1.) 26 Oct 2018
26 Oct 2018 16:25:31
Fantastic article ed. He really was a freak of nature, welterweight right up to cruiserweight would be impossible in the modern game and how did he make welterweight anyway? Lol what a fighter. Cheers ed.

{Ed001's Note - he was so skinny as a welterweight it is a wonder he could stand up!}

2.) 26 Oct 2018
26 Oct 2018 17:03:19
I remember as a child he used to scare me with his big hair and crazy wide eyes, was nice to hear he's a really nice man aswell. It's terrible the way so many boxers end up skint but this is particularly sad, guy was just trying g to help his family out.

3.) 26 Oct 2018
26 Oct 2018 17:51:53
Oh wow I remember requesting this, Ed mate that was a fantastic article (as always) . What I love most about the majority of your articles is I always learn something new, there's many things I knew about Hearns but not quite THAT much. Thank you very much for doing this Ed it's very much appreciated.

{Ed001's Note - I knew very little about Hearns so I really enjoyed the research, cheers Salah.}

4.) 26 Oct 2018
26 Oct 2018 18:17:17
Top man Ed001 been looking forward to this one, hope your well mate and enjoy the weekend.

{Ed001's Note - cheers mate, hope it lives up to expectations.}

5.) 26 Oct 2018
26 Oct 2018 18:41:21
Fantastic read ed. I'm gona you tube the hagler fight now.

{Ed001's Note - thank you mate, it is a sensational fight. I did love Hagler's line though when he was asked if he could see.}

6.) 26 Oct 2018
26 Oct 2018 19:24:04
Great read Ed, loved the fact he went back to school and joined the police force as a reserve.
Always sad to hear of these fighters who earned tens of millions but end up potless, I guess the men in suits pocketed it all.
I remember Leonard and Hagler well, but never realised how good Thomas Hearns was.

{Ed001's Note - most of his money went to his 'extended family' as he called it. Hangers on most of us would say. Sadly very few of them helped him in any way but profited from him massively.}

7.) 26 Oct 2018
26 Oct 2018 19:25:26
Absolutely brilliant Ed. I remember both fights with Sugar Ray and the fight with Hagler. I thought Hagler was the best of the three. I remember being extremely upset after the second Hearns/ Ray fight and also with the Hagler/ Ray fight. what the judges were watching in both of those fights, I'll never know but both were very fishy. Hearns was very much underappreciated and was a hell of a fighter. This was one of your best in my opinion and that's saying a lot. Have you ever thought about doing an article on the first Arguello Pryor fight? One of the best fights I ever saw and also very controversial. Thanks again.

{Ed001's Note - I hadn't thought of it until now. I have added it to the list. Really glad you enjoyed it, that one was the hardest work to write as he didn't have anything controversial to dig up. I don't want to just end up describing fights, as the best thing with good fights is to watch them yourself, rather than read the description. Made him a difficult man to write about, nice guys don't usually make for good copy.}

8.) 26 Oct 2018
26 Oct 2018 20:01:51
Ed001 thanks for that mate I love my football but that is definitely my favourite article I have read on this site there’s something about individual sportsmen that you don’t quite get in a team sport. I’m now going to watch those 3 rounds on YouTube. cheers Ed.

{Ed001's Note - thank you mate. It really is worth watching those 3 rounds even if you never watch another boxing match in your life, that one has to be seen.}

9.) 26 Oct 2018
26 Oct 2018 20:15:02
Stone, Alexis Arguello? Aaron Pryor? You know your boxing history, my friend. Did you watch the fight between both these legends? It was breathe-taking. Arguello was pummeled into submission (literally) after Pryor rained down at least 15 punches win no reply from Arguello. The stuff of legends.

As for Tommy Hearns, he may not have been as big or as strong as prolly Hagler BUT he was super-surgical in his fighting style. He knew how to inflict immense punishment on his opponent slowly BUT surely. A true legend of the Sweet Science, IMO. Never was a real fan of "Marvelous" Marvin Hagler even tho, he slaughtered Hearns when they fought (he hit Hearns once and then one more time on his way to dream land and a knock out loss) .

Also, fun story for you Stone and Ed: I knew a guy who was on the U. S Olympic Boxing team for the Montreal Olympics where Sugar Ray and Aaron Pryor were sparring mates. The word is that Sugar Ray NEVER gave Pryor a title shot went they went professional. Why you ask? Well, cos Pryor used to pummel him during sparring sessions to the point that he got into Sugar Ray's head and even after they turned pro, Pryor never left.

10.) 26 Oct 2018
26 Oct 2018 20:43:06
I have to confess that I was more of a Sugar Ray fan, though I loved Hearns’ cobra-like power.
A few of us at school were really into the boxing after Alan Minter’s tremendous win in America over Vito Antuofermo. Only to see this wrecking ball called Marvin Hagler tear him to pieces.
Awesome. All before pay-per-view as well.

Thanks a lot Ed, loved that.
Back to the footy and Alan Ball next eh, lol?

{Ed001's Note - Minter's fans were a disgrace that night. I was going to do Edgar Davids next.}

11.) 26 Oct 2018
26 Oct 2018 21:02:10
BRover, yes I watched that fight and it is one of the top three that I've ever watched. Absolutely thrilling fight. That's a great story about Sugar Ray and Pryor.

To be honest, I really started to lose interest in boxing after the second Sugar Ray Hearns fight and Sugar Ray Hagler fighgt. I honestly thought at the time that it was predetermined that Sugar Ray would win unless Hearns or Hagler knocked him out. I'm sure I'm wrong, but I really thought Hagler and Hearns were absolutely robbed.

