Oscar De la Hoya vs Thomas Hearns at 147lbs

While that's true, Leonard basically was forced into it as he was in huge danger of losing the fight. Leonard did have killer instinct of course but I doubt he would have gone for a knockout had he been in control. Would Oscar go after Tommy in the same situation? At his peak while still undefeated I actually think he would have tried, only he wouldn't get the same favorable result.

 

Yeah Leonard didn't have much choice because he was down on the cards and surely had to know he was likely down on the cards.

Leonard had the mentality to do it, though. I question if De La Hoya would. He stayed away from Trinidad. I think he would be legit frightened by Hearns.

I think he'd be content with lasting the distance as opposed to getting KO'd.

 

Yes but in his mind he was winning the fight handily. Contrast that with how he came out in the 12th against Quartey when there appeared to be much more doubt.

 

Leonard was overall a more dangerous puncher than Oscar because he had two-fisted power. Oscar couldn't wipe his ass with his right hand. Leonard had good pop in his right hand, even though Leonard's best punch was by far his hook (just like Oscar). I'd say their left hooks were about equal. Oscar's hook is more heralded because that was the MAIN weapon in his arsenal. But realistically, I don't see how his hook was more powerful than Leonard's, and if it was, it wasn't by much.

Leonard was better than Oscar by a wide margin, Sly. This is not like we're discussing some miniscule gap in ability. When compared to the Leonard's, Duran's, and Hearns', Oscar was simply not in their league. The HBO hype machine would have you think that he was, but he wasn't.

 

DLH isn't out boxing Hearns and "seek and destroy" Oscar is only going to show up until he gets hit with hard punches. Then he'll look to survive and/or get lucky; and he's dangerous here but he loses wide or gets stopped late.

Oscar had slightly better speed and power than Benitez but not enough to make it a fundamentally different fight. And Benitez defense made him more able to "hang in there" and a better survivor than DLH would be.

 

DLH had better power than Benitez. Speed? Maybe overall handspeed, but Benitez pulled the trigger quicker than Oscar, and countered MUCH quicker than Oscar.

 

Of all the 80s welters, Hearns is the worst possible match up stylistically for anyone.

Hard pressed to find anyone who could outbox him, so you'd have to look at fighters with enough power to hurt him badly and then put him away. Leonard was the only one at that weight who could.

I wouldn't count Oscar as one of those. He could hurt Hearns in an exchange, but I don't think he has enough to put him away.

Cuevas had a legit puncher's chance but couldn't do anything about those long, fast arms reaching his face constantly.

Robinson is an obvious choice but he'd have to come through some serious fire.

Hard to pick anyone over a prime Hearns at 147 with confidence.

 

Agreed. Stylistically Hearns was a nightmare for anyone.

People always said that if hearns had a rock solid chin, he'd be invincible.

Thing is though that he could be hurt....and Oscar certainly had the delivery system (height, reach, power, speed) to hurt him. Oscar was also a pretty decent finisher.

I agree that Oscar is not as good a Leonard, but you don't need to be as good overall as another fighter to accomplish the same result.

Tua not as good as Tyson, for example, but no guarantee that Tyson would have finished Ruiz in 19 seconds.

 

ddddddd

 

While DeLa DOES Possess More than Enough Power in his Left Hook to END Tommy Hearns, REED Can't See Hearns Losing to a Guy w/Only 1 POWER Hand...The Guys that Stopped Hearns were Much More EVEN HANDED Punchers than DeLa Ever Was...

Hearns by Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiide UD or Very Late Stoppage...Hearns' Jab CLOSES 1 of DeLa's Eyes AND he Buckles/Drops DeLa a Time or 3....





REED:hammert:

 

Tommy makes Oscar wake up in a parking lot with an Oscar Meyer wiener in his rectum

 

Hearns having a weak chin at 147-154 is a total myth. It wasn't until he moved up to 160 that his chin can be considered shaky. He took A LOT of punishment in the first Leonard fight, and was stopped on his FEET. How that constitutes having a suspect chin, I have no idea.

If ANYBODY'S power is overrated, it's Oscar's, not Leonard's. We're talking about a guy who took 11 rounds to dispatch a fragile Oba Carr, and who hit Wilfredo Rvera with everything but the sink and could only stop him on cuts. Yet you act like all he's gotta do is land ONE good hook, and he could possibly take out Hearns.

Wouldn't happen.

 

It's for that very reason that I don't see Oscar taking out Hearns. Maybe he could hurt him, but it's doubtful he gets a KO against a big natural welterweight when he went the distance with Trinidad, Mosley, Quartey, Whitaker, and went through hell with Oba Carr before taking him out.

If he's down on the cards and he elects to go after Hearns, I see him getting overpowered no doubt. Can't see him doing it, though. He fades late and that's not what you wanna do against Hearns.

 

Not saying Hearns had a glass chin, but don't pretend he wasn't vulnerable. You say he took a lot of punishment in the 1st Leonard fight and was only stopped on his feet late. That's being economical with the truth. Leonard wobbled him badly in the 5th and 6th, again in the 13th and again in the 14th. Secondly Hearns dished out FAR MORE punishment in that fight than he received in return (look at both of their faces after the fight). Only times Leonard hit him with any regularity in that fight was when Leonard had him hurt....and that was few and far between. And yes, Leonard wasn't a huge puncher and yes, Oscar hits harder than Leonard did.

Nevertheless I pick Hearns to beat Oscar, just to be clear. But we cannot write off Oscar in this one.

 

Tommy prior to the SRL fight was scary. kinda like when Tito used to take people out..

Tommy hit people and it looked like they were hit by a baseball bat. it was impressive

 

My favorite Hearns fights were the ones against Cuevas and Baez.

That right hand he landed on Baez that was the beginning of the end was chilling.