Tommy Hearns is viewed as one of the greatest boxers of the last 50 years.
‘The Hitman’ was the first boxer in history to win world titles in five separate divisions, having claimed honours at welterweight, super welterweight, middleweight, super-middleweight and light heavyweight.
He was one of the ‘Four Kings’ alongside Roberto Duran, Sugar Ray Leonard and Marvin Hagler, with the quartet each involved in some epic clashes with one another throughout the 1980s.
One of those famous meetings came in 1989, when Hearns and Leonard met in a rematch after Leonard had won their first bout by 14th round stoppage. The second encounter went the full 12 rounds, with Hearns dropping his rival twice throughout.
Most in attendance felt that ‘The Hitman’ had done enough to win, but in the end it was controversially ruled as a split decision draw, and Hearns once told the Express and Star how he still feels robbed of the win to this day.
“I felt crushed, I knew I should have won and they took it away from me. When they called it a draw, I was like ‘man, what fight were you all looking at?’
“I had always agreed Ray won the first fight fair and square and, to be fair to him, we talked and he agreed I won the second time. I consider us 1-1.
“It was a personal thing and that meant a lot, because I had been robbed. We were friends, so I respected his opinion. “He was not only a great fighter but a great man, too. I really wanted us to settle the score for a third time, but it wasn’t to be.”
Having shared the ring with each of Leonard, Duran and Hagler, Hearns also once revealed which of those three legends hits the hardest.