Monzon vs Hearns

Monzon is clearly the greater mw, but he wouldn't have his usual length advantage here, so I think he would be in huge trouble.

I would even lean toward Hearns to win it

 

Monzon is tougher and more durable than Hearns. I think it's close for the first 6 rounds or so with maybe Tommy even being ahead, but I think Monzon breaks the Hitman down after that.

 

Monzon catches Tommy late and knocks him out, with Tommy most likely ahead on the cards at the time of the stoppage. Monzon would likely have to survive being hurt, or maybe even dropped early though.

 

the more I think about it, the more I think Hearns wins it in a suprisngly easy fight, I just don't see Monzon outjabbing hearns, nor do I think it's lean back, straight right hand, would work against a guy has long as hearns. Monzon wasn't the most aggessive guy, he was more like a patient but deadly praying mantis. But I think his style would be all wrong to cope with hearns.

 

I think Monozon is tough enough to do things the hard way here. 12-14 round KO from behind if necessary.

 

im pretty sure davey lemieux would beat either

 

In Hockey certainly.

No ice rinks in Detroit, or Argentina.

 

Monxon KO in 15

I'm pretty sure Detroit has a hockey team that's won a billion Stanley Cups.

 

I think the Joe Louis Arena might have been named after some boxing guy too.

 

Hearns UD15

 

Monzon by late KO... He's got the toughness, strength and power to do it... Tommy gives him a hell of a hard time and is probably ahead on the cards but Monzon eventually realizes what he's got to do and he does it, winning the hard way.

I'm amazed at the Hearns picks, frankly...

 

I feel exactly the same way as cdogg, I can't believe anyone is picking Hearns.

Hearns was an amazing welterweight and Jr Middle, but Monzon is clearly, clearly a better middleweight. He has the size, smarts, patience, and power to beat Hearns, probably by late KO.

 

I am donnybrooking on a fence in this one. Maybe it is because Monzon looked as ordinary as was mentioned in the GD but I can see Hearns' jab and movement give him plenty of trouble. The question is, if Monzon falls behind, can he turn it around. I can't see him pulling a Hagler and just roughing Hearns out of there, he would need to turn up the heat slowly and hope it would be enough.

The more I think of it, yeah, Monzon wins. His strength ability to adapt, ability to finish strong and Hearns' vulnerability adds up to Monzon late

 

Monzon, sensing he had to do more, willingly traded with one of the best Middleweight punchers of all time in the second Valdez fight and won the fight after suffering his first knockdown in 13 years... I have no doubt he'd be willing to go for it against Tommy if he found himself behind and I have no doubt he had the durability to handle it

I think Hearns gets way, way underrated above 154 but I can't see him beating Monzon over the distance

 

Most Plausible Scenario(s) is Hearns UD12 OR Monzon KO 13-15...

Hearns Would Lead More COMFORTABLY than Some May Wish to Admit, After 9-10 Rounds & (Just) SURVIVE a Massive Monzon Onslaught, in 11-12...

Another Commonality in Monzon & Micheal Spinks is they were BOTH 15 Round Era Fighters...Spinks Overlapped EARLY 12 Round Days, but the BULK of his Championship Years Played Out w/15 Rounds @ his Disposal...Monzon AND Spinks' Careers Would Be Impacted to SOME Degree by Virtue of FEWER Rounds for their Unexplainable, Unbeknownst, yet Undeniable GREATNESS Due Time to Be Revealed, Imagine Leonard-Hearns I if it was a 12 Rounder???...

No Chance of Hearns CLOSING a Fight Stronger than Monzon, but he'd Damn Sure START Faster, Pocketing the Vast Majority of the 1st 9-10 Rounds...It'd Be Somewhat Similar to Chavez-Taylor I, Only Hearns WINS Over 12, but is CONCLUSIVELY Stopped, if the Distance is 15...


REED:up:

 

You guys are acting like Hearns was feather-chinned and feather-fisted at 160, neither were the case. Hearns IMO has the better jab, faster hands, and punches a lot harder.. Monzon can't make it the kind of fight Hagler did, and the jab was the bread & butter of his arsenal. What happens when he runs into a guy who can outjab him? You aren't outboxing Hearns and I can't see Monzon stopping him.

