Thomas Hearns - How do you rate his Boxing Skills

[sonnyboyx2]

Thomas`Hitman`Hearns one of the most devastating punchers in Boxing History but how do you rate his Boxing skills & ability at boxing?

[1SILVA]

Thomas`Hitman`Hearns one of the most devastating punchers in Boxing History but how do you rate his Boxing skills & ability at boxing?

Hearns had the single greatest jab, IMO, in the history of the welterweight division. He was never outboxed, only outslugged. He outboxed master boxers like Leonard, Benitez and Virgil Hill. It was Hearns' jab that would keep these fighters at bay. Hill was surprising because he had a great jab of his own. The first Leonard fight showcased Hearns' brilliant boxing ability. Also, as an amateur, Hearns barely knocked anyone out.

[sonnyboyx2]

Hearns had the single greatest jab, IMO, in the history of the welterweight division. He was never outboxed, only outslugged. He outboxed master boxers like Leonard, Benitez and Virgil Hill. It was Hearns' jab that would keep these fighters at bay. Hill was surprising because he had a great jab of his own. The first Leonard fight showcased Hearns' brilliant boxing ability. Also, as an amateur, Hearns barely knocked anyone out.

yes quite true.. as you say he never scored KOs as an amateur but made up for it in the pro ranks.

[Obama]

Man knew how to use his physical advantages. Be hard pressed to find a guy to beat him if Hearns had a great chin. Be pretty much impossible to beat him if he had a great chin and great stamina.

[KlownvonnomaD]

For me he was a great boxer.
He used to move around the ring and shoot the jab as good as one.
For me he could outbox almost anyone, and I think thats pretty evident in the Leonard fights.

If only he'd stick to boxing instead of relying on his power (which he definately had alot of). Then maybe the Leonard & Haglar fights might have gone a different way.

[TBear]

Hearns was a very good boxer IMO, remember he was boxing very well against Leonard the first time and outpointed Benitez in a boxing match. He seemed to get better as his career progressed. His developing a very good left hook to follow the right hand was a good example of that.

Amazing but when he faced the unbeaten Virgil Hill for his second light heavyweight title, I thought he turned a very good boxing exhibition.

[bojangles1987]

IMO Hearns at 147 and 154 was impossible to outbox. If you were going to beat him, you would have to slug it out. His combination of size, the jab, and controlling distance was fantastic.

[bojangles1987]

For me he was a great boxer.
He used to move around the ring and shoot the jab as good as one.
For me he could outbox almost anyone, and I think thats pretty evident in the Leonard fights.

If only he'd stick to boxing instead of relying on his power (which he definately had alot of). Then maybe the Leonard & Haglar fights might have gone a different way.

Hagler was beating Hearns's ass and making that a fight no matter how Hearns decided to fight. That was a night where Hagler would not be denied.

[BennyST]

Certainly one of the great pure boxers ever. He had everything you could ask for. His speed was amazing, his jab simply incredible and it set up picture perfect combinations with each punch thrown with speed, accuracy and power. He had great movement and used his physical advantages as good as I've ever seen any do. He could fight inside and outside brilliantly. He truly had everything. Even without his power and reach, he would have been devastatingly hard to beat. Of course that only made him all the greater and into one of the ATGs of the game.

I still think his stamina and chin get vastly overdone on. He didn't have the greatest of either, but considering who he fought and how he fought it really wasn't bad at all.

Fighting today, we would not even notice any stamina or chin issues. It was only against the greatest fighters that he struggled and only in fifteen round fights of a war that his stamina showed up. If you look at the Benitez fight, a fifteen round boxing match his stamina was as good as anyone's today not named Margarito or something. Considering the power he put on each shot as well, that is pretty good. Through 147 and 154 his chin was never an issue either. Leonard got him through an exhausting battle and basically outwilled him.

It was really only in his later years that his chin showed wear and tear. Anyway, off track a bit but he was a stunningly skilled boxer. Can you imagine him today? He plows through 147 to 175 with nary a single loss.

[Silencers]

He was definitely a very good boxer, a lot is made of his right hand but the way he set up his right hand was very good, he got into position very well with his legs and had a great jab, that flicker jab used to take his opponents' eyes away from his right hand long enough for them not to see the punch coming. His body shots were great, especially for such a tall guy, the way he dug into the body with his left hook was beautiful.

I think a good fight to watch his skills on display is his fight with Virgil Hill, where he took on a naturally bigger guy who was also younger and on the way up, Hearns managed to outbox and outjab Hill.