FightHype.com

25 YEARS AGO, THE EARTH STOOD STILL AS HAGLER AND HEARNS WENT TO WAR

By Simon Ruvalcaba | April 15, 2010
25 YEARS AGO, THE EARTH STOOD STILL AS HAGLER AND HEARNS WENT TO WAR

For every fighter, there is that one moment that inspired them to become one in the first place. For me, it was April 15, 1985, a day I remember as if it were yesterday. Around the time of my 7th birthday, I joined my dad for a visit to the grocery store. Armed with my football in hand (at the time, football was my first love), we set out on what I thought was going to be a routine trip. As we strolled down an aisle, almost immediatly, we ran into one of my dad's friends. After a quick greeting, the first words my dad spoke to his friend were, "Who do you like tonight?" His friend immediately went into deep thought before replying, "Well.....Hearns!"

Keep in mind that even at such a young age, I was no dummy to the fight game. From as early as I can remember, my father often had his buddies over to watch the fights. Obviously I didn't know as much then as I do now, but I was a big Hagler fan and was picking him to win. As my dad continued shopping, I naturally headed towards the toy aisle and as I did, I overheard several different conversations regarding the fight. I found myself in awe that two people who were fighting each other could seemingly garner so much attention and be the talk of every conversation.

If you haven't seen "The Fight", it featured one of the greatest rounds in boxing history. A determined Marvin Hagler, fighting through a cut, and a couragous Thomas Hearns, fighting through a broken hand, had a toe-to-toe battle that ended the only way it could; with a brutal knockout. All diehard boxing fans likely remember seeing the wild right hand that landed behind the ear of Hearns and the image of Hagler chasing him to the ropes and landing that short right hook that finally put him down. Although I didn't begin boxing until almost 4 years after that, it was that night, and that one particular fight, that planted the seed. Today marks the 25th anniversary of "The Fight" between Hagler and Hearns. It's a shame that fights these days don't arouse the same kind of emotions that those two warriors did so many years ago.

The time of the four kings -- Hagler, Hearns, Leonard, and Duran -- is considered to be the last golden era of the sport. That being said, a closer look at the sport reveals that boxing really hasn't changed all that much since the 80's. Similar to the rematch between Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr., a fight that took 17 years to make, Thomas Hearns had to wait nearly 12 years before getting his rematch with Sugar Ray Leonard. Furthermore, much like the upcoming May 1st fight between Floyd Mayweather and Shane Mosley, the bout between Hagler and Hearns was also overdue. They were originally scheduled to fight in May of 1982, but it took nearly three years before it finally happened. Hopefully, a spark will be lit on May 1 when Mayweather steps into the ring to face his toughest challenge thus far? For boxing's sake, we need another great fight that will be celebrated and talked about years after it's over.

JUNE 12, 2025
JUNE 09, 2025
JUNE 05, 2025
JUNE 02, 2025
MAY 29, 2025
MAY 26, 2025
MAY 22, 2025
MAY 19, 2025
MAY 15, 2025
MAY 12, 2025
MAY 08, 2025
MAY 05, 2025
MAY 02, 2025
APRIL 25, 2025
APRIL 21, 2025
APRIL 17, 2025
APRIL 15, 2025
APRIL 10, 2025
APRIL 07, 2025
APRIL 03, 2025
MARCH 31, 2025
MARCH 28, 2025
MARCH 24, 2025
MARCH 22, 2025
MARCH 17, 2025
MARCH 13, 2025
MARCH 10, 2025
MARCH 06, 2025
MARCH 03, 2025