YouTube Gold: Hagler vs. Hearns

On April 15th, 1985, the late Marvelous Marvin Hagler (that was his legal name) and Thomas “Hit Man” Hearns climbed into a ring in Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas little knowing they’d have a fight that many regard as the greatest boxing match of all time.

Most fights start slow as the boxers feel each other out. Not this one.

Hagler and Hearns launched into each other almost immediately. Hearns, who was taller, used his range to damage Hagler but Hagler was the superior boxer. He switched stances more than once during this fight and forced Hearns to defend both a right-handed and left-handed approach.

The intensity level was just incredible. Both of these fighters had an incredible will to compete and neither was going to give up.

But in the third, Hagler took over and towards the end, for whatever reason, Hearns turned his back. When he looked back, he saw Hagler’s fist coming at him.

He went down and couldn't continue and Hagler was declared the winner. It was short, extraordinarily aggressive on both sides and set a standard that almost no one has approached in the 38 years since.