THE WAR TO END ALL WARS - Hagler vs Hearns 1985

You gotta love late night TV. Last night I was treated to something very special that should never be forgotten. ESPN Classic was discussing the greatest boxing match ever: The 1985 Thomas Hearns and Marvin Hagler fight. "The War" as it was called only went 3 rounds but provided more entertainment then any boxing or UFC match you will ever see these days.

This middleweight bout was an all out war as these two warriors went at each other from the first bell. There was even bad blood between these two before the fight even began as Hearns, who is 6'1 called the 5'9 Hagler a "midget". Hagler quickly responded by calling Hearns a "freak" and claiming he would be "a giant in the ring". After listening to Hearn's corner man on ESPN Classic, I got the feeling that Hagler (because he was southpaw) may have been a bad match up for Hearns who would finish his career 61-5. But that didn't stop Tommy from going toe to toe with the champ for 3 straight rounds in this thriller. If you like to watch jabs being thrown or if you like to watch a wrestling match then this fight isn't for you. Hearns and Hagler will go down in my book as the best 3 rounds of boxing of all-time.

5 Reason Why "The War" Was The Greatest Fight Of All-Time

1. Toughness
Hearns fights the whole fight with a broken hand.

2. Champions
This was the battle of 2 great champions. Hagler was 60-2-2 (50 KO), Hearns was 40-1 (33 KO) and both held belts.

3. Blood
In the 1st round, Hagler is bloodied from a cut on the forehead but forges on, knocking Hearns down. Hagler was bloodied so badly that the referee stopped the fight in the 3rd round so that the ring doctor could check his cut.

4. Short but Sweet
Earned Ring Magazine Honors for Fight of Year but lasted only 3 rounds (only 2 other fights that have won the honor have gone fewer rounds). The 1st round was one of the greatest rounds ever with over

5. Determination
Hearns is knocked down in the 3rd and somehow gets up at the count of 9 only to have the fight stopped by the referee.


JUDGE FOR YOURSELF