearns was a different fighter at 154lbs. He hit harder, had sturdier legs, and was more experienced. At 147lbs, I favored Sugar Ray. At 154 and beyond, I favor the Hitman. Especially, in his prime years 1980-85, his fights at 154lbs were more convincing and impressive to me than at welterweight. I

I never trusted his stay at 147, even though he was formidable. I knew that Leonard was better and stronger. He was the better fighter at welterweight. But Hearns was much better at 154. His legs at 147 were not good there for his frame. What a big difference 7 pounds make.

This is not about who was better skilled. It was about weight class. The higher the weight class, the better for Hearns.

At 154, I don't see the great Sugar Ray Leonard beating these guys:
Thomas Hearns
Mike McCallum
Julian Jackson
Sugar Ray Robinson

Ah, add also the great Roy Jones, Jr. He didn't stay very long at 154, but, he was so damn fast it was unbelievable. Sugar Ray doesn't beat that guy at 154 or beyond either.

at Jones beating Leonard in his pro debut. Ray would destroy Julian Jackson. Early ko.

I voted Hearns. I'm a huge fan off all the 4 kings but especially The Hitman.

It's not easy to go against Leonard, one of the most adaptable boxers I can think of, he finds a way. But I think Hearns could outbox ray, Hearns could also hurt ray, ray could hurt Hearns, but ray couldn't out box Hearns.

Ray had the edge in durability and survival though, but I think the gain in weight favours his frame and swings the pendulum his way in this top class match up

Hearns by a close decision

Roy's pro career cannot be taken seriously at top level from 154 really so I agree with saad there.

Jackson also gets stood on his head. Different level fighter

Ossyrules wrote:I voted Hearns. I'm a huge fan off all the 4 kings but especially The Hitman.

It's not easy to go against Leonard, one of the most adaptable boxers I can think of, he finds a way. But I think Hearns could outbox ray, Hearns could also hurt ray, ray could hurt Hearns, but ray couldn't out box Hearns.

Ray had the edge in durability and survival though, but I think the gain in weight favours his frame and swings the pendulum his way in this top class match up

Hearns by a close decision

On the money.

I'd slightly favour the Hitman too, but I always having this nagging doubt in my mind about Hearns when the pressure is on.

At some point, Leonard would pressure Hearns & it's whether Tommy could take Ray's pressure, especially if it was late in the fight.

The Hitman at 154lbs was much stronger. More experienced. And hit much more harder. He looked like a light-heavyweight at 154 compared to the rest. Like I said before, if there was a boxer more perfect in a weight class, for me, it got to be Hearns at 154lbs. He was a TOTAL BEAST. A VERY DEVASTATING PUNCHER.

He beat the greats Wilfred Benitez and Roberto Duran much easier than Sugar Ray did at 147. And that was Sugar Ray's weight and prime! But, Benitez nor Duran could not cope with Hearns at 154. He broke his hand in the Benitez fight and still beat The Radar with the jab. He dominated Benitez. It was The Hitman's MUST UNDERRATED WIN. He outboxed the boxing master, with the jab. He also massacred Marcos Geraldo in one round. Leonard was on queer street with Geraldo, and barely beat him by UD.

Close your eyes and see what The Hitman did to the Hands of Stone and Fred Hutchins? They were devastating knockouts.

Ossyrules wrote:Roy's pro career cannot be taken seriously at top level from 154 really so I agree with saad there.

Jackson also gets stood on his head. Different level fighter

Super Roy had about 7 or 8 fights at 154lbs. It was at the beginning of his career. He looked too fast!

Julian "The Hawk" Jackson would be too strong for Sugar Ray at 154 and beyond. The Hawk hit too hard at 154. He was DEVASTATING. I have never seen a KO artist like Julian. Pound per pound, he is the most devastating puncher of my lifetime. I could see him stopping Leonard. Leonard was not that good above welterweight

elmersalsa wrote:

Ossyrules wrote:Roy's pro career cannot be taken seriously at top level from 154 really so I agree with saad there.

Jackson also gets stood on his head. Different level fighter

Super Roy had about 7 or 8 fights at 154lbs. It was at the beginning of his career. He looked too fast!

Julian "The Hawk" Jackson would be too strong for Sugar Ray at 154 and beyond. The Hawk hit too hard at 154. He was DEVASTATING. I have never seen a KO artist like Julian. Pound per pound, he is the most devastating puncher of my lifetime. I could see him stopping Leonard. Leonard was not that good above welterweight

Hey I'm pro Roy. Huge fan. But really at a high level I consider it from 160 on. And at 160 he is phenomenal.

I think Leonard could box and decision jackson

If Hearns were disciplined and just a little stronger defensively he had the jab, footwork, and right hand to outbox Leonard.. His problem was his defense would break down.. I had a hunch Leonard would beat him.. Not as much as I had a hunch Hearns would beat himself.

