This era in boxing will never be repeated because the best fought the best

The best, highest skilled, most strategic, display of heart and bravery I've ever seen. This is the standard. I measure all other fights and fighters against this one and these fighters.

I was a senior in high school when they fought and 40 years later and this is still one of the greatest fights ever. Blessings to both of these great fighters.🥊🥊🥊🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾

It took me at least 6 months after the fight to believe that it really happened!!!! I saw many of Thomas Hearns' fights live here in Detroit and NO WAY does he not KO Ray Leonard within 3 rounds. But SUGAR put it on him. However, Thomas Hearns is still my favorite behind ALI. AND SUGAR RAY was absolutely incredible!!! Three cheers to both men.

3 of the greatest of all times. Ray, Howard and the hit man. This era man…

I was a big ray Leonard fan back in the day but I meet Tommy Hearns a few years back in Las Vegas at planet Hollywood, The nicest humblest man ever , a true champion!!!

These were 2 young warriors that simply weren't going to lose. Hearns at 6'-1 1/2" and weighing only 145 lbs. I had forgotten how these guys could punch each other and still remain on their feet. Sugar Ray earlier had underestimated Duran and Hearns coming in knowing he could knock anyone out made this match the most anticipated for me. If this fight was happening today, Crawford vs Spence would be on the undercard.

From the first round you know its a masterpiece

Man this was the Golden Age and the time to be alive.Music was good, And Competitive sports da 80s was the best!!!

I've been catching up on all these old Welterweight and Middleweight fights from the 80's. You know, Duran, Leonard, Hearns and my favorite, MMH. I swear these guys fought the best fights.

Awesome!!Hearing Howard Cosell and seeing all those celebrities in the crowd..this showdown was one of the most anticipated fights in all of boxing!We don't have this anymore..but there was a time when it was magic

Ray was (is) a gentleman, well spoken and a pretty boy. But nobody ever doubted his raw toughness inside that ring. He faced them all and beat them all. One of the best.

That fight was epic. A classic. Glory days of boxing. The sweet science. 🥊🥊🥊🥊

THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH!!!I've been waiting for years for this version with Howard Cosell

I've seen several interviews with Hearns. Each one, he was very humble and just came across as a very down to earth guy. Much respect to him.

This fight gives me such a great memory I remember my dad ordered it via OnTV we had about 20 plus people over the house and only me, one of my older sisters, my mom and a older male cousin was rooting for Sugar Ray Leonard, great fond memories!!❤️

Whether you loved or hated Cosell.. he definitely was a must watch

The real winner of this one was the fans. What a fight these 2 all time greats gave us. This is one of the greatest welterweight fights ever.

I saw this with my dad many years ago! Great fighters, great fight, and narrated by Howard Cosell! Doesn’t get any better than this!

Fantastic fight. I have utmost respect for referee Davey Pearl casually stepping in to pull a clinching arm away while those two are whaling away. That is a man who has confidence.

Mad respect, Hitman

Greatest comeback I’ve ever seen in boxing

Two masters, switching up styles, both fights between these two... AMAZING

I watched this fight live and is one of favourite fights of all time

I picked Lenard by a KNOCKOUT!!!! Watched it on closed curcuit at Madison square Garden...it was packed!!! Most people picked Hearns, and they gave me CRAZY ODDS .I made 10 grand off this fight!!!

ive watched this hundreds of times. Had to make sure I had the one with Howard doing the call. This was a huge friggin' fight...all time great as well.

After watching the f-bombs go back and forth between fighters today what two class acts these guys are and how far we have fallen in sportsmanship. There are still a few good guys out there but most of the other fighters out there have no control over their mouth. Also two of the all-time greats who would destroy today's so-called greats

🥊Good People Hello What Up On God Every Time I Watch This Fight I Tell Myself What A Great, Outstanding Fight Between These 2 Great Boxing Legends. Much Respect To Sugar Ray Leonard & Thomas ‘Hitman’ Hearns, I love It Yes I’m Still Watching This Classic In 2020🥊

Incredible... What a legend Sugar Ray Leonard was. Max respect for Tommy Hearns too. What a fight..!...

Watching SRL is like watching a welterweight version of Ali.

Met Tommy about 30 years ago. He was a nice guy to chat with. He was pure muscle from head to toe---amazing. That's all. The stoppage of the fight was a good call by the ref. Tommy was on his feet, but he wasn't fighting back. He was taking a beating. He was totally defensive and unable to fight back. His best hope was to survive until the end of the round and try one final time to pull it out in the 15th. Ray was wearing him down, and there's no purpose in risking a fighter's life when you can save him from unnecessary punishment.

