Fab 4 Rivalries - Duran, Leonard, Hearns, Hagler (Boxing Documentary)

this is Rummy's corner Roberto durán Ray Leonard Thomas Hearns Marvin Hagler faith belt boxing fans a great hand during the 1980s four of the very best boxers in the long rich history of professional boxing and four of the greatest champions who competed during the eighties making matters even better faith saw to it that these four elite talents would all cross paths in this era and this produced some of the greatest and most memorable encounters in boxing history indeed boxing fans from the 80s were truly blessed on June 20th 1980 WBC welterweight champion of the world Sugar Ray Leonard squared off against former undisputed lightweight world champion Roberto Duran went the ranch stepped in through the ropes he appeared to be very fired up in full of intensity and on the other side Leonard looked cool calm and collected with a far more relaxed demeanor the fight started with a customary feeling-out process to the surprise of many Duran was showing a willingness to box with Leonard and Leonard was showing a willingness to trade with Duran a pattern began to emerge where Duran was successfully closing the distance and charging in with an attack the ran was doing some very good work once he was on the inside and was frequently pinning Leonard up against the ropes Rey was grabbing on and trying to smother the challengers aggression but the ran was crafty and he was managing to fire off shots whenever he could partially free one of his from raised grass Roberto was also growing some tremendous body shots on the inside Roberto durán was dictating the terms of the fight and Leonard was perfectly willing to fight Roberto on his own terms but this wasn't something that was working out and raised feet leonard was doing a good job absorbing the punishment biding his time and sometimes firing back with some excellent flurries and stellar counters of his own but for the most part the Challenger was more aggressive more active and more efficient as the fight progressed into the middle rounds Leonard began firing more punches and he started stringing together some longer stretches of success but the ran was still relentlessly stalking the champion and in effective manner things were growing far more competitive and there was some explosive back-and-forth action both boxers were landing their fair share of punches and most of these were big punches whenever it appeared someone was starting to gain an advantage and build some momentum the other one would come back with some heavy artillery of his own it became an absolute showcase of tactical in fighting prowess from both combatants they were both digging in with hard clubbing body shots they were both rowing with mean intent and they were both enduring a tremendous volume of punishment for their efforts it was a grueling war of attrition and both boxers were frequently trading back and forth ferociously in several vicious exchanges no matter how relentlessly Duran attacked Leonard would always eventually fire back and the two continued battling it out at an incredible pace there was some absolutely amazing back-and-forth action as the two stood toe-to-toe for a prolonged close-quarter barrage each new assault elevated the already level of intensity to new heights neither man gave in to the other and despite the sheer physical brutality of what was happening these two men were deeply engaged in a mesmerizing battle of wills in the 15th and final round both fighters were exhausted but Leonard seems to have a little more left in the tank and he was able to take advantage of the uncharacteristically lethargic Duran by throwing quick short flurries down the final stretch there was initially some type of mistake made when the judges scorecards were first announced it was declared as a majority decision but in actuality Duran was officially awarded the victory by unanimous decision final scorecards read 145 to 144 148 to 147 and 146 to 144 all three in favor of the Challenger Roberto Duran had just become the new WBC welterweight champion of the world making him a to division champion in the process on November 25th 1980 of UBC welterweight champion of the world Roberto Duran defended his title in an immediate rematch against the man he eat to become champion Sugar Ray Leonard five months had passed since their epic first encounter early in the rematch Leonard was using a lot more movement than he had in the previous fight he was dancing around and making very good use of the Ring space Duran was having difficulty cutting off the ring as Rey kept himself at a safe distance on the outside while firing off the occasional jab whenever Duran did manage to back Leonard into the ropes he quickly slipped away and pivoted back to centre ring this tactical approach to remain on the outside served Leonard well early and he was already doing a better job neutralizing Duran than he had at any point during their first fight Leonard continued boxing well from long range he was doing a better job keeping Duran at bay and firing off with fierce combinations whenever Duran was getting too close for comfort Leonard was using exceptional movement and this severely limited Duran's offense Roberto was throwing some decent shots when the two got in close but Leonard was often able to minimize the damage from any infighting initiated by Duran sometimes however Duran was able to keep the action in