The furious fight between Hagler and Hearns

The fight between Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns, which took place on April 15, 1985, was one of the most exciting and memorable boxing matches of all time. It was a battle between two of the greatest fighters of their era, each with their own unique style and strengths.

Marvin Hagler, known as “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler (in fact, legally changed to that), was the reigning middleweight champion of the world and had an impressive record of 60-2-2 with 50 knockouts. He was known for his crisp punches and relentless pressure, but perhaps his most formidable asset was his granite chin. Hagler was a dominant force in the middleweight division and had defended his title successfully ten times.

Thomas Hearns, on the other hand, was a tall and slender fighter known for his incredible hand speed, KO power, and the reach advantage he carried into the ring against most opponents. He was a former welterweight and junior middleweight champion and had already won titles in four different weight classes. Hearns was known as a quick starter who could unload with early power, and that was a lot to overcome. Hearns came into the fight, dubbed “The War,” with a record of 40-1 and 34 KO’s.

The two had a recent common opponent – Roberto Duran. And while Hagler had trouble with the craftiness of the Panamanian, needing the championship rounds of 12-15 to win a decision, Hearns ran through Duran like a locomotive, landing one of the most ferocious right hands in the history of boxing to knock Duran out in the second round.

So as you might imagine, the fight between Hagler and Hearns was highly anticipated, as it pitted two of the best fighters of their time against each other. The bout was a classic confrontation between Hagler’s powerful inside game and Hearns’ long-range striking.

And it turned out to be a Pier Six brawl.

There was no “feeling-out” process, as the two threw bombs at each other virtually from the start. One would think Hagler might be disadvantaged by such a thing, but perhaps what many had not counted on was that he would be able to handle Hearns’ punches without buckling. What this meant was that he could continue to move forward with his durable chin, and this clearly made Hearns uncomfortable and off-balance. What not enough observers seem to to take note of is that Hearns didn’t seem to have his legs under him. This may have been a by-product of Hagler’s relentlessness. Whatever the case, the truth is that it was difficult for the Motor City Cobra to set himself and land with full leverage.

Still though, he did indeed land, even though some of this action was at close range, which wouldn’t seem to be his best place against this opponent. The first round is considered by a lot of historians as being one of the best they’d ever seen, but acknowledging that Hearns was not able to budge Hagler much, keen observers had to wonder whether Hearns was rugged enough to keep up that kind of pace and that kind of ferocity. Hearns actually tried to slow things up in the second round, using his boxing skills. But again, he did not have a good pair of legs under him, acknowledging that after the fight.

Maybe the difference was that Hagler responded to a genuine sense of urgency. In the third round, he suffered a cut on his forehead. And it looked as though it was serious enough that the referee implored the ringside physician to take a look at it. Hagler knew he had to do something fast, and he did. A big overhand right had Hearns staggered and actually running away from Hagler, and then he went to the ropes, where a series of punches, highlighted by a right hook, provided the punctuation. Hearns was not just hurt; he was winded as well. And it was over.

Hearns went on to win sanctioned championships at middleweight and light heavyweight. He lost to Iran Barkley twice, boxed a draw in a rematch with Sugar Ray Leonard (who had beaten him the first time) and actually stepped into the ring for the last time in 2006. As for Hagler, he went on to beat a surprisingly game John Mugabi, only to subsequently lose his title to Sugar Ray Leonard, in what was a hotly disputed decision. He wanted a rematch, but Leonard would not commit to boxing again. Tired of waiting, Hagler retired, having found a home and comfortable life in Italy, where he starred in a number of films.