Thomas Hearns Video Tributes and Highlight Clips

Boxing fans often want to see a fighter’s best moments again, and for Thomas Hearns this desire led the original fan site to add a video section. This page explains what that section was for and offers some guidance on watching classic footage.

Why a video section

According to the archived page, there was demand from visitors to relive highlights of his career in video form. The webmasters saw the addition as a benefit for anyone who enjoys the memorable moments of the “Hitman”. The focus was on the power of his right hand and the way it finished opponents.

The fan-made tribute

The section featured a roughly four-minute tribute to the multi-division champion, put together by a fan who went by the name “Iceveins”. The site also thanked another user, “GAMEatglovesup”, for creating the video embedded on the page. In other words, the clips were fan productions rather than official releases, and this site does not host or republish them.

What highlight reels usually show

A reel about a knockout puncher tends to focus on the finishing sequences, which can give a skewed view of a fight. Hearns’ record includes stoppages of Roberto Duran and Dennis Andries as well as hard-fought decisions against Wilfred Benitez and Virgil Hill, and losses to Ray Leonard, Marvelous Marvin Hagler and Iran Barkley. To get the full picture, it helps to watch complete bouts if they are available from legitimate sources, rather than relying on a compilation alone.

Tips for watching older fights

• Note the weight class and the title at stake, since these explain why a match mattered. The articles on weight divisions and world titles cover those terms.
• Look at footwork and distance, because a tall fighter’s reach is easier to appreciate over several rounds than in a single clip.
• Compare the pace of fights from the 1980s, when 15-round title bouts were common, with modern 12-round contests.
• Check the date of the fight against the career overview to see where it fits in the larger story.

Copyright rests with the people who filmed and produced the original broadcasts, so anyone wishing to watch should use official or licensed sources.