Hearns Top 5 ATG if he had a better chin?

[TheGreatA]

Had he been able to beat Leonard, Hagler and Barkley then yes he would've been one of the greatest boxers of all time for sure (top 10 probably although it's hard to measure).

Then again, what fighter could've gone through boxers such as Cuevas, Duran, Benitez, Hagler, Leonard without losing even once?

It's not only his chin that was an issue, also his stamina among other things such as his lack of defense at times, he could be drawn to brawls (which he won most of the times).
A hell of a fighter though and very entertaining to watch...

[Bad_Barracuda]

I think easily top 10. Top 5 is debatable... he was somethin else... but the chin... too bad

You don't know **** from shoe polish..

Hearns NEVER got hurt by a guy that can't punch..

Getting KO'd by Ray at 147 does not mean you have a bad chin..

When else was he hurt at at Welter??????

Ray had damn good power..if anything..Hearns NEVER LEARNED TO CLINCH when in trouble..like most Steward fighters..


Tommy had a good chin at 147..and the guys that stopped him after he moved up ALL WERE GREAT PUNCHERS

[Ryn0]

You don't know **** from shoe polish..

Hearns NEVER got hurt by a guy that can't punch..

Getting KO'd by Ray at 147 does not mean you have a bad chin..

When else was he hurt at at Welter??????

Ray had damn good power..if anything..Hearns NEVER LEARNED TO CLINCH when in trouble..like most Steward fighters..


Tommy had a good chin at 147..and the guys that stopped him after he moved up ALL WERE GREAT PUNCHERS

His chin was GOOD at 147... it just wasn'd solid. I think everyone is trying to argue what if Hearns had a chin that could take consistant punishment like being able to take those punches from Leonard and Hagler how much further would he be able to go?

[Sweet Pea 50]

hatton to 5 ATG if he learned to box..

Jeebus, this dude is on FIYAAA....

Hearns with a great chin? I'd ****ing give up before even stepping into the ring with him. One of my all time favorites....

[MELLY-MEL...]

top 5 atg? nah, i love tommy, but he is not ever a top 5 atg. no matter what.

[hemichromis]

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well he defiantely would have beaten leonard,barkley aned hagler (on points)

he had such great attributes and only one real failing(though his stamina was occationaly called into question).

if his chin was good he would IMO be p4p greatest of all time!

[tito yuca]

Had he been able to beat Leonard, Hagler and Barkley then yes he would've been one of the greatest boxers of all time for sure (top 10 probably although it's hard to measure).

Then again, what fighter could've gone through boxers such as Cuevas, Duran, Benitez, Hagler, Leonard without losing even once?

It's not only his chin that was an issue, also his stamina among other things such as his lack of defense at times, he could be drawn to brawls (which he won most of the times).
A hell of a fighter though and very entertaining to watch...

I agree somewhat, but no one has mentioned what IMO was his main flaw, and that was his inability to adapt. He was winning against Leonard, but once he turned up the heat, Hearns was not able to do anything about it. Same thing with Hagler, only that it happened much sooner in that fight. Yes, he did have a tendency to get hit, and his stamina was not as good as some of his opponent's, but if he could have just adapted and made changes during the fight (have a plan B and C), he would've been much better.

[TheGreatA]

I agree somewhat, but no one has mentioned what IMO was his main flaw, and that was his inability to adapt. He was winning against Leonard, but once he turned up the heat, Hearns was not able to do anything about it. Same thing with Hagler, only that it happened much sooner in that fight. Yes, he did have a tendency to get hit, and his stamina was not as good as some of his opponent's, but if he could have just adapted and made changes during the fight (have a plan B and C), he would've been much better.

I'm not sure about that.

Hearns was doing good early on against Leonard by stalking him, walking forward but Leonard came back in the middle rounds when he started pressuring Hearns instead.
Leonard turned into the puncher and Hearns turned into the boxer...

Hearns piled up the points after a few shaky rounds but Leonard rallied back to knock Hearns out in the late rounds after Hearns was completely spent.


Hearns having success early on against Leonard by making him back up.


Leonard adapts, gets more aggressive and starts landing heavily on Hearns.


Hearns boxing well here on his back-foot and winning rounds.


Leonard rallies and stops the spent Thomas Hearns. Leonard took some heavy punishment that would've knocked most men out to do it, the eye injury he suffered in this fight almost ended his career early.


Hearns tried to box here in the second round against Hagler after the brutal first round brawl but Hagler did not allow it, he was willing to walk through anything that night. Hearns' legs were gone...

He did have good gameplans against Benitez and Virgil Hill, those two just weren't willing or simply able to take Hearns' punches to get to him.

[Hitman932]

if hearns had a solid chin he is top 5 ATG without a doubt.

maybe even the greatest.

[hemichromis]

I agree somewhat, but no one has mentioned what IMO was his main flaw, and that was his inability to adapt. He was winning against Leonard, but once he turned up the heat, Hearns was not able to do anything about it. Same thing with Hagler, only that it happened much sooner in that fight. Yes, he did have a tendency to get hit, and his stamina was not as good as some of his opponent's, but if he could have just adapted and made changes during the fight (have a plan B and C), he would've been much better.

he was not able to adapt because he was already badly hurt, if he had a better chin that wouldn't have been a issuue/