the pocket for longer stretches and this is when he was doing his best work this time around Leonard was the one dictating the terms of the fight and Duran was in effectively trying to close the distance Leonard was doing a brilliant job sticking and moving and keeping things on the outside there were some occasional fireworks erupting whenever the two were in close quarters but the ran was unable to pin leonard against the ropes is frequently and effectively as he had during their montreal brawl Duran appeared to get more and more frustrated with his inability to keep up with Sugar Ray's impeccable footwork it had reached a point in round 7 we're an extremely confident Leonard began taunting the ran and showboating his defense and quickness uh perturbed an unsettled Duran was desperately trying to close the distance but Leonard was too fast and too athletic and the taunting continued Iran's growing frustrations seemed to be fueling Leonard's growing confidence in Roundy Duran was trying to chase Leonard down and eventually got in close where they became tied up and then two ran turn around and dismissively waved his hand as Leonard moved in and took a few shots at him after a brief moment of confusion the referee instructed the two boxers to fight but instead Roberto Duran informed the referee that he did not wish to continue the fight was over Sugar Ray Leonard was declared the winner by technical eighth round knockout at the time of the stoppage all three judges had Leonard ahead with scores of 68 66 68 to 66 and 67 66 Sugar Ray Leonard had just become the new WBC welterweight champion of the world making him a 2-time welterweight champion on September 16th 1981 WBC welterweight champion of the world Sugar Ray Leonard squared off against WBA welterweight world champion Thomas Hearns this unification showdown for welterweight supremacy was about that had been building up for quite some time and both boxers appeared extremely confident in the moments leading up to the contest early in the fight the two had a customary feeling-out process where Leonard was up on his toes dancing around and Hearns was patiently stalking him both fighters were firing off some preliminary jabs and as they both began settling in Byrnes was winning the early battle of the jabs he was throwing his jab more frequently and even with Rey moving around on the outside her and slung arms were still tagging the mark upstairs and downstairs Byrnes was also looking to find an opening for a big right hand but when 'red was using good evasive movement this pattern continued with Hearns patiently pressing forward behind a piston like jab and Leonard dancing around and using movement to try and create angles the building tension erupted in some early fireworks that saw both men landing punches but Tommy was usually getting the best of these exchanges Hearns was building momentum and leonard was continuing to have difficulties dealing with the long-range jab of the Motorcity Cobra Ray was biding his time and looking for openings and sometimes firing off a big shot but he was often just missing the target with about a minute left in round 6 Leonard finally broke through and he rock turns with a big left hand sensing that his foe is hurt Leonard opened up with a barrage and in the midst of his attack burns clipped him with a few good right hand momentarily stop Leonard in his tracks with Sugar Ray resumed his assault and the two boxers traded away furiously Leonard rally back and appeared to have Tommy in trouble again so he opened up with a combination and had Hearns reeling across the ring before the bell sounded to end the 6th the momentum had shifted in Leonard's favor and over the next few rounds the earlier trend in the fight had been completely reversed now it was Leonard doing the stalking and Hearns bouncing around and using movement to stay out of reach and Hearn started doing an excellent job boxing off the back foot landing jabs from long range while hopping around on the move Leonard was having difficulty adjusting to Tommy's new tactics and Hearns was regaining control of the action Leonard was still landing some good isolated punches but Hearns began dictating the rhythm with his jab the Motor City Cobra had seized the momentum and he was starting to sneak in some right hands behind a snappy jab Hearns had by now resumed being the aggressor and Leonard was trying to fend off his attacks while looking for openings that rarely materialized Leonard was looking to load up on one huge shot but Hearns was boxing masterfully and Leonard couldn't find the big opening he was searching for about halfway through round 13 Leonard finally struck home and he hurt Hearns with a big right hand Leonard immediately pounced and unleashed a prolonged flurry of fast shots that had Hearns in trouble ray just kept punching and punching and punching and Hearns was sent to the ropes by an uppercut and then quickly sent through the although it was not an official knock-down but at this point Hearns was very badly hurt regardless and Leonard tried to move in for the Finnish Hearns landed some desperation bombs as he tried to regain his composure but Leonard soon had him hurt again with another flurry and this time when her and slipped through the ropes it was indeed a knockdown Tomi somehow beat the count and by then the round was already over in round 14 Leonard back turns into the ropes with a jab and shortly after he