Thomas ‘The Hitman’ Hearns has named the fighter that he believes was even better than each of ‘The Four Kings’ in a surprising admission.
Hearns is widely considered to be one of the greatest fighters in the history of boxing, proving his credentials on numerous occasions during his glittering professional career which began back in 1977 and continued all the way until 2006.
The Tennessee-native cemented his place in boxing history when he became the first fighter to win world titles in five separate divisions, ranging from welterweight to light-heavyweight.
He found the majority of his success during the 1980s where he became a member of boxing’s ‘Four Kings’ alongside former rivals Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran.
In a feature with The Ring Magazine, Hearns made no mistake in naming Puerto Rican great Wilfred Benitez as the best fighter he faced during his career, overlooking Leonard, Duran and Hagler in a shock statement.
“Benitez: I would say Wilfred Benitez was very good. He was slick and very crafty. I like Benitez’s craft. He moved well and fights all around the ring.”
Hearns got the better of Benitez when their paths crossed back in December 1982, defeating the three-weight world champion via majority decision to capture the WBC world super-welterweight title at the Superdome in New Orleans.
Benitez would go on to announce his retirement from the sport eight years after he was defeated by Hearns, walking away from boxing with an impressive record of 53-8-1 and a legacy-defining victory over Roberto Duran.
