@MickeyLove01 - Sad, he was great but inconsistent. Most of his losses happen at the peak of his career. His true potential was never realized. He will always be remembered for his two victories over Hearns though...
Hearns won his 4th world title in october 1987. Leonard won his 4th and 5th title in one fight against lalonde in 88- supermiddle and lightheavy,( another iffy behind the scenes dealing by the leonard camp) but by then tommy already had won his 5th title (wbo supermiddle) against Kinchen.
Tommy was only 28 when leonard and hagler fought and then both retired after. The middleweight division was there for him to own for a few years and he didn't successfully defend the title one time.
Obviously the 2 loses to barkley hurt his legacy some.
Hearns was a very talented fighter but I have always stated that he had possibily the weekest chin pound for pound in the histroy of boxing. If hit by a half decent shot he was floundering. Even the lightish punching Olajide wobbled him. This battle could have been called the Glass Jaws of Boxing!
Even Hagler knew the game was over. According to Bob Arum, he was planning to retire until Leonard called him out. In fact, Hagler had to be talked into fighting Leonard, and it showed when he fought him. There was none of the intensity that was shown against Hearns; as I said before, you can't repeat it. Is it "delusional" to think that Hearns could ever have beaten Hagler? Before 1985? Yes. After 1985? Certainly not.
As for your comment concerning Hagler, no disrespect was aimed toward him. Hagler, to me, ranked with Roberto Duran as one of the two greatest pound-for-pound fighters of the post-Robinson era, but Marvelous Marvin was no longer a great fighter after the Hearns fight, a fact that was painfully evident against John Mugabi in 1986. Mugabi had not beaten a ranked middleweight, and yet he handed Hagler such a beating in a losing effort that Hagler urinated blood for days after the fight.
No, I didn't misunderstand; read your first comment: "Hearns lost something when he moved up to 175 to fight Andres and then came back to 160." Yes he struggled with Roldan and was knocked out by Barkley, but this was AFTER he came back down from 175. In your response to my comment, you said "It may have hurt him to move up." That sounds a little different from your previous comment; all I was trying to do was bolster your point, my friend.
I agree. Hearns had filled out into a solid middleweight by 1986, when he knocked out the late James Shuler. This version of Thomas Hearns wouldn't have lost to Barkley, or even Hagler for that manner. Had Hagler given Hearns a rematch rather than going for Leonard, Hearns would have avenged his 1985 loss. Hagler put everything he had into his fight with Hearns; you can't repeat that kind of intensity.
You completely misunderstood what i said. I said it may have hurt him to move up to 175 and then back to 160.
This "filled out" version of hearns struggled mightily against roldan and was knocked silly by barkley. The notion that hearns could ever beat hagler is delusional. He did not have the chin or the stamina to beat hagler.
@shire2005 Yeah it's the same thing that happened to Roy Jones. When a fighter goes up in weight the right way, they add lean muscle to their frame. When they foolishly choose to go back down in weight, they have to bascially starve themselves to break down all that added muscle thus permenantly robbing themselves of reflexes, stamina, strength and ability to take a punch
Hearns definetly the most talented fighter out of him,hagler,leonard,and duran.Hearns had two MAJOR weaknesses tho.His chin was a bit suspect,and his stamina was a problem.Hearns was better than Barkley but barkley was wild,and hearns got caught.
Hearns was 3 ko with 29 years, very bad chin.
Alvaro19771000 1 month ago
man hearns had very fast handspeed
toby099 6 months ago
THESE WERE THE GLORY DAYS ....!
badslabber 9 months ago
Sometimes great fighters push their bodies too hard when the jump weight.
RJJ after dropping 25lbs to fight Tarver,
Duran after losing 20lbs to rematch Leonard,
And here with Hearns dropping 15lbs to fight Barkley.
MrBumboclart 9 months ago
hearns jabs are unbellievable
Lillogambino 10 months ago
Barkley was a strange fighter, one week he could beat anyone but then lose to someone like my sister the next...
MickeyLove01 1 year ago
@MickeyLove01 - Sad, he was great but inconsistent. Most of his losses happen at the peak of his career. His true potential was never realized. He will always be remembered for his two victories over Hearns though...
expressivechild 1 year ago
I can't believe I missed the best era in boxing history
metstx21 1 year ago 11
@metstx21 true...nowadays is all about mma...bunch of faggies huggin each others bracioles..
Lillogambino 10 months ago
@Lillogambino
i agree that mma is boring to watch, however mma fighters can kill boxers with their bare hands. boxers are SCARED of mma fighters.
rddaos 9 months ago
@rddaos Yeah...cause they can boxe and lock...but that's all Boxing training, in my opnion, is the hardest there is...
Lillogambino 9 months ago
@rddaos that's a childish ass thing to say! LOL
judaschongo 9 months ago
@rddaos Lol'd pretty hard.
evh48 5 months ago
At the time one of the best upsets ever but Iran Barkley was also a Great Fighter
ErikS1975FreeState 1 year ago
Iran barkley is my uncle. And im gonna also be a fighter. A wrestler or boxer idk which
Amy2Pretty 1 year ago
IRAN barkley is my uncle i met him plenty of times.