 

You can't see Monzon stopping him? ::

Not only did he get blasted out by Hagler, he got hammered by Barkley too, and didn't look great in any middleweight fight I've seen him in. He also fought on fairly even terms with a 168 pound Leonard. Monzon would have surely battered that version of Leonard.

Again, Hearns is an amazing welterweight and jr middle, he is capable of beating anyone in history at those weights - but the idea of him beating a guy largely considered the best middleweight ever is laughable.

 

hearns was a legend, monzon was a boring murderer

 

That's great, but Monzon was a better middleweight.

 

Hagler and Monzon have totally different styles. Monzon cannot make it that type of fight & if he does, I'm not sure he can take the incoming Hagler did.. Monzon was tough as nails, but Hagler had one of the greatest chins in the history of boxing. Barkley was getting killed before he landed a lucky punch, I would hardly say he "got hammered" by Barkley. He beat Leonard decisively at 168, the draw was bullshit (and that was past his prime, to boot).

Explain to me how Monzon is going to stop Hearns. He's giving up the size advantage he enjoyed in pretty much every fight he had, is he going to rush him like Hagler did? Accumulate punishment over the course of a fight against a guy like Hearns? Come on.

Aside from chin and stamina, Hearns has pretty much every advantage.

 

oh, and if you mean the 2nd Barkley fight

a) Monzon is not going to fight the way Barkley fought that night either
b) that fight took place at 168, not 160.
c) Barkley is a shitton bigger than Monzon and iirc that took place after day-before weigh-ins had been implemented (someone can check for me)
d) Hearns was past his best in that fight, it took place in the 90s

 

You make some good points but I don't see how this would be out of question. Monzon did beat several tough guys with accumulated punishment, Benevenuti, Griffin etc among them and he has a clear strength advantage over Hears

 

Monzon hit very hard, certainly hard enough to hurt and stop Tommy Hearns.

If you could fuck with time and space and make this fight happen, I'd round up everything I have worth anything and bet it all on Monzon

 

One punch shot? It's possible, but not likely. Hearns is taller, has more reach, hits harder, and is more skilled. You're basically gambling on Monzon having a puncher's chance against one of the most skilled fighters ever, based on his fights against guys who fought totally differently from Monzon. Keep in mind Hearns ate a ton of shots against Hagler before he went down, and even then part of the reason he lost (imo) was because he broke his hand on Hagler's steel dome.
The shot he hit Hagler with that made Hagler take a step back would've felled a goddamn tree.

 

Hagler was one of the most skilled boxers ever, but if he'd tried to box with Hearns he would've lost. That's why he didn't even try. You're talking about a guy who outboxed Sugar Ray Leonard. You're not outboxing Tommy Hearns, just ain't happening.

 

Monzon, doesn't need to outbox him... He just needs to outlast him and wear him down... I don't see any reason to think he couldn't do it... I'm not banking on him having a "puncher's chance"... I'm banking on him getting aggressive and going after Tommy around the midway point when he realizes he's not winning with his usual style... I'm banking on him being more durable than Tommy, having better stamina, a better chin and more than enough power to hurt and stop him...

 

Hearns' chin & stamina are good enough to last over 15 against a patient fighter like Monzon, imo.

 

I don't see any reason to have faith in that... Monzon was only ever as patient as he needed to be.

 

Loaded, in all seriousness, have you seen many Monzon fights? The guy is widely regarded as the best middleweight of all time. To consider him to have a puncher's chance against a 160 pound Hearns is underrating him to an absurd degree. Monzon is no less skilled than Hearns, just has a more basic style at face value, less dynamic looking. But he an all round skilled fighter, in terms of offense and defense, is tough, powerful, crafty, he has no real weaknesses.

He would also be one of the rangiest guys Hearns faced, he had long arse arms, similar to Hearns, and an excellent jab. His arms are probably the same length as Hearns' actually.

He also punches harder than his KO % indicates, on account of his patient style, and high level of opposition.

Who did Hearns beat at 160 to make you think he'd have a chance against Monzon?