Transcription
Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvelous Marvin Haggler, Thomas "Hitman" Hearns, and the hands of stone, Roberto Duran—these men ruled the ring during the last golden age of boxing. They rose from poverty and obscurity to become legends. They left their marks on history and on each other. Their styles and their personalities were diverse, but each man would come to know the others well as they fought for the prize of being the greatest of an era.
Duran grew up in poverty in a desperately poor slum in Panama. He was kicked out of school in the fourth grade when he tried to beat up his male teacher and then kiss the female replacement. Left to fend for himself on the streets, shining shoes and selling newspapers, young Duran often had to defend his corner against older boys. For him, fighting was not a sport but a necessary tool for survival.
Perhaps due to this deep familiarity with violence, Duran would become known for his brutality and ferocity in the ring. But far from a mindless brawler, Duran became a technical master at close-range fighting. He used precision adjustments to find and create small openings to attack. His victories came through precision adjustments of mere inches. Especially impressive was his ability to get inside his opponent's guard without taking any damage himself.
In the beginning, Duran made very little money for his fights, but after yet another dominant victory, he was approached by local millionaire Carlos Alita. Duran had met Alita five years earlier when Alita had caught him climbing his trees to sell coconuts off of his estate. Now, with their reacquaintance, Duran had proper management and went on to dominate his division, knocking out his opponents in the first round in his first seven fights. He ended his career as a four-weight world champion.
As a teenager, Haggler had been beaten up at a party in front of his friends by a local boxer. The very next day, he entered the Petrali Brothers gym. The owner there told him how difficult boxing would be and the sacrifices it would entail, and then asked him if he still had his heart set on it. Haggler replied, "Yeah, and one day I'm going to be champion of the world." Haggler would eventually fight the boxer who beat him up at the party and returned the favor, taking his then-perfect record.
Initially, Haggler had a tough time finding opponents, as nobody wanted to fight a southpaw. This led to him changing to an orthodox stance before changing back to boxing southpaw again. By a happy accident, Haggler had gained the versatility of a multi-stanced fighter, something which would help him greatly during the course of his career. Haggler had incredible power and a near indestructible chin. He reigned as the undisputed middleweight champion from 1980 to 1987, making 12 defenses of that title.
As a child, Thomas Hearns found himself in the rare situation of being the tallest kid in his class, yet also constantly bullied. Always skinny, all of his calories seemed to go to his height, and Hearns' potential as a fighter didn't seem especially promising at first. But after he stopped growing and put on some muscle, Hearns began to dominate every opponent he fought. In fact, Hearns' slender build and height would eventually allow him to win five belts in different weight divisions.
By far, Hearns' most impressive feature was his incredible one-punch knockout power. Hearns perfected this staple boxing combination and used it as the backbone of his strategy. His jab, by itself, was an incredibly well-developed tool, which he used to block his opponent's vision, measure distance, and stay at long range. His cross was frankly terrifying, and he threw it in a manner similar to the great Joe Louis. Every one of Hearns' fights against the other three kings of boxing turned out to be an instant classic.
Leonard's gym at the Palmer Park Rec Center didn't have a ring. The students instead sparred on a basketball court with tape marking the boundaries, and they had to stop practice every time someone wanted to play basketball. The hard surface of the ground made them acutely aware of the need for balance and especially reluctant to get knocked down. These were attributes that Sugar Ray would keep with him throughout his career.
Leonard took inspiration for his style from Sugar Ray Robinson and Muhammad Ali. He used fast, fluid motion and complex footwork to outmaneuver and confuse his opponents. His hand speed was second to none, and he had the heart to fight through to victory even when in deep waters. After winning a gold medal for America at the Olympics, Leonard declared that his boxing days were over and looked forward to collecting a long list of promised endorsements. However, when it came out that he had had a child out of wedlock with his longtime girlfriend, the media portrayed him as a deadbeat dad. His endorsements dropped, and Leonard decided to turn pro. It turned out to be an excellent decision; Leonard would end his career as a world champion in five weight classes.
All four of these exceptional fighters would face each other in the ring. In another era, any one of them could have dominated several weight divisions for years, but in the last golden age of boxing, each man would form deep rivalries and take each other to the limits of their talent, stamina, and willpower.
Let everyone know which of these fighters you'd like to see broken down first in the comment section. A good deal of the information for this video came from the fascinating book "Four Kings." It's a great read, and I've left a link below if you'd like to check it out.
This has been David Christian from the Modern Martial Artist, wishing you happy training.