Thomas Hearns once assessed Floyd Mayweather‘s chances of staying on top in one of the sport’s greatest eras.
‘The Hitman’ Hearns rose to stardom during the 1980s where he would become a member of the iconic ‘Four Kings’ alongside Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvelous Marvin Hagler and Roberto Duran, a legendary quartet of fighters that took boxing by storm by starring in thrilling fights.
Hearns shared the ring with each of those rivals, with perhaps the most famous victory of his tenure coming against Duran when he stopped the Panamanian great in the 2nd round of their clash in Las Vegas back in June 1984.
The bulk of Mayweather’s success came a number of years after the Four Kings dominated, reigning as a world champion in five weight classes during his 21-year professional career which spanned between 1996 and 2017.
Mayweather announced his retirement from the sport just a few months after he defeated MMA superstar Conor McGregor in their monumental crossover showdown back in 2017, drawing the curtain with an unblemished record of 50-0 to his name with victories over the likes of Canelo Alvarez, Oscar De La Hoya and Manny Pacquiao to name just a few. As a rare undefeated champion, he is often discussed in fantasy fights as fans and analysts look to find the man or men with the best chance of figuring out the puzzle he presented.
In an interview with The Ring Magazine, Hearns gave plaudits to the pound-for-pound great and said he would have been at home in his era.
“I will give credit where credit is due. I can not take anything away from Floyd Mayweather. He is a brilliant fighter in the ring. He feints well, and he punches pretty good. I mean, he’s pretty active while he’s in there.”
“I think that he would do pretty good [against the Four Kings]. He’s got good head movement, and I can’t [pin] him down. I have to give him his props. He could last.”
Hearns, however, did then discuss facing Mayweather himself.
“But you know anybody who was in my weight division, you know, I would give them hell. They would have to be really fighting hard and be ready to absorb a lot of punches to beat me. Because, you know, I ain’t going to let anybody just come in and beat me.”