Best NO.1 match👍 in boxing history

What a incredible fight by two fantastic fighters and two real gentlemen

This is my favorite fight of all time. I was in the company of about 15 friends in the Hartford Civic Center. Not only is Sugar Ray Leonard my favorite fighter of all time, but I was the only one of the 15 that believed he was going to win. It was unreal to actually predict how it was going to unfold, but in fact I did...sort of. I believed that the key to the fight was going to be Leonard figuring out a way to get inside/underneath Hearns' reach. And it took him until the 6th round, but Leonard being the smartest boxer was studying Hearns for the first 5 rounds. He didn't give any rounds away. He was just watching and waiting to spring. The fight for all intents and purposes was over at the end of Round 7.

Never seen this one before with Cosell on the call. Good job

When two welterweight champions put their belts on the line, weren't afraid to do it, and fought, unlike the two, who are considered the best in that division in 2023 are willing to do now. Leonard, and Hearns, here, were in their early 20s. Spence and Crawford, are in their mid 30s. What a shame.

this sugar ray was his apex moment... this leonard is the one guy who may have been able to take prime robinson.... such a great complete fighter.

Great Era of Boxing these guys didn't duck each other and fought each in their prime, unlike today 😉

Appreciated this post. 👏 Tommy was fun to watch. 2 classy guys and Howard. I watched the original broadcast. Good stuff.

I paid $15 to watch this at a closed-circuit venue in Canada. That was a bargain!

Boxing is still the greatest but there older fights show what it could be. Lets get back to glory!!

Certainly one of if not best fights ever.

Hearns ran out of gas, But this was a great comeback by Sugar Ray Leonord. This was a great fight. Classic

Thanks for this post! Grateful for KZfaq!

These were the greatest boxers of the past. They showed the mental strength that poses.

Leonard's plan was simple. He got Hearns to punch him self out. Leonard was willing to take every punch Hearns can give him and in the end he tried out Hearns and went in the kill! That was so cleaver!

that left hook at the body made hearns start to fear leonard

Tommy Hearns never fought a boring fight.....Kill or be killed, that dude was a warrior, with axe handles for fists...... Leonard had the heart of a lion. Pretty much was outclassed in this one and still pulled it out late.

Ray&Thomas what a great fight like Ali & Frasier another Fight of The Century.Ray had more stamina,clever boxer.

Nobody called the fights better than Howard Cosell and he did them alone 😉

52:20 Howard Cosell shouting at age 63 🔥🔥

I seen this on closed circuit TV on the big screen at the Flint IMA. Great fight .

Géants de la boxe ,de vrais artistes ,au fair-play grandiose ,merci de nous avoir donné tout ce grand plaisir pugilistique!

My brother and I were boxing fans after we joined the local gym. We would buy the latest boxing magazines, KO and/or the Ring. They couldn`t come out fast enough. Thomas Hearns was my favorite fighter at the time and I marveled at his skill sets. I thought Hearns would knock out Leonard. I remember going into my room and the radio allowed me to listen to the fight. I was so happy when Hearns took the early rounds and thought another victory for the Hitman. I was shocked when Leonard stopped Hearns.

Finest moment of my favorite boxer ever

2 men in their prime, putting their reputations on the line and providing an all time classic fight.

Priceless!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

When men fought 15 rounds!

RIGHT THERE!!- Howard cosell

Old celebrities in the crowd. 😂 Sugar and the Hitman. Supreme class and phenomenal skill by both American gentlemen.

Grandissimi campioni!Ora non ce ne sono più di quel livello.Grazie,bellissimo video ❤️

I remember watching this fight with my dad. Back in the 70's and 80's when boxing was boxing you felt the excitement and me being a young kid I would actually be nervous before these fights. The show these two great warriors put on that afternoon was indeed phenomenal. I believe Tommy missed the opportunity on winning this fight, however. I say this because he almost had Leonard's eye swollen shut. The only strategy Tommy needed for the rest of the fight was to keep pumping that stinging jab into that left eye. If he had followed that plan. he no doubt had this fight won. But hey, shoulda, coulda, woulda! Still one of the great fights of all time,

When SR let those hands go....damn. Unbelievable

I like how Cosell would have the Fighters come Together and Talk about the Fight. Dont Really See that Anymore... 🥊🥊🛐🛐💯💯

The greatest era of boxing

I wish they did such diagnostics on big fights nowadays with both fighters explaining their thoughts.

