The Four Kings – How they match up…

20-30 years after the group who captivated the sporting world laced up their gloves, the debate still goes on about who the best out of the fabulous four.

Despite knowing it will not settle the debate, I don’t think it ever could be, BoxingGuru has decided to put together a scoring system that ranks Roberto Duran, Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns, Ray Leonard, and against attributes any boxer needs to become as legendary as them.

The points are out of 10, if maximum points were awarded to one of the ‘fab four’ members, it would not mean they were merely the best in their group with that respective attribute, but the best in the world.

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The scores are given with impartiality and we have used evidence and research with every point we award to each:

Jab:

• Duran- 8
• Hagler- 9
• Hearns- 9
• Leonard- 7

Hearns and Hagler scored 9 each as they used this shot to great effect whilst boxing. ‘Marvelous’ Marvin would use his measuring stick to close the distance and find angles for shots to follow up with while ‘Hitman’ Hearns used it regularly to establish his superior reach advantage, as well as use it to distract opponents from the devastating right hand that would come afterwards.

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Chin:

• Duran- 8
• Hagler- 9
• Hearns- 7
• Leonard- 8

Many believe Hearns to have a glass chin which is a common misconception. The reality is the fighters he fought who handed him losses via KO/TKO were downright ferocious, powerful punchers. Hagler’s granite chin is renowned and historic, evident in his career-defining fight with the ‘Motor City Cobra’ where he ate right hands as if they were sweet treats.

It is worth noting the pair who scored 8 were so defensively sound that it was a rarity they were caught flush with a shot thus had their chin tested. Duran’s chin does not get downgraded with his KO loss to Hearns as that was the hardest right hand which would even threaten the consciousness of the most durable of pugilists.

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Defence:

• Duran- 9
• Hagler- 9
• Hearns- 7
• Leonard- 10

The first 10/10 attribute in this rank goes to Bleacher Report’s fifth-best defensive fighter in the sport’s history. Leonard had everything in this department, foot feints, timing, punch awareness.

Bobbing and weaving out of some of the hardest hands the sport had to offer in the ’80s cemented his defence as nothing less than remarkable. Hagler’s score may be an eyebrow-raiser but his offence overshadowed his great defensive work back in the day. Like Duran, the New-Jersey born boxer coupled his impressive head movement on the inside with good footwork that allowed him to circle his way out of trouble. Footwork was the pinnacle of Hearns’ defence though, with not much to offer than a weak guard and some straight shots when backed up under pressure.

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Heart:

• Duran- 8
• Hagler- 7
• Hearns- 8
• Leonard- 9

‘Hands of Stone’ would have matched ‘Sugar Ray’ in scores if it wasn’t for the reputation-bludgeoning ‘No Mas’ fight. Leonard’s comeback in the Hearns fight gave us a glimpse into the heart that willed into existence comeback title fights after multiple retirements, the most successful one coming against Hagler to take his beloved middleweight title away. Speaking of the 72kg King, he scores the lowest as this is the only weight he comfortably competed at.

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Stamina:

• Duran- 10
• Hagler- 9
• Hearns- 8
• Leonard- 9

Despite comparing them, all 4 fighters’ conditioning should be appreciated as they were the top athletes of their time. Two-thirds of their combined fights with one another went the distance proving they can still perform at a top-level and put on a show in deep waters.

Some were better at it than others though, The Panamanian legend’s infighting style required tremendous stamina which he had in abundance, starting and finishing 15 rounds at a literal breath-taking pace. The pair scoring 9 had great endurance, as did Hearns but he lacked it later on in fights as his power punches would take a toll on his stamina.

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IQ:

• Duran- 9
• Hagler- 8
• Hearns- 8
• Leonard- 10

The Sugar Ray show continues with another 10 as he encapsulated what it meant to have boxing IQ. Outside of his footwork and feinting which the other three were also skilled in, Leonard adjusted well to his opponents’ style as a fight progressed. In addition to this, his knowledge of when to conserve and exert energy is what saw him ‘steal rounds’ and win significant matches. Duran’s inside intelligence of how long to stay in the pocket is what puts him in a solid second place here.

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Resume & Record:

• Duran- 9
• Hagler-9
• Hearns- 8
• Leonard- 9

Although this may look unfair to Hearns, he scores an 8 due to losing his biggest fights and having the least signature wins out of the group. In addition, all but one of his five losses come by way of KO/TKO. In his defence, his win against Virgil Hill should be more rejoiced than it is when reviewing the ‘Hitman’s’ career.