landed a booming right hand that rattled turns to his core Leonard raised his hands in triumph but her and somehow managed to stay on his feet who is an assassin Leonard moved in for the finish but a brave Tommy Hearns continued doing everything in his power to battle on but he was completely exhausted and raised spirit of attacks had taken their toll Hearns was too tired to even keep his body upright prompting referee Davey pearl to call a halt to the contest making this a 14th round technical knockout for Leonard Sugar Ray Leonard had just become the undisputed welterweight champion of the world on November 10th 1983 undisputed middleweight champion of the world Marvelous Marvin Hagler squared off against former three division world champion Roberto Duran for Hagler this was his first big-money high-profile fight under the spotlight during his three-year reign as champ and for Duran it was an opportunity to capture a championship in a fourth weight class both combatants started boxing tactically to begin the contest they were both using a lot of faints and a lot of movement and they were trying to establish the Rings to get the jabs working Hagler and Duran was showing one another a lot of respect and they were both patiently boxing in hopes that the other would lead and take the initiative but since both boxes were primarily looking to create counter punching opportunities there was a lot of posturing and a lot of maneuvering for possession but not a whole lot of punching at times the two boxers would find themselves in close range and this often produce some intensely heated exchanges that saw both men swinging away but most of the time the exchanges were brief because they were both still embracing tactics designed to create openings for counters this led to long stretches where Duran and Hagler were both boxing patiently on fairly even terms but every now and again they were standing toe-to-toe and brawling in close quarters during the middle rounds of the fight agua started consistently doing the better work Duran was still fighting well in spots but a glare strength was on full display and he was putting his punches together exceptionally well on the inside the champion was simply overpowering the ring for whatever reason Hagler never really seemed to press the issue Morvan remained very patient and while he was unloading whenever he found himself on the inside he was frequently trying to keep things on the outside where he showcased his tactical prowess while trying to coax the ran into attacking incredibly there was absolutely no sense of urgency and Hagler's conservative approach this enabled the ran to begin working his way back into the fight as the two continued tactically battling it out in competitive fast the ran was in fact boxing beautifully at times with all of his offensive and defensive skills on display but Hagler finally turned up the heat to regain control and he finished the fight strong Duran was bravely shooting back but he was enduring a great deal of punishment on the inside where Hagler was administering some hammer-like shots in close the sheer physicality of Hagler had warned the ran down but to his credit he absorbed everything Hagler threw at him and went the full 15 round distance in a competitive affair when the verdict was announced Hagler was awarded a close but unanimous decision victory the official scorecards were 144 to 142 146 to 145 and 144 to 143 all in favor of the champion Marvelous Marvin Hagler had just successfully defended the undisputed middleweight championship of the world On June 15 1984 WBC super welterweight champion of the world Thomas the Hitman Hearns square off against former three division world champion Roberto Duran this represented somewhat of a crossroads fight for both boxers Hearns was riding a six fight winning streak and even though the ran was coming off a loss his stock had risen following his strong effort against Marvelous Marvin Hagler early in the bout both boxers were feeling one another out who looking to establish the jab and the longer faster jab of Hearns was giving him an edge early Hearns was trying to open up under end and he launched an effective attack that soon saw Duran countering back but the ran didn't have an answer for Hearns jab and long right hand with under a minute left in round one the hit man landed a right hand bomb that sent the ran down the ran appeared to be badly hurt but he was able to beat the count who was an assassin Ernst trotted in for the finish Tommy unloaded with an all-out assault the ran somehow managed to remain on his feet after being bounced off the ropes but he didn't remain upright for long burns proceeded to beat him down again the ran was quick to rise to his feet and then the first round had come to a close Roberto was so dazed and confused that he accidentally went to the wrong corner Duran appeared loose to start the second and he tried changing things up a little bit and landed a couple of decent shots but the long-range jab finder of Hearns was an absolute nightmare for the Challenger Hearns had the ran in trouble once again and tommy unloaded with a vicious prolonged attack the ran was barely able to defend himself and he eventually held up but Hearns was soon all over him again and he had the ran in trouble the ran was bravely battling back on instinct and then the hit man landed a devastating right head off the ran was down and he was at the fight