In the rematch I had Leonard again but he didn't follow up his advantage when he had Tommy hurt.. He mugged at Hearns.. He got caught with a couple rights that decked him.. That's the first time I saw Leonard fight in an undisciplined and reckless manner.. SRL fought his most disciplined and intense fight against Wilfredo Benitez.. You SHOULD stop Benitez if you have those types of skills and those kind of weapons.. He put it together well.

Leonard normal late TKO.

Give up wrote:Leonard normal late TKO.

Yep. Hearns the 154 'monster' still loses the fight in the brain department. Leonard was the mentally stronger fighter

bollocks wrote:

Give up wrote:Leonard normal late TKO.

Yep. Hearns the 154 'monster' still loses the fight in the brain department. Leonard was the mentally stronger fighter

I think it's bollocks!

Sugar Ray didn't show any indication that above welterweight, he was that good. Look at his fights at 154 and beyond.

Yes that's do that for the millionth time.

Before he retired the first time:

Fernando Marcotto TKO 8
Armando Muniz TKO 6
Marcus Geraldo W 12
Tony Chiverini TKO 4
Ayub Kalue TKO9

After the comeback he beat Hagler who was a pretty fair middleweight by many accounts. (Cue the crybaby excuses)

Every indication he was as good at Jr middleweight as welter.

Hearns would have a good chance at the decision over 12, and Leonard would have a decent shot at the stoppage over 15.

Ambling Alp II wrote:Yes that's do that for the millionth time.

Before he retired the first time:

Fernando Marcotto TKO 8
Armando Muniz TKO 6
Marcus Geraldo W 12
Tony Chiverini TKO 4
Ayub Kalue TKO9

After the comeback he beat Hagler uh who was a pretty fair middleweight by many accounts. (Cue the crybaby excuses)

Every indication he was as good at Jr middleweight as welter.

Sugar Ray fights above welterweight:
The fight with Mando Muniz was a welterweight fight.

Marcos Geraldo put him in QUEER STREET.

Ayub Kalule was winning the fight at the time of the bogus stoppage. Kalule looked that he could still continue.

Kevin Howard put him on the canvas for the first time. He dropped him. Embarrassed, Sugar Ray said that "He didn't had it anymore"

Terry Norris beat him all over the ring. Well, this might not count because he WAS NOT IN HIS PRIME. But the fight was above 147.

Donny Lalonde dropped him.

The Hitman, who was ALMOST WASHED UP, put him to eat dust twice. A draw my a...!

Against Duran at 168? Both looked like clowns. Even Duran busted his lip late in the fight. The lip required many stitches.

At welterweight, Sugar Ray was phenomenal. Above welterweight? Lots of fights that he looked MEDIOCRE for crying out loud. He only had 3 great performances above 147: vs Marcotte, Chiaverini and a FADING Marvelous.

It looks like we forgot how much of a monster The Hitman looked at 154? My goodness!

Like I have said before: Only the great Mike McCallum I see as the one that beats Tommy at 154. And if someone says that Hearns beats McCallum, he is not wrong. They are evenly matched.

Hearns vs Julian Jackson is a fight that depends who hits first. But in a 3 fight series, I pick Tommy. Is a fight between two devastating punchers.

Saying all that, moving up in weight, Hearns was better than Leonard. He had better performances above 147 than Sugar Ray did.

I almost want to cast my vote, but at the moment the poll reads 50/50 and I find that so appropriate.

We make BIG MISTAKE sometimes in judging fights between two very talented fighters.

For example, the great Aaron Pryor beat The Hitman in the amateurs. The fight was at lightweight. Tommy was just 17 and looked very frailed for 132lbs. Now, I can't picture Pryor beating The Hitman at 147 or beyond. It would be a mismatch. Pryor would be perfect for Hearns at 147. If a slow, shopworn and out of prime Alexis Arguello had Pryor in trouble many times, I imagine if that was Tommy fighting him? The mixed bottle would not even save Pryor that night.

Another example would be Alfonso Zamora vs the great Eusebio Pedroza. Zamora knocked him out cold at bantamweight. I put my money on Pedroza if Zamora ever thought fighting Pedroza at featherweight

Just because Sugar Ray beat Tommy at 147, doesn't mean that he will duplicate the feat.
Look what happened in the rematch 21 pounds later? And The Hitman was not in his prime. Leonard was fresher than Hearns. And what happened? Tommy can go all the way to cruiserweight. Can Leonard beat him at cruiserweight, too? No way.

Hearns vs Leonard, Duran and Benitez at 147 is a FAIR FIGHT. Is NOT A FAIR FIGHT AT 154 or beyond. The weight class favors The Hitman, big time. Duran, Leonard nor Benitez looked better than Tommy at 154 at no time at all. Give me a great performance by Duran, Benitez or Leonard that surpassed the Hitman's performance for example, against Duran?