The rest of the group cement a 9, Duran beat a prime Leonard and boasted a 71-1 record before that fight, Hagler cleaned out the Middleweight division and fought the Philadelphians when they were at their most dangerous and Leonard fought extremely tough talents outside of this group with the most signature wins inside a short number of fights.

Showmanship:

• Duran-9
• Hagler- 8
• Hearns- 8
• Leonard- 10

Duran’s entertainment inside and outside of the ring has built him a huge, loyal fanbase to this day. His fan-friendly style that the casual watcher would perceive as brawling gained him lots of followers. He is also labelled a God in his home nation of Panama due to being a representative of his people in front of thousands as well as helping with crisis in the country.

When you discuss a showman though, no boxer is as flashy as Leonard. This attitude is a theory of what spurred Duran on to utter the words ‘No Mas’ as ‘Sugar’ would taunt even the most respectable of opponents. Not to mention, winning a gold medal for his country gave him the status of a golden child in the American media.

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Speed:

• Duran- 9
• Hagler- 7
• Hearns- 9
• Leonard- 10

Another maximum amount of points awarded to Leonard for his attributes. Many believe him to be the most skilful of the four and reviewing his points with these attributes that viewpoint might just ring true. He is ranked first in Bleacher Report’s ’15 fastest boxers of all-time list’ and it is hard to argue with it when watching his performances.

Some deem this to be the Wilmington native’s best attribute but also believe it to be ‘Marvelous’ Marvin’s worst. Those people include me. Although he could get off short hooks on the inside or ranged jabs on the outside, Hagler never had the speed to go with these punches. Hearns did though as did Duran which made them a couple of the best offensive fighters in the sport’s history.

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Power:

• Duran- 9
• Hagler- 9
• Hearns- 10
• Leonard- 8

The Hitman’s first 10 and nobody is more deserving than him with this attribute, he looked like a man amongst boys when using his power in the welterweight division and was able to carry it with him four divisions higher. To say Hagler and ‘Hands of Stone’ also punched with conviction would be an understatement as they have incredible knockout reels that exemplify how hard they hit. The usually-high-scoring Leonard ranks lower with this skill as it was one of the few things he didn’t excel in.

Further Decisive Factors:

Leaving the points tally for each boxer here would still be a poor reflection into the illustrious career each of them had, therefore we have added further decisive factors that warrant extra points.

Each factor is scored out of 5.

Title Reign:

• Duran- 4
• Hagler- 5
• Hearns- 1
• Leonard- 1

Hagler finally receives maximum points and deservedly so as he is the second longest-reigning undisputed champion in the history of boxing. He held the middleweight belts for 7 years with twelve defences and 11 knockouts. The man who he went the distance with is none other than Duran who possesses an identical title record at lightweight was the champion for six and a half years, only losing a point through his short-lived undisputed reign that lasted for a year. Hearns and Leonard’s pursuit of moving through various weight classes meant neither man solidified themselves as long-lasting champions of any division, unlike the former pair.

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Weight Divisions:

• Duran-4
• Hagler- 1
• Hearns- 5
• Leonard- 5

This aforementioned pursuit pays dividends in this category as the ‘Motor City Cobra’ became the first champion to win a world belt in five different weight classes with Leonard soon following the feat. The legendary lightweight also traversed through the divisions, retiring as a quadruple champion. Hagler never went outside the realms of 160lbs during his 14-year career though therefore scores himself one point for the division he triumphed in.

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Head-to-head:

• Duran- 1
• Hagler- 2
• Hearns- 1
• Leonard- 3

The last factor is one most use to separate the four, however, it deserves more detail than looking at the records and realising Leonard beat everyone. Indeed he did thus earns 3/5 points and not top marks due to his first fight against one ‘fab four’ member resulting in a loss at the hands of Duran as well as an unconvincing win against Hagler that people still dispute the result of to this day. Thanks to being a game champion and carving out one of the closest fights in boxing, Hagler scores 2 points here as the fight, and win against Hearns is the best out of the nine fights the group had and arguably the best in boxing. The other two greats dismally score 1 point apiece as they only had 1 yet emphatic win during this competitive time.

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Score Totals:

To determine the rank of each pugilist and edge our opinion into the discussion, the total score of each pugilist tells you how we see the list from best to worst out of the fabulous four.

Ray Leonard- 99 points

Roberto Duran- 97 points

Marvin Hagler- 93 points

Thomas Hearns- 89 points

This will always be up for debate but this scoring system at least provides calculated reasoning as to how they match up!