Leonard vs. Hearns I (1981)

Leonard Vs. Hearns I was a great fight because Leonard proved that he had HEART. After hurting Hearns in the 6th & 7th Rds. Hearns switched styles,and piled up pts.By the 12thRd, Sugar`s left eye swollen shut he could have quit but did`nt. Leonard`s cornerman Angelo Dundee "Separate the men from the boys" spurred Leonard, who in the 13th rained many blows upon Hearns, who wilted, then in the 14th too much Leonard..................TKO.....Must See................

Great fight with plenty of twists and turns. The one most notably is when Leonard became the puncher and Hearns became the boxer.

I have this fight on VHS somewhere. . .in college, a few of my more smarty-pants buddies were drinking and talking about how boring boxing was. . .I went into a hidden box and popped in the tape. . .they went wild and my roomate (who claimed to hate boxing) said, "That was the greatest fight I've ever seen- anywhere."

I was never a big fan of Leonard's (although I don't dispute his greatness) but he was something special here, reaching down a finding what he needed to beat the Hitman.

This has been accurately referred to as the best 3 rounds in boxing history.

Unquestionably, two of the four great middleweights of their era. Sugar Ray was a splendid boxer with tremendous skill and heart, however, by his own corner people's admission, the Hitman largely contributed to his own defeat when he stopped throwing his jab in the later rounds.

the greatest welterweight bout of all y\time , ray leonard displays the fastest hands in boxing history

This fight obviously catapulted both fighters into even more fame. Leonard/ Hearns I, also maybe couldn't have come at a better time. This fight put boxing back on the map for years to come throughout the 80's, a time in which the smaller guys dominated. Hearns appeared well out in front on points, but Leonard showed his heart and determination with the 14th round KO.

Sugar Ray at his finest,going toe to toe with a powerful opponent.Plenty of raw action here.

A great fight. Hearns and Leonard switched styles for this fight, especially Leonard who was being outfought and outboxed by Hearns, and had to reach down deep. To his credit, he did what all great Champions do when facing great adversity, he found a way to win when it really mattered, something Hearns was unable to do.

boxing at its best,leonard became the slugger and hearns the boxer.i became lifelong fans of both after this classic.

this was one of the greatest fights in history. it was a slugfest and a boxing match at the same time. if tommy hadnt overtrained, he would have been in better shape to outlast leonard. leonard was so damn lucky to win. ray won by KO and i dont dispute the decision, but he was still lucky.

the 2 best welterweights in boxing in their prime fighting each other the most anticipating bout since the ali/frasier 1 fight 2 unbeaten superstar fighters who fought everyone

This fight did more to establish Leonard as an all-time great than all his other fights put together,regardless of Hearns's probable defensive and physiological weaknesses. Leonard showed tremendous heart to come from behind to beat a very dangerous fighter.

Greatest fight I've ever seen. How could Leonard absorb such a beating without loosing his heart? Unbelievable! Two of the best ever middleweights in their prime. This fight made Ray Leonard my all time favorite fighter.

the greatest midleweight fight you will posibly see

This is the fight that made me respect Ray Leonard..thought he was a pretty boy who couldn't fight, was protected by Dundee, embraced by the TV suits. I thought Tommy was the real deal and would knock Ray's ass out quick..boy was I wrong..I still have never seen a fight change so dramatically in my life. Tommy was the puncher supposedly, ray was the boxer...that is until the 6th round and Ray tagged Tommy and changed the whole fight..Leonard gutted it out..knocked Tommy out in the 14th when he was clearly losing..and speaking of losing..$100 was what I lost by not believing in Ray!