was over referee Carlos Padilla called the halt of the contest and it was officially a second-round technical knockout for the champion Tommy the Hitman Hearns had just successfully defended the WBC super welterweight championship of the world on April 15 1985 undisputed middleweight champion of the world Marvelous Marvin Hagler squared off against former two division champion Thomas the Hitman Hearns this was a highly anticipated mega bout showdown tommy was looking to become a three division world champion and Hagler was still looking to command the respect and recognition that his considerable talents had deserved the atmosphere was intense and Hagler and Hearns stared coldly at one another as referee Richard Steele was providing his pre-fight instructions when the action got underway there was an almost immediate explosion of fireworks Hagler was coming in to attack and Hearns clipped him with a good shot that ignited an incredible exchange that saw the hit man land a number of good right hands Hagler was hurt and he grabbed on to stop the assault when action resumed Byrnes tried to press his advantage and he fired off some hard shots from long range but then Hagrid swords didn't whoa like a bull and he tagged Hearns with a couple of really nice left hooks and then all hell broke loose Hearns then started pedaling away trying to keep the champion at long range but AG ler continued pressing forward looking to pounce angler eventually managed to get Hearns to end in the corner and he had no intentions of letting him out marvellous began firing away in tight quarters as the two boxers exchanged punches while maneuvering for position Hagler was doing a good job of smothering Tommy's punches but Hearns eventually was able to fight his way out of the corner and this led to another explosive exchange that saw both boxers swinging for the fences they fiercely battled it out until the bell sounded to end the terrific first round ern started boxing more to begin round two the Challenger was bouncing around and using movement to try to keep the action at a distance where he could fire off a long jab Hagler was stalking Hearns and pressing forward relentlessly but tommy was doing an excellent job boxing off the back foot and keeping Hagler at arm's length marvin was still finding the range to land some isolated shots but it Hearns was doing a good job using his jab and moving away but Hagler was eventually able to close the gap and when he did he did some very good work on the inside the trend of Hearns boxing from range and Hagler stalking continued in round 3 the referee briefly halted the action so a doctor could examine a cut on Hagler's eye and when action resumed the marvelous one had a renewed sense of urgency Hagler was fiercely charging after her and he nailed them with a big right hand that had Hearn stumbling around Tommie smiled it Marvin and Hagler went all out another big right said the Hitman can bring down and he was badly hurt Hearn slowly but bravely rose to his feet a referee Richard Steele didn't like what he saw and he called a halt of the contest it was officially a third round technical knockout for the champion Marvelous Marvin Hagler had just successfully defended the undisputed middleweight championship of the world on April 6 1987 WBC middleweight champion of the world Marvelous Marvin Hagler squared off against former two division world champion Sugar Ray Leonard it was a matchup boxing fans had long desired and debated theoretically for years and the highly anticipated showdown was finally happening Leonard was coming back from his second retirement having only fought once in the previous five years and Hagler was looking to make his thirteenth title defense which would leave him just one shy of the all-time record of 14 held by Carlos Monzon the fight started off tactically with Leonard dancing around and moving on the outside while Hagler was pressing forward in trying to close the distance Leonard was firing off some jabs and the occasional quick combo and he was doing a good job keeping away from Hagler Leonard was exhibiting good defense and to the surprise of many Hagler was fighting very conservatively in the early going and this seemed to be playing in Ray's favor Leonard was boxing very effectively and using some sneaky quick attacks whenever he found opening and this was keeping Hagler off-balance Hagler started fighting much more effectively during the middle rounds the marvelous one was doing a better job of cutting off the ring in closing the distance and he was able to pin Leonard up against the ropes more frequently Hagley was doing some of his very best work when he had Ray pinned but Leonard often fired back off the ropes with some good fast work of his own leonard started clinching more when Hagler was getting inside and leonard was fighting more flat-footed that he had been earlier this led to some more spirited but brief exchanges between the two Hagler did some excellent work and unleashed a vicious assault with rey pinned in the corner marvin was landing big hard clubbing shots that were thudding off of leonard everywhere Hagler continued peppering him and shopping away and he was landing some very hurtful blows leonard looked exhausted but somehow he managed to string together a nice fast flurry that enabled him to fight his way off the ropes this led to a barrage of back-and-forth action that included several many shifts in momentum