Another underappreciated fighter, in my opinion was Larry Holmes.

12.) 26 Oct 2018
26 Oct 2018 21:26:53
Just went back and watched those three rounds again. Absolutely thrilling. Thanks again Ed. Absolutely fantastic. I remember watching title fights on commercial TV and listening on the radio. Boxing will never be the same and it's a shame.

Juicer, you said that you were a Sugar Ray fan. I was as well especially after the '76 olympics. He was brilliant then. I ended up being a HUGE Hagler fan.

13.) 26 Oct 2018
26 Oct 2018 22:14:20
Man, that first round of Hearns v Hagler is spine chilling for its ferocity.
1976 Olympics - the Cuban heavyweight Teofilo Stevenson, what an athlete he was. And his countryman Alberto Juantorena on the track, 400m and 800m double. Life was never the same for me after those Olympics.
Joined an athletics club straight after, little did I know the cross country season was just about to start, lol.

14.) 26 Oct 2018
26 Oct 2018 22:14:20
Man, that first round of Hearns v Hagler is spine chilling for its ferocity.
1976 Olympics - the Cuban heavyweight Teofilo Stevenson, what an athlete he was. And his countryman Alberto Juantorena on the track, 400m and 800m double. Life was never the same for me after those Olympics.
Joined an athletics club straight after, little did I know the cross country season was just about to start, lol.

{Ed0333's Note - I implore somebody to find me a better fight than that Hagler v Hearns fight. It was brutality on a level seldom ever seen before. Those were the days boxers didn’t duck each other and hide behind twitter et al.

15.) 26 Oct 2018
26 Oct 2018 22:32:31
Love my boxing and that was once again just like the Gatti one a cracking article
it is funny how Hagler was the toughest and probaly had the hardest punch but is still considered the 3rd best out of the three.

{Ed0333's Note - really Hagler wa considered the third best? Leanord was the media darling because he was good looking, loquacious and articulate soI can appreciate him being loved by the press, but I’m surprised fight fans would have Hagler as only third best. If you asked me which one I’d rather not face in a dark alley after denigrating his mama then Marvellous Marvin Hagler would be that man he was a proper animal and had venom in his hands.

16.) 27 Oct 2018
26 Oct 2018 20:57:06
Excellent article Ed001. I remember seeing all those fights at that time (all the Duran, Leonard, Hagler and Hearns fights. Does anyone remember John 'the Beast' Mugabe? ) . It's sad that so many of these boxers end up in the same financial difficulty that most start out with. Boxing seems to be a way out for them, but only while they're in it, and not when they're done and finished with it.

Yes, I remember the Arguello Pryor fight too. Was rooting for Arguello (what a classy fighter), but Pryor was simply too smart and a more clever boxer. I still remember feeling bad for Arguello for the way Pryor just rifled unanswered punches into his head.

{Ed001's Note - thank you mate.}

17.) 27 Oct 2018
27 Oct 2018 05:04:03
Glad you enjoyed the research Ed mate, he must've been a hard man to look things up about so I appreciate your time and effort for doing it mate, thanks again.

{Ed001's Note - just took a bit of time, surprisingly 2 particular publications provided a large portion of the information, despite neither being connected with boxing. Black Belt magazine had an interesting piece written by Bill Wallace about their exhibition bout and a local Wolverhampton paper, the Express and Star, had a lengthy interview with Hearns which had a lot of the quotes in it. I meant to ask Ed033 to put a reference at the bottom with some links for people to look at those articles, but I forgot to make a note of the links.}

18.) 27 Oct 2018
27 Oct 2018 05:45:05
The biggest shocker there Ed is that a newspaper managed to publish something decent, it's a rare occurrence isn't it mate lol cheers Ed I'll have to have a google and see if I can find them articles.

{Ed001's Note - I will have to start noting down the links in future to post at the bottom of the articles.}

19.) 27 Oct 2018
27 Oct 2018 06:19:28
Thoroughly enjoy that article ed, cheers.

{Ed001's Note - glad to hear that mate.}

20.) 27 Oct 2018
27 Oct 2018 10:03:51
Was this one of the links Ed?

expressandstar.com/sport/boxing/2014/12/14/the-big-interview-tommy-hearns/

I haven't read it yet but saved it for later.

{Ed001's Note - yes mate it was, well found.}

21.) 27 Oct 2018
27 Oct 2018 10:25:53
This thread is giving me chills and great nostalgia of when boxing was actually you know, boxing. I saw the Hearns v Hagler fight as well. Those guys truly hated each other and it showed. In that era, boxers went into the ring trying to either send the loser to retirement or outright put them 6 ft under for good. I'm surprised both Hearns and Hagler are still alive today after the incessant pummeling both fighter sustained. Ed, did you see the knock out punch (or two) that put Hearns away? Breathe-taking.

22.) 27 Oct 2018
27 Oct 2018 10:49:42
I was a suger fan from the moment he humiliated Dave Boy Green ( I was a kid watching with my dad, we thought Dave would win! ) so I never really like Hearns, but that article truly opened my eyes, sounds a great man shame about the money.

Cheers Ed's 001 best article yet.

{Ed001's Note - thank you very much.}

23.) 29 Oct 2018
28 Oct 2018 23:45:05
To answer your question there Ed0333, the Gatti - Ward trilogy of fairly recent times was a brutally unbelievable display of passion and heart. One of my faves of all time.