Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Thomas Hearns 1981 (part 5 of 6)

A fight for the age!
This early 80s showdown at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas — billed as "The Showdown" — between WBC welterweight champ "Sugar" Ray Leonard and the hitherto undefeated Thomas "Hitman" Hearns, owner of the WBA crown, was a fight of beauty, full of an ebb and flow throughout. They were fighting to unify the World Welterweight Championship and the stakes couldn't have been higher. First Hearns, then Leonard and then Hearns again held the lead. Between rounds 12 and 13, Leonard's trainer, the legendary Angelo Dundee, exclaimed "You're blowing it, son! You're blowing it!" Leonard simply exploded in the 13th, knocking Hearns through the ropes. He didn't relent and finished him off in the 14th with a furious flurry of punches that forced referee Davey Pearl to call a halt to proceedings. Even worse for Hearns was that he was actually leading on all the judges' scorecards up to that point.

©GLEN LEVY

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• Sugar
• Ray
• Leonard
• vs.
• Thomas
• Hearns
• 1981

[DukeRules04]

9:10 - Some of the best advice from a corner. Whether it be the corner of the boxing ring or in life.

[knofedt3]

Just heard about the news that Dundee passed. What an inspiring man, a great example for everyone to look up to and a trainer that will never be matched again. Rest in pease.

[ratraceloser]

RIP Angelo Dundee, you were one of the greats. "you're blowin' son, you're blowin it..." The Sugar proceeded to pound Tommy into submission.

[hbdywtk]

RIP Angelo.

[MortalSyntax]

Great fight. Back and forth.