Thomas Hearns has revealed the one fighter that punched him harder than former rival Marvin Hagler.
Hearns played a key role in one of the sport’s greatest eras during the 1980s, where he became a member of ‘The Four Kings’ alongside Hagler, Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran.
‘The Hitman’ racked up an impressive set of accolades throughout the course of his 29-year professional career, becoming the first fighter in boxing history to win world titles across four separate weight classes.
His 1985 showdown with Hagler, which was contested for the undisputed middleweight championship, is widely considered to be one of the greatest bouts of all time, despite it only lasting for three rounds.
Hagler actually got the better of his countryman after several electric rounds at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, stopping him in emphatic fashion to defend his middleweight championship for the eleventh time.
Despite that loss, Hagler chose another fighter when revealing the biggest puncher he ever shared a ring with, as in a feature with The Ring Magazine, he eventually settled for none other than the legendary Sugar Ray Leonard.
“I’ll have to think about that one. Iran Barkley, he was one of them … Marvin Hagler and Leonard. Ray punched pretty good. Pipino Cuevas never hit me, nor did Duran. I’d give it to Ray; he punched pretty good.”
Hearns clashed with Leonard for the first time in September 1981, suffering a stoppage defeat in the penultimate round of their bout in Las Vegas.
Their 1987 rematch, which was contested for Leonard’s WBC super-middleweight title, was declared a split decision draw after a closely-fought 12-round showdown at Caesars Palace.