the heart and determination of both combatants was on full display things were close and competitive in the later portions of the fight where each boxer was having his moments leonard was trying to keep Hagler in the center of the ring and Hagler was looking to close the distance to get an optimal punching range Leonard began showboating and taunting Hagler in the championship rounds and the fight fittingly ended with both fighters battling it out to the finish at the conclusion of round 12 both boxers optimistically raised their hands in triumph when the final verdict was announced leonard was awarded a split decision victory two of the judges scored the bout for wintered by scores of 118 to 110 and 115 to 113 the dissenting judge had about four Hagler 115 to 113 it was a closing competitive contest that resulted in one of the most highly debated decisions in boxing history and it still remains a matter of heated debate to this very day Sugar Ray Leonard had just become the new WBC middleweight champion of the world making him a three division champion in the process On June 12 1989 WBC super middleweight champion of the world Sugar Ray Leonard squared off against WBO super middleweight world champion Thomas Hearns the highly anticipated rematch took place almost eight years after their epic first encounter and three weight classes north of their initial meeting at welterweight early in the fight the two boxers had a customary feeling-out process and this was eerily similar to what we saw in the opening stages of their first back Leonard was up on his toes dancing around and hers was patiently stalking him Hearns once again took command early and controlled the action with a long accurate jab in the third round Leonard began having some more success with his own jab and he started opening up a little bit but then Tommy caught him with a big counter overhand right that rocked Leonard ray looks wobbly and Hearns patiently stride it in and he landed another short right hand that had Leonard down ray beat the count and Hearns was cool and methodical and his follow-up assaults fighting intelligently and keeping his composure Leonard persevered and appeared to have his legs back the two continued competitively battling it out and there were several shifts in momentum Leonard was come on strong in the early portions of the middle rounds and then hers we gained control during the later portions of the middle Rams but Leonard would turn the tides again many of the patterns that emerged in their first encounter were once again resurfacing here and Leonard started coming on strong in round 11 ferns look rejuvenated and he was jabbing and landing better than he had been in some time the hit man then unloaded a series of well-placed blooming right hands that sent Leonard down for the second time in the contest Leonard rose to his feet and he seemed to recover quickly the to resume trading away with some heated bursts of action but Leonard was doing the better work down the stretch and he finished the fight strong when the final verdict was announced the fight was ruled a draw one judge had it 113 to 112 for Hearns another had it 113 to 112 for Leonard and the third and final judge had it 112 apiece this was a controversial decision that most observers felt Hearns had deserved to win but officially it was declared a draw so Leonard and Hearns each kept their respective titles on December 7th 1989 WBC super-middleweight champion of the world Sugar Ray Leonard squared off against longtime rival informer for division world champion Roberto Duran it was kind of fitting that this rubber match which took place almost nine years after their second encounter was the final matchup among members of the Fab Four it all started with Leonard versus Duran to kick off the 1980s and it ultimately ended with Leonard versus Duran again to conclude the 19 unfortunately however the fight turned out to be disappointing at this point in time Leonard Duran were both far removed from their primes but Sugar Ray still had far more left in the tank at this point this resulted in a lackluster tactical affair where Leonard used good lateral movement to control the action and neutralized the ran throughout the 12 round context Leonard was awarded a lopsided unanimous decision victory where the official judges had it 120 to 110 119 to 109 and 116 to one 11 all in favor of the champion Sugar Ray Leonard had just successfully defended the WBC super-middleweight championship of the world Roberto durán Ray Leonard Thomas Hearns Marvin Hagler for Hall of Fame boxers four of the very best boxers in the long rich history of professional boxing and four of the greatest champions who competed during the talented rich 1980s fake belt boxing fans a great hand during the 1980s indeed boxing fans from the 80s were truly blessed [Music] you

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Views: 1,287,130

Rating: 4.8013859 out of 5

Keywords: Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns, Tommy Hearns, Ray Leonard, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Roberto Duran, Leonard, Hagler, Duran, Hearns, boxing, Fab 4, Leonard vs Hearns, Leonard vs Duran, Hagler vs Hearns, Hagler vs Leonard, Hagler vs Duran, Hearns vs Duran, Leonard vs Hearns II, Duran vs Leonard II, highlights, documentary, boxing documentary, 1980s, recap

Id: qs3jHrBpLaM

Length: 35min 55sec (2155 seconds)

Published: Fri May 05 2017