By: Sean Crose
Back in early 1985, the fighting world centered on the impending middleweight title fight between Marvelous Marvin Hagler and Thomas “The Hitman” Hearns. Hagler is the world’s long-standing middleweight champion, a skill set of grit, walking, speech and strength. Listen without introduction. The tall, skinny boxer not only turns off the lights, but can also intercept quite effectively, a fact that “Sugar” Ray Leonard almost realized too late in their legendary 1981 fight. Make no mistake about it, Hagler-Hearns has been shaped to be a major fight worthy of its hype.
One of the footnotes in the Hagler-Hearns lead was the fact both boxers had previously fought the great Roberto Duran. Hagler had a tough win over the Panamanian, while Hearns knocked Duran out in one of the greatest knockouts in history. Was it a butt on Hagler that he couldn’t bring down the one Hearns had? That seems to be implied from some angles. However, Hagler dispelled that implication with a stunning third-round win over Hearns the following spring.
In the spirit of “the old comes the new”, some were quick to point out that Keith Thurman’s inability to take out Mario Barrios this past weekend pales in comparison to Gervonta Davis’s 11th round destruction of Barrios. in June of last year. To say that Davis being stopped against Barrios makes Davis a better boxer than Thurman, however, is ridiculous. Thurman is open to all kinds of criticism these days, and for a variety of reasons – some his fault, others not. It wasn’t that long ago, though, that the heavyweight boxer known as “One Time” was one of the more popular fighters in the sport. That may no longer be the case (but I would argue that Thurman is still a “must see” attraction).
Injured. Long time no fight. Such things will affect one’s reputation. On top of that, Thurman seemed less interested than in years before facing Errol Spence. Add in the nasty warning that fans had to pay to watch Thurman battle the less popular Barrios on Saturday and it’s no surprise that outrage has flared. If Thurman somehow looked like a force of nature against Barrios, as he did before the war, things might have been better for him now. Yet Thurman, despite his best efforts, could not keep Barrios’s distance.
Hence the latest criticism. The truth is that Thurman looked fine on Saturday. Unduly? Sure. But good. Very good. Whether he is good enough to beat Spence or Terence Crawford remains to be seen, as is the question of whether Thurman’s best days are behind him. He’s always had his weak points in the ring (body shots inevitably hit him), but Thurman’s determination, fitness, and strength often make up for it. As long as he’s kept busy and battling tough opponents, Thurman should be back in the fan’s favor in due time.
