BoxRec

Could Hearns use his boxing skills and reach to keep the stonger and More aggressive Tiger at bay? I see Hearns winning the early and mid rounds when Tiger start turning it up with his Workrate and body punching and he starts getting more on the inside and starts overpowering Hearns maybe even knocking Hearns down But not enough to win Hearns UD

Two of my all time favorite fighters, and not a match up I'd ever though about till now....presumably at middleweight?

IMO Tiger would withstand Hearns early attacks, and even if Tommy was in smart boxer mode Tiger wouldn't be far behind as we got to rounds 5-6. As the fight goes on Tiger comes more into it and begins to wear Hearns down with body punches, maybe wins by late stoppage or close (and likely controversial) decision. Of the two, Dick was more durable, Tommy more vulnerable to a puncher, particularly at middle. Just my opinion of course!

J

At Middleweight?

I have to go with Richard Ihetu by late stoppage. Dick Tiger may well have been the strongest Middleweight Champion who ever lived and along with his great stramina, iron will and heavy fists would be too much for the dangerous but vulnerable 160lbs version of Hearns.

Sure Hearns had great power but Dick Tiger in his glorious prime at middleweight had an iron chin and would more likely than not weather anything the Hitman would throw at him.

Sure early on Hearns Boxing skills may take him into an early lead, if he chose to box clever, and smart boxers could give Tiger problems at times such as Joey Giardello and the great Emille Griffith (when Tiger was on the slide). But Giardello & Griffith were more durable than Hearns.

I love Tommy Hearns as much as anyone but just look at his fights against Roldan and Barkley? and then imagine what Tiger would have done.

If Tommy chose to box smart sooner or later Tigers bif left hook to body and head would catch up with him somewhere between 6 - 10 rounds. If Tpmmy went to war then Tiger would do to Hearns what Hagler did to him and stops him early.

Like I said I love and respect The Hitman but at Middleweight Tiger eats him up.

this one could go either way. Before Hagler ruined him, Hearns most likely would have outboxed Tiger. However, post Hagler, it didnt take too much to rattle Hearns. Tiger mid to late tko.

Tiger was too physically strong for Hearns and he would punish Hearns for as long as he could take it, which wouldn't be very long...maybe five rounds, but regardless Tiger wins in pretty dominant fashion.

Hearns isn't Bob Foster. So, Tiger i'd say wins convincingly.

His fights with Barkley and Roldan I can see what you mean they gave him trouble because they were Durable fighters with stamina and a Chin But those two fighters would of given anyone some kind of trouble I could see this fight going either way and its a fight i'd definately pay too see Barry thats one hell of a prediction

Tiger by late KO. His strenght would have been too much for Tommy. Tommy beyond 154 was not that good anyway. His best was 154 on to 147 weri he was a monster. But at 160, Tiger was too strong.

Agree. Could be interesting for a while, but Tiger gradually wears Hearns down. Probably a late TKO win for Tiger.

I'm in the Dick Tiger camp on this one.

Tough as hell, he would have taken what Tommy had to offer & TKO's him late at middleweight.

Decagon wrote:

elmersalsa wrote:Tiger by late KO. His strenght would have been too much for Tommy. Tommy beyond 154 was not that good anyway. His best was 154 on to 147 weri he was a monster. But at 160, Tiger was too strong.

Hearns was very good at 160 and 168; even 175. On the other hand, Tiger was excellent at 160 and 175. That's the difference. I have him as one of the top 20 middleweights of all time, and some have him in the top 15 or 10. Hearns? Maaaaybe top 50.






Nah!

Huh? Dick Tiger was great and Hearns wasn't at MW / LHW?.....While I'll certainly agree Hearn's was at his best between 147-154....

The reality is Dick Tigher was 6-3-1 in MW/LHW title fights (scoring only 1 real TKO/KO.....2 if one counts Fullmer's corner towel).

And of those 6 wins....4 of them were against the same two guys (by two razor thin decisons).

Hearns would outbox Dick over the full 12....if it went 15...Dick would have a better shot. Dick Tiger was physically stonger....but Hearns hit harder (even at 160)....

Hearns by UD.

Hearns resume compared to Tiger at 160 and above is not even close! This is one time that Dec has it about as right as it gets!

His only definitive loss in his prime was against Bob Foster, who would've raped Hearns.

Just a minor point. I would say Tiger was past his prime when he fought Foster.

Otherwise I agree with Dec.

I had sort of shyed away from this thread thinking people would see me as "anti hearns" but it seems a lot of people feel like I do that this would not be all that competitive. This is Dick Tigers fight to lose...and that would be very very doubtful. I don't even see a hail mary or even a couple of hail mary's getting Hearns into the winning side of this fight.

Whilst I side with Tiger I do think Tommy could win a 10 rounder.

Tiger was a great fighter and was more durable, stronger, had better stamina but Hearns was a superb boxer who had the tools to win more rounds than Tiger. I also believe that Hearns punch resistance really left him after the Hagler fight. He was never a concrete-chinned LaMotta before but he was not chinny as some now consider him to be.

The reason why I go with Tiger though is that over 15 he would have the will and the endurance to still be there in the 15th giving Tommy hell. I don't think it would get that far though. I think sometime between the 10th and 15th Tommy would fade and get beaten down, despite being ahead on points.