This is one of the best boxing match. I've ever seen. This fight broke my heart because these 2 were my 2favorite boxers. Sugar. Ray will always be my favorite boxer of all times. I love boxing and will always love the sport but to me the 80s will always be the best for boxing. One can never compare modern day boxing to those days. No ways. To me now it's all about the money and not real boxing talent.

The biggest and greatest Titans of all time in boxing 👏 everyone had underestimated Sugar Ray's power and the boxing world 🌎 owes everything to these two underpaid GIANTS who have pioneered the way for those who have cashed in 💰 🤑 💸 💲 🪙 These two we're the classiest most dominant pure fighter's of all time with such amazing stamina and perfection and study of boxing opponents and style in the sport. Along with analysis and commentary that will never be duplicated. I thank God that I was alive and privileged to witness TRUE GREATNESS 👍 in all of sport's Ali played his part but these two warriors along with Roberto Duran and Marvelous Marvin Hagler and Aaron Pryor and the great Alexus Arguello paved the way for the sport of boxing to placed an everlasting dominant mark in sportsmanship

Just happened to watch this then did a Wiki on both fighters. Happens to be Sugar Rays birthday today. 64 years old. Man does time fly.

You told me on camera you will never fight Duran again - Cosell

Back in the day. So many memories.

Sugar Ray leonard el mejor boxeador de esos tiempos lo máximo

Thanks for the upload coach I had this version on VHS

Miss these times :( So simple back then. Watching Wide World of Sports on a lazy Saturday with your clicker remote tv and falling asleep :) No smart phones, no computers, just your rotary dial phone on the wall and a big ol' phone book :)

The "you're blowin it, son" fight.

It breaks my heart to see Tommy lose this one.

As aired on ABC's Wide World of Sports on October 17, 1981 (Leonard-Hearns I).

A lot of things came out of this fight: 1) SRL proved himself to be a very tough guy he was in trouble with his eye but he came back and pounded Hearns into submission. 2) Hearns' chin made its weak presence known as did his spindly colt-like legs! A great part of boxing history when pro boxing was actually treated like a BIG deal.

That was the right call, from two great fighters, sugar Ray.

I didn`t know Lou Duva was in Hearns corner. I can see him leading everyone to the ring in the beginning.

Both Hearns and Hagler were tight when they started off with Leonard in the early rounds

Leonard s hand speed is unmatched

Ray came out of the corner in the 12th round like a shark, looking for that huge right hand and nothing else. And he was good enough to get it

When this fight happened , I remember betting my dad if SugarRay won I went get to use the badass cordova he had.... Down central we went.. way to go SugarRay😎🤘😘

Great fight I was In the 7th grade, Sugar waited Tommy out and just accosted him.

The thing I always remember about this fight were the shots that hurt Hearns. They were all winging shots -- similar to the punch that destroyed Hearns in the first Barkley fight. Its as if Hearns had a problem anticipating punches that came from low angles or were unorthodox. The first left that hurt him in the sixth round came almost from Leonard's hip, and the right hand that started his downfall in the 13th was an unusual roundhouse punch that you didn't usually see Leonard throw.

Que inteligente Leonard le pelio hasta cansarlo y ganarle al final....para eso se necesita muchas condiciones físicas.

I saw this on closed-circuit TV live. I had Hearns winning like 9 rounds before it was stopped. Believe me, there were a lot of people in the crowd that thought that was a premature stoppage.

This was one of the life or death fights for Sugar Ray Leonard,the other one was his fight with Roberto Duran ‘The Brawl In Montreal’ which he lost.His fight with Marvelous Marvin Hagler was another tough fight.

Classic fight, classic call and three legend's, I really miss them day's

I was 18 on this classic night 39 years ago today 🌈. Tommy got The Sports ill jinx as he was on the cover a week before....it said “ better pray Sugar Ray “ ⭐️

El sucesor de Ali, Sugar Ray! Saludos desde Argentina!

SRL had that killer instinct

These were proper fights.

Happy 2020!

Great fight

My two heroes forever! ❤❤️

When boxing was BOXING

Tommy always looked like death warmed over as a welterweight. How he lasted as long as he did was just amazing. He took it took it to Leonard in their rematch at 168 lbs. though. A weight class he should have never been below.

Cosell kept talking about Leonard early on, but Hearns had landed the better shots.