Modern day WW's vs The past

[Ham Porter]

Personally I don't think it takes an atg to beat hearns at 147...he was brutal and talented but very young and wasn't a complete fighter yet...didn't take an atg to best him near his prime in Iran Barkley 2x when he was more skilled

Styles make fights....the right mix of strength toughness an inside game could get to young hearns n smother his power


Prime Leonard vs prime Floyd n PAC at ww is no cakewalk for srl

The myth modern guys are gonna roll over and die at the site of fighters of the past is funny


Duran and benitez were great but erratic at times at ww

Cuevas would take multiple losses to today's guys...look at his record n his opposition

That's right, Hearns was clearly a much better, more skilled operator in 1992 than he was in 1981.

You're just throwing your toys out of the pram now and making every single contrarian statement possible, all because nobody agrees with you that a bunch of mediocre midgets would have anything for Hearns.

[Scipio2009]

Which of today's WW's you think could make the 80's ranking and at what place.

Currant Ring magazine top 10 1980 ring magazine top 10

Champion-Floyd Champion-Sugar Ray Leonard
1.Kell Brook 1.Thomas Hearns
2.Pac 2.Wilfred Benitez
3.Amir Khan 3.Pipino Cuevas
4.Bradley 4.Roberto Duran
5.Keith Thurman 5.Randy Shields
6.Porter 6.Pete Ranzany
7.Maidana 7.Adolfo Viruet
8.Guerrero 8.Joergen Hansen
9.Deigo Chaves 9.Luis Primera
10.Sadam Ali 10.Clint Jackson

Floyd, Kell Brook, and Keith Thurman likely make this list (have no idea how good any of the fighters 5-10 were) due to sheer ability/size, with Floyd likely nipping at the heels of Thomas Hearns.

[therealpugilist]

That's right, Hearns was clearly a much better, more skilled operator in 1992 than he was in 1981.

You're just throwing your toys out of the pram now and making every single contrarian statement possible, all because nobody agrees with you that a bunch of mediocre midgets would have anything for Hearns.

Hearns lost to Iran Barkley the first time in 1988 and was 29 years old and only had to losses....learn your history before trying to make an ass out of someone

[REMOVE SHARK 55]

Hearn would KO everybody within 6? Maybe everyone apart from Floyd. Floyd would beat Hearns.
Having actually watched both their careers Floyd beats him in every department apart from Height & Power. Hearn's only chance vs Floyd is a LUCKY punch there's not one person on this board that can rationally and logically tell me other wise.

[creekrat77]

Hearn would KO everybody within 6? Maybe everyone apart from Floyd. Floyd would beat Hearns.
Having actually watched both their careers Floyd beats him in every department apart from Height & Power. Hearn's only chance vs Floyd is a LUCKY punch there's not one person on this board that can rationally and logically tell me other wise.

Benitez had all he could handle with Hearns and was an absolute defensive master with more power and size then a natural lightweight or Jr welterweight like Floyd. Floyd gets pole axed, It would only take one shot to leave Floyd open for a crushing ko. If a atg marcos Maidana, zab super judah, and a ancient decrepit mosley can work Floyd over and have their moments then we all know would happen with Hearns. Guys like Duran, Leonard, Hearns, Benitez, Hagler were dynamic fighters like Pac and Floyd. They set traps and adjust to their opponent. Floyd and Manny are lucky they get the Canelos, Rios's, and Mosleys of today.

[REMOVE SHARK 55]

Benitez had all he could handle with Hearns and was an absolute defensive master with more power and size then a natural lightweight or Jr welterweight like Floyd. Floyd gets pole axed, It would only take one shot to leave Floyd open for a crushing ko. If a atg marcos Maidana, zab super judah, and a ancient decrepit mosley can work Floyd over and have their moments then we all know would happen with Hearns. Guys like Duran, Leonard, Hearns, Benitez, Hagler were dynamic fighters like Pac and Floyd. They set traps and adjust to their opponent. Floyd and Manny are lucky they get the Canelos, Rios's, and Mosleys of today.

They had their moment but this is boxing and with a career that lasted as long as Floyd's you'd have to be superman to not have one. Judah, Mosley, Maidana all lost in the end because Floyd adjusted.
It's not about power or size its about Boxing IQ. How can people say Floyd would get knocked out? It's crazy. He's never been knocked out and his chin has been tested. I can't say the same for Hearns...

I understand your point about Benitez being a defensive master but we're talking about Floyd here. Thee supreme defensive master.

[Sugar Adam Ali]

Wtf... You're trippin bro...
No stronger division right now than welter.
Mayweather, Bradley, Pac, Guerrero, Thurman, Maidana, Porter, Khan, Brook, Sadam Ali, Chaves...
Tell me a single division which is better. With names. And don't say just 3-4 names tell a weight class where the top 10-11 is as strong in welter.

Lmao.. Moms need to to stop trippin'


Welter has a lot of talent "right now" but it's in the form of smaller talented guys moving up...

I highly doubt in a true deep division with actual welters we would see guys like Bradley, pauli, broner moving up and grabbing belts...

Forrest, tito, Ike, Oscar, shane era today's guys aren't snagging belts..

Early 90s was weak at welter and you saw it get ran by lightweight pernell

80s welters were insane with leonard, hearns, benitez, curry, starling, etc.. You didn't see guys like Mancini or JL Ramirez, Rosario bumping up and grabbing titles...

One needs to have watched boxing longer than the floyd/manny era to realize this..l

Welter has always been a glamour division, and historically when devoid of major true welters, it gets invaded by talented smaller guys..

Of course great fighters like duran, floyd, shane, etc would probably always find some sort of success no matter the era

[joseph5620]

Hearns is so hard to gauge at 147

he had a lot of kayos but his competition and opponents aren't great....he lost to SRL but blew out Pipino Cuevas who was made to order


I think physically strong guys with good chins like Porter,Maidana and Thurman would give him the most trouble though Hearns would be the favorite


at this weight Hearns didn't have much of an inside game, his stamina wasn't tested much, and he didn't get hit much


I think since he was at his best weight and skills prime yet, he could lose to fighters better than Pipino but not quite as good as SRL who showed if you can smother him and get away from the jab and right that he could be mauled and battered



people tend to forget that you don't have to be a great fighter to beat a great fighter

Iran Barkley, Kirkland Laing against Duran, Arguably Bruce Curry in fight one with Benitez


styles make fights and I can see Hearns being outmuscled

I don't see Hearns losing to anybody on that list outside of Leonard. He also went 13 rounds to stop Randy Shields. His stamina was never an issue.


Leonard would beat any of them.