25 years ago last week, Marvelous Marvin Hagler savagely defeated Thomas “The Hitman” Hearns by a third round TKO at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
When the bout was officially signed, Hagler (62-3-2, 52 KOs) and Hearns (48-5-1, 48 KOs) were widely regarded as two of the preeminent boxers in the entire sport.
Hagler, who was raised in Brockton, MA, was a menacing man who easily managed to intimidate his opponents both inside and outside of the ring.
In preparation for a prizefight, Hagler was known to isolate himself on Cape Cod in vacated motels during the winter months to maximize his focus and training efforts.
As part of his training regimen on “the Cape,” Hagler would run backwards in heavy army boots to better ready himself for his movements in the ring.
Hagler entered his matchup with Hearns having won a remarkable 33 consecutive fights since he had last lost to Willie Monroe (40-10-1, 26 KOs) by a unanimous decision in March 1976.
Conversely, Hearns readied for his battle with Hagler riding an eight-fight winning-streak that dated back to his controversial 14th round TKO loss to the legendary “Sugar” Ray Leonard (36-3-1, 25 KOs) in September 1981.
“The Hitman,” an extremely tall welterweight at 6’1” with exceptionally long-arms, was expected to present Hagler with his toughest challenge in years.
Hearns, an eight-time world champion in six different weight categories, was renowned for his extraordinarily powerful right-hand.
In fact, Hearns had such a destructively violent swing with his right that he later ranked 18 on Ring Magazine’s list of the 100 greatest punchers of all-time.
Electricity filled “Sin City” as the fighters neared the night of their impending war.
Analysts expected Hearns to use his reach advantage to outbox and outpoint Hearns.
On the flipside, Hagler was anticipated to press forward with his strength and bully Hearns on the inside.
Ultimately, both pugilists scrapped their strategies and engaged in an almost nine-minute brawl that oozed of shire ferocity.
In the first round, Hearns landed a savage right that virtually split Hagler’s cranium into two.
Hagler’s shaved dome began to bleed profusely and officials seriously considered halting the fight.
Unfortunately for Hearns, Hagler somehow was barely shaken by the thunderous blow and “The Hitman” actually shattered his feared right hand from delivering the shot.
The punch that would have crippled most fighter’s served to destroy the combatant who launched it.
Hearns was subsequently brutalized by Hagler until Referee Richard Steele mercifully stopped the fight before the conclusion of the third round.
The Ring Magazine wrote that the clash was “the most electrifying eight minutes ever” and the periodical named it the “Fight of the Year” for 1985.
Afterwards, Hearns stated that “that first round took everything I had, man.”
Hearns may have been unable to last three complete rounds with Hagler.
Nevertheless, “The Hitman’s” greatness was cemented that spring evening.
As for Hagler, his victory over Hearns is regarded by many as his pinnacle achievement and it established him as one of the greatest middleweights to ever put on a pair of gloves.
“The War” happened more than a quarter-century ago last Thursday.
However, the images of that tremendous prizefight will remain for a lifetime.
Keywords: boxing, marvin hagler, thomas hearns
