Thomas Hearns/Gajda Amatuer fight mid.70s

[jaggarjaggarjaggar]

i saw this fight in the summer of 1977. i knew hearns would be good. it 's the number of blows you land not the harest that counts!!!

[jaggarjaggarjaggar]

i saw this fight on tv in summer of 1977, i knew back then he was going to be good. in the amt. its the number of blows that count not the hardest!

[ihatelifejosemartine]

Hard to believe Hearns had just 12 KO's as an amateur in 167 fights. Steward turned him into a puncher by teaching him leverage.

[tftmc]

Agreed. He also had a pretty good right cross as a Pro. Which helped him with inside fighters when he was pro.

It's interesting to watch him as an Amateur, his Style was purely Boxer, and the as you said the Boxer/Puncher part didn't come until Steward.

[ncaso]

:D Bogdan Gajda - pamiętam pojedynki za Stasiem Łakomcem...

[SmelOdies]

Tommy's employing a similar style he would use later against Virgil Hill. Boxing, but not really using his legs. Being accurate, but not really punching.

[brixiafidelis1]

Hearns wasn't a knockout puncher as an amateur (155-8). Only as a pro did Emanuel Steward develop his power punching.

[SmelOdies]

That contradicts the canard "punchers are born not made."

[brixiafidelis1]

That's true, but the amateurs is a different game. I know from personal experience that boxing trainers usually try to dictate everything that you should be doing, and amateurs is usually fast-pace textbook boxing. Anyway, when he filled out to 147 lbs, he had the power to get the job done in the knockout dept.

[SmelOdies]

Tito and Oscar weren't big punchers in the amateurs either. Both went on a tear knocking out many when they went pro.

[JDP000109]

Alot of the people who weren't power punchers in the Amateurs is simply because power punches don't give you any extra points in the amateurs. Its all about how many you land so you get as many points for a jab as you do for a power shot that knocks your oppenent down.