BOXING'S FOUR KINGS - Part Two: JEFF POWELL MBE on the most brutal fight of all time as Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns went to war

This Saturday night in Riyadh, the new boxing capital of the world, a fight is taking place which promises to rekindle the golden age of the ring.

The 1980s when Four Kings got on with fighting each other - and the best of the rest - rather than protecting their records by beating up no-hopers.

The decade in which Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran, Thomas Hearns and Marvin Hagler revived the glory of the hardest game from the anti-climactic depression which followed Muhammad Ali’s heavyweight epoch by engaging in nine epic battles between them to decide who was the greatest of their era.

The nostalgia reflex is being triggered by the imminent clash between two undefeated Russian titans for the undisputed world light-heavyweight title. 

Namely Artur Beterbiev, who carries with pride a perfect record of 20 knockouts in his 20 fights, and the also undefeated Dmitry Bivol, who brings with him to the Arabian desert the distinction of having recently defeated Mexican legend Canelo Alvarez while boxing his way to 23 victories.

The expectations are high but these two Russians have a great deal to live up to when compared with the momentous wars of the Kings, the four most historically significant of which we are retelling now, in chronological sequence, not order of merit. 

On Wednesday, we brought you the night that Sugar Ray Leonard took down Roberto Duran, and on Thursday is the fight billed by many as the most brutal ever seen in a ring...

FIGHT TWO

April 15, 1985 - Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, USA

Marvin Hagler v Thomas Hearns

Undisputed World Middleweight Championship

It was billed in advance as The War between two of the mightiest punchers in middleweight history.

It was hailed as one of the greatest fights of all time as soon it came to its blood-soaked conclusion, then recognised beyond argument as The Fight of 1985. Despite its brevity.

It has been proclaimed throughout the decades since as the most phenomenal three rounds ever in the annals of the ring, with the first of those enshrined in perpetuity as the greatest three minutes of all time.

Marvellous Marvin versus Hitman Hearns would be headlined in Boxing News as Eight Minutes of Mayhem. Had it gone much longer, Agatha Christie might have entitled it Death in the Desert.

For the millions watching around the world, here was electrifying proof that in this particular golden age of boxing, none of its Four Kings gave so much as one second’s thought to ducking each other.

Hagler, who had been avoided by some preceding champions for almost five years, would have mortified himself had he done so. Especially given that he had vented all that frustration on the night of September 27, 1980 in London when he won the middleweight crown by giving our own Alan Minter such a battering – over three rounds as it happened – that the Wembley Arena crowd erupted into an infamous mass brawl, littered by bottles hurled into the ring.

For five years Hagler swept aside all comers, fellow ‘King’ Roberto Duran among them. Then along came Hearns, a two-division world champion now stepping up from light middleweight to challenge the most fearsome middleweight of their era. And still knocking out almost everyone en route to their epic night on the Vegas Strip.

Hagler saw the threat coming. Although notoriously a slow starter, he came bulling out of his corner from the opening bell to land the first few of what would be almost too many brutal blows to count.

In so doing he left himself open to a massive right-hander from Hearns, which buckled him at the knees and left him clinching to survive. The slug-fest was on, not to abate until its dramatic ending. Toe-to-toe punching in which Hearns broke his right hand and Hagler suffered an horrific gash to the forehead.

Two judges, one of whom was Britain’s renowned Harry Gibbs, gave the first round to Hagler. The other marked it for Hearns. It should probably have been scored even but indecisive judging was frowned upon even more back then that it is today.

Emanuel Steward, the master trainer of Hearns among many champions in his fabled Kronk gym in Detroit including Lennox Lewis and Vladimir Klitschko, was concerned by what might happen after such a ferocious opening round. To his anger he had discovered that his Hitman had called for a massage before the fight. Steward feared that might sap some of his strength.

So it appeared with Hearns wobbling as he kept throwing punches in, while trying to evade another Hagler onslaught. Sugar Ray Leonard, commentating for television from ringside, said: ‘I don’t like the way Tommy’s moving – on rubbery legs.’

Again, two to one in favour of Hagler. Hearns ended that punishing second round on the ropes under another barrage of right hands and would admit later: ‘My legs were gone. Weak even before the fight.’

Still the Hitman came out for the third seeking a knockout, and one thumping right deepened the slit on Hagler’s forehead into a gaping wound. As the flow of blood became a torrent, referee Richard Steele called a physician to examine the damage and was told: ‘It’s not bothering his sight. Let him go on.’

Hagler, fearful he might yet be stopped on cuts, went into full attack mode. A huge left stunned Hearns, backing him against the ropes. Hagler kept him there with a fusillade of rights ending with two monstrous uppercuts which pitched him onto the canvas, face first. Leonard shouted: ‘He’s gone. Gone.’

As good as, but not quite. Hearns the heroic somehow lurched to his feet at the count of nine but Steele, who was holding him upright, had no option but to call a merciful halt. Barely conscious, Hearns was helped to his corner. 

Even as Hagler was carried shoulder high around the ring in tribute to the most marvellous of all his victories, his blood was splattering all those around him and some at ringside, then oozing onto his fellow gladiator as he went to the opposite corner to check on Hearns’ condition. For both, there were more memorable wars to come.