If the Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. welterweight showdown ever comes off, it will be measured against some of the classic fights in the division?s history. Such as:
Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Thomas ?Hit Man? Hearns, Sept. 16, 1981 at Las Vegas.
This is one of the most curious narratives in the history of championship bouts. For the first half of the fight, Hearns was the aggressor and Leonard was skillfully but constantly in retreat, usually avoiding punishment but not always. It almost looks like a mismatch.
In the middle of the bout, the roles changed. Leonard landed and suddenly became the aggressor, and a hurt and tired Hearns assumed full-retreat mode. And so it went until late in the 14th round, when the referee stopped the fight. Leonard prevailed, masterfully. Fascinating fight.
