Marvin Hagler vs. Tommy Hearns 30 Year Anniversary
Arguably still the best fight of all time. An iconic night in the sport of boxing’s history.
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This time 30 years ago, the sport of boxing was transcended by one of it’s very best fight nights, when ‘Marvellous’ Marvin Hagler stopped Thomas ‘The Hitman” Hearns in 3 ferocious rounds in Caesars Palace, Las Vegas.
Even looking back on it today, its hard to find anything that compares to the pugilistic insanity and relentless nature of their fight. It was almost as if both guys went in there and just decided to abandon any gameplan or utilization of boxing skills and just went hell for leather in a street fight with rules.
Hearns started well but famously had a massage on his legs before getting into the ring, which sapped his strength and mobility and allowed the unstoppable bull dog force of Hagler to overwhelm him, in an out and out dog fight.
The sheer willingness to exchange and take punishment with one another was something quite extraordinary and completely foreign to the average Joe. Their courage that night will take some beating in the history and indeed the future of combat sports.
The planting of their feet in the center of the ring and bomb throwing from start to finish, was quite the sight to behold. The bout went on to secure numerous accolades and acknowledgments for it’s sporting merits and impact on boxing.
With a couple of weeks to go until the biggest fight of the modern era between Mayweather and Pacquiao, both guys will have the likes of the Hagler Hearns fight to live up to, if their to have any chance of achieving with that fight in 1985 did, from an awareness perspective and impact on the sport.
The nature of how Hagler ran out winner on the night is a testament to the greatness of that particular boxing era, when with his back against the wall and a horrendous cut on his head that was close to stopping the fight, he pulled it out of the bag – chasing Hearns around the win to take him out in the 3rd.
Simply put, a golden night for the sport. Here’s the fight from start to finish. Enjoy.
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