Sugar Ray Leonard is one part of the Four Kings alongside Roberto Duran, Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns – a quartet of gritty and skilled fighters who defined a golden era in the sport of boxing.
Of the four, Leonard is the only man to hold a win over all three of his rivals. Though he lost his first fight against Duran, he stopped the Panamanian great in their second meeting and won a unanimous decision in the trilogy.
In the 1981 Fight of the Year, ‘Sugar’ Ray stopped Hearns in the 14th round. When they met again eight years later, they battled to a contentious draw that many felt Hearns deserved on the cards.
As for Hagler, Leonard only fought him once, winning a controversial points victory. Hagler demanded a rematch, but Leonard retired and would stay in that status until Hagler himself hung up the gloves, then return.
In a round of Best I Faced with the Ring Magazine, the American superstar named Thomas Hearns at the very top of his list.
“At 147 pounds, Tommy was so quick and powerful … How do you get around that [jab]? How do you contend with that weapion? … Tommy could be sitting on his stool and hit you from the other corner … I don’t remember anyone being superior to me with their feet, but Tommy used his feet in our first fight … [The best overall] was Tommy. I don’t think anything matches our first fight.”
Hearns, perhaps the least celebrated of the four, was the first boxer in history to win world titles in five divisions. ‘The Hitman’ was a power puncher, stopping Duran inside two rounds and retiring with a record of 48 knockouts from 61 wins with just five losses.
Every fight the Detroit man had with the other three of the Four Kings was credited as one of the best ever, particularly his short was with Hagler, which the latter finished in three rounds.
