Defining Fights: Part 2- Duran, Leonard, Hearns

By Boxing News - 05/09/2010 - Comments

Image: Defining Fights: Part 2- Duran, Leonard, HearnsBy Klaas Mabetlela: Roberto Duran, Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas Hearns form part of the ‘fab’ four (fabulous four) that also included Marvelous Marvin Hagler. The four were responsible for the richest boxing era of the recent memory.

For most people, the issue of defining fights will be easy for these three because they fought each other and their defining fights were against each other. It is not as clear-cut and easy as that because sometimes, a loss gains more for a boxer than a win would ever manage. There are fights where there are no losers and I am not talking about drawn fights.

The first fight between Duran and Leonard was defining for both victor and loser in my book. Amazingly, Thomas Hearns’s loss in his first fight with Sugar Ray Leonard was defining for the loser too.

Duran was already great when he met Leonard having cleaned the lightweight division to such an extent that some consider him as the best lightweight of all-times. He entered the ring with a single loss in over 70 fights. However, he was jumping the Jr. Welterweight division to meet an unbeaten darling of the boxing world in Sugar Ray. Duran fought the fight of his life and won the fight. In the process, the fight defined Duran’s status as we know it today and even an ugly ‘no mas’ behavior in a return fight 5 months later would not tarnish that.

Sugar Ray lost the fight against Duran, but the manner in which he lost earned him more kudos that a win would have done. Firstly, Leonard was seen as a media creation by some, handsome, articulate and he transcended boxing even before he turned professional due to his gold medal performances during 1976 Olympics. He was also a slick boxer who used speed and prowess to win fights. To most, he was untested and too handsome to trade with the toughest boxers. That is exactly what he did in his fight with Duran.

Leonard abandoned his usual style and showed guts and determination of the highest order in the fight. He was rocked to his wits in the second round (remember Mosley/Mayweather) but his conditioning enabled him to recover and matched Duran in his own game. Leonard won more in that fight than all his fights before that. He showed that he was more than a pretty face and earned a respect of friends and foes alike.

Some people will rate Leonard’s come from behind stoppage of Thomas Hearns during their first fight in 1981 as his defining fight. Point taken, but everything Leonard showed in his fight with Hearns was first showcased in his first fight with Duran. He already passed the test when it comes to guts, willpower and determination of the highest order. In my book, Leonard’s fight with Thomas Hearns was the most impressive of his career but it is Duran’s fight that set a blueprint.

The same argument goes to Thomas Hearns who had many exciting fights especially against Pipino Cuevas and Roberto Duran both of whom were slaughtered in 2 rounds apiece. Most will rank his performance against Roberto Duran as his defining fight. I beg to differ. Yes, he bombarded Duran in 2 terrifying rounds in the best performance of his life. But that took place in 1994. His loss to Sugar Ray Leonard in 1981 defined what was to come and it built a blueprint of his ability in his game. The fight was of such magnitude that both earned over $17m, the largest purse of all sports at the time. Hearns was unbeaten at 32-0 with 30 knockouts and Leonard’s sole loss was against Duran.

The fight was billed a ‘Showdown’. Amazingly, the taller Hearns reverted to boxing and outboxed Leonard for 12 rounds before a combination of fatigue, inexperience and Leonard’s prowess caught up. Leonard was able to stop Hearns in the 14th round and won undisputed title. To me this fight was defining for Hearns because in a loss Hearns did something the world did not know, he altered his style and beat the master-boxer in his own game. He showed the side we did not know and in the process came out of Leonard’s fight with more respect and pedigree a win would arguably not garnered.



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