The Lion Man

[Pastrano]

This is my nickname for Tommy Hitman Hearns. Why? Because he looks like a lion and fights like a lion and has a heart of a lion. Lets be real: in the history of boxing there has hardly ever been a fighter like The Hitman/Motor City Cobra. A fighter that possessed it all, apart from the great chin. Still, I think his chin gets too much bad rap. I mean, nobody is invincible, not everyone can be anyway. To get koed by that punch by Barkley doesn't mean you are glass-chinned. Watch the Kinchen fight to see what I mean: Tommy gets dropped hard and then gets pounded for the rest of the round, yet he remains on his feet and comes back in the very next round! Even in his first fight with Sugar Ray, he didn't want to quit when he had gassed and was taking big shot on the ropes. In the second fight, it was a career-closing performance really. His last great hoorah. And he proved something to himself and the rest of us when he endured that last round thrashing.

Furthermore, he was the only one who really DESTROYED Duran in his prime and really beat Benitez, took him apart slowly. He penetrated the most difficult of all defenses!

[SBleeder]

I call him the Kansas City Klocker.

[SCtrojansbaby]

lol Duran was not in his prime when Hearns knocked himout

[Scott9945]

lol Duran was not in his prime when Hearns knocked himout

And he was in terrible physical condition for the Hearns fight as well. He only trained enough to lose the weight he needed to.

[Pastrano]

You are such hairsplitters...no enthusiasm. Who cares if Duran was prime, that ko was fakin beautiful! Appreciate it!

[Kid McCoy]

The thing about Hearns that tends to go under-appreciated is his boxing ability. With that long reach, handspeed and power he was damn near impossible to outbox or counterpunch. Two great boxers in Leonard and Benitez fought 41 rounds against Hearns and they won about a third of them (and even that may be being generous). A usually measured counterpuncher like Hagler didn't even attempt to box with Hearns. He was a classy guy too. After the Hagler fight he refused to go to hospital to have his broken hand treated, not wanting to detract from Marvin's win.

[jabsRstiff]

Every tall and lean dude who walks into a gym gets told "you need to fight like Tommy Hearns". That would be nice, huh? But, there's never been another fighter quite like him and I don't think there ever will be.

[Pastrano]

Every tall and lean dude who walks into a gym gets told "you need to fight like Tommy Hearns". That would be nice, huh? But, there's never been another fighter quite like him and I don't think there ever will be.

Nope. There will not be another like him.