Amy2Pretty 1 year ago
@Amy2Pretty You heard Iran barkley is homeless, if hes really your unkle you should bring him over to live with your family!
raised2killu 10 months ago
"The Blade", that's won of the best boxing nicknames ever. What an animal of a fighter he was.
painesvillesandman 1 year ago
This Fight is a text book example of why many champions refuse to fight some boxers regadless of how mediocre there records migth be.
hero2d0s 2 years ago
Amazing how deep the middleweight division was in the 1980s. A lot of damn tough guys in that division back then.
shire2005 2 years ago
he is one scary mother fucker man, shit
TOWinkworthIpswich 2 years ago
look at mazerati rick behind hearns in the begining
unclesawnoff 2 years ago
Sure, Hearns always carried his hands too low even after punching. His opponents tried to exploit that Hearns just had too much coming at em.
projectbojinka 2 years ago
ray robinson fight
TheMisterti 2 years ago
Thomas Hearns! The ONLY man in history to hold 4 TITLES IN 4 DIFFERENT Divisions. Never forget that.
projectbojinka 2 years ago
what?? The only one?? You are living with 20 years of delay....
efravi25 2 years ago
@projectbojinka . what about oscar being champion in 6 different divisions and pacquaio with 7 and floyd with 5
youngboxer89 2 years ago
@projectbojinka lmfao. where has this guy been watching his boxing for the past decade?
demwangstasenviimii 1 year ago
Barkley was the #2 WBC contender? Well they screwed up because i'm sure the #1 guy would have been an easier opponent.
shire2005 2 years ago
only man in boxing history to hold 4 titles in 4 divisions? vy 88 sugar had already done 5....or..... a little help here.
Mag6333 whats ur knowledge ball say?
avalino79 2 years ago
Hearns won his 4th world title in october 1987. Leonard won his 4th and 5th title in one fight against lalonde in 88- supermiddle and lightheavy,( another iffy behind the scenes dealing by the leonard camp) but by then tommy already had won his 5th title (wbo supermiddle) against Kinchen.
moloko76 2 years ago
"all I was trying to do was bolster your point"
Thank you for that.
Tommy was only 28 when leonard and hagler fought and then both retired after. The middleweight division was there for him to own for a few years and he didn't successfully defend the title one time.
Obviously the 2 loses to barkley hurt his legacy some.
shire2005 2 years ago
Hearns was a very talented fighter but I have always stated that he had possibily the weekest chin pound for pound in the histroy of boxing. If hit by a half decent shot he was floundering. Even the lightish punching Olajide wobbled him. This battle could have been called the Glass Jaws of Boxing!
SajHAli1 2 years ago
Barkley's chin wasn't terrible; and Tommy's was definitely sub par! Terry Norris definitely had 1 of the worst.
judaschongo 2 years ago
Even Hagler knew the game was over. According to Bob Arum, he was planning to retire until Leonard called him out. In fact, Hagler had to be talked into fighting Leonard, and it showed when he fought him. There was none of the intensity that was shown against Hearns; as I said before, you can't repeat it. Is it "delusional" to think that Hearns could ever have beaten Hagler? Before 1985? Yes. After 1985? Certainly not.
vidnut67 2 years ago
As for your comment concerning Hagler, no disrespect was aimed toward him. Hagler, to me, ranked with Roberto Duran as one of the two greatest pound-for-pound fighters of the post-Robinson era, but Marvelous Marvin was no longer a great fighter after the Hearns fight, a fact that was painfully evident against John Mugabi in 1986. Mugabi had not beaten a ranked middleweight, and yet he handed Hagler such a beating in a losing effort that Hagler urinated blood for days after the fight.
vidnut67 2 years ago
No, I didn't misunderstand; read your first comment: "Hearns lost something when he moved up to 175 to fight Andres and then came back to 160." Yes he struggled with Roldan and was knocked out by Barkley, but this was AFTER he came back down from 175. In your response to my comment, you said "It may have hurt him to move up." That sounds a little different from your previous comment; all I was trying to do was bolster your point, my friend.
vidnut67 2 years ago
Hearns lost something when he moved up to 175 to fight andres and then came back to 160. Big weight change there.
shire2005 3 years ago 6
I agree. Hearns had filled out into a solid middleweight by 1986, when he knocked out the late James Shuler. This version of Thomas Hearns wouldn't have lost to Barkley, or even Hagler for that manner. Had Hagler given Hearns a rematch rather than going for Leonard, Hearns would have avenged his 1985 loss. Hagler put everything he had into his fight with Hearns; you can't repeat that kind of intensity.
vidnut67 2 years ago
You completely misunderstood what i said. I said it may have hurt him to move up to 175 and then back to 160.
This "filled out" version of hearns struggled mightily against roldan and was knocked silly by barkley. The notion that hearns could ever beat hagler is delusional. He did not have the chin or the stamina to beat hagler.
shire2005 2 years ago
@shire2005 Yeah it's the same thing that happened to Roy Jones. When a fighter goes up in weight the right way, they add lean muscle to their frame. When they foolishly choose to go back down in weight, they have to bascially starve themselves to break down all that added muscle thus permenantly robbing themselves of reflexes, stamina, strength and ability to take a punch
renegado454 1 year ago
Barkley looks like king kong.
Donarudo88 3 years ago
I AM IRAN BARKLEY!
relentless 4 years ago
you ain't shit
mileswilde 3 years ago 3
The real Iran Barkley is so punch drunk that he can't keep from shitting himself much less type.
BoddyToddy 3 years ago
Hearns definetly the most talented fighter out of him,hagler,leonard,and duran.Hearns had two MAJOR weaknesses tho.His chin was a bit suspect,and his stamina was a problem.Hearns was better than Barkley but barkley was wild,and hearns got caught.
examinfo 5 years ago
Shit me how did barkley beat Hearns I still dont no :-( Tommy was one of me favs his an all time great
Yglide 5 years ago
u just have stolen my words... :P
jego38 4 years ago
Barkley was ALWAYS a dangerous man and respect to him, he fought the BEST fighters around at the time.
His record is up there with the best!
imperialpod 2 years ago
good fight.
debaba 5 years ago