On April 15th 1985 “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler met Thomas “The Hitman” Hearns in a middleweight boxing match at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada. At the time, the bout was billed simply as “The Fight” it almost instantly afterwards became known as “The War”

Coming into the fight Marvin Hagler, with a record of 60-2-2 (50 KOs), was the undisputed Middleweight Champion having held the title since 1980. The fight was  his 11th title defense for the hard-hitting champion with all but one of the previous 10 fights ending in a knockout. Hagler was renowned for his power, durability and conditioning; only once in his career was he officially knocked-down. Tommy Hearns started his career as a welterweight before eventually moving up to middleweight.  He held a record of 40-1 (34 KOs), and was considered one of the hardest punchers of any weight division in the history of boxing. His sole loss coming into the fight was a 14th Round technical knockout at the hands of Sugar Ray Leonard in 1981. Both fighters were at the top of their game trying to cement their respective legacies. At the Tale of the Tape: Fighting out of the Blue Corner “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler from Brockton, Massachusetts USA at the age of 30 years and 10 months stood 5’9” with reach of 75” and a weight of 159 and 1/4 lbs; while in the Red Corner Tommy “The Hitman” Hearns of Detroit, Michigan USA was 26 years and 5 months standing 6’1” with a reach of 78” and weighing in at 159 and 3/4 lbs. Both fighters normally fought orthodox style but would often switch to southpaw as needed.

Right from the opening bell the fighters went after each other. Hagler, who was generally a slow starter, attacked Hearns with a flurry of devastating rights pinning Hearns against the ropes. Hearns countered with a massive right of his own straight into Hagler’s chin. The champion was stunned but was able to tie up the challenger in a clinch. When the referee broke them out of the clinch, the fighters were trading hard power-punches.  Hagler tried to pin Hearns into the ropes again, and in the process  Hagler hit him with a hard left hook that dazed Hearns. Hearns tried to slow the pace down by clinching Hagler, but the champion broke out and they started exchanging power-punches once again. During these skirmishes Hearns had broken his right hand while Hagler developed a nasty cut on his forehead, but the slugfest continued with neither boxer showing any regard for defense. The epic first round ended as it started; with Hagler attacking Hearns and sending him into the ropes. In Round 2 the pace slowed down a little. Hearns was looking rubber-legged as he stumbled around the ring, but still managed to jab at the champion. Unfortunately for Hearns, Hagler was jumping on the counterattack. At the end of the 2nd round Hagler managed to once again pin Hearns to the ropes and unleashed a volley of punches. When Round 3 began Hearns tried to slow down the pace even more, and about a minute into the round hit Hagler in the forehead with a jab. This punch opened up the cut Hagler had sustained in the opening round, and a massive flow of blood covered Hagler’s face. The referee briefly paused the fight, while the ringside physician examined Hagler. The doctor informed the referee that the cut and blood were not bothering his sight and that the fight could continue. Faced with the threat of a medical stoppage; Hagler attacked Hearns with the ferocity he showed in the first round. Hearns took a couple of shots from Hagler, and began smiling at the champion as he tried vainly to dance around the ring. Hagler hit Hearns with a devastating overhand right and Hearns tried to get away from the shots. Briefly, and unwisely, Hearns turned his back on his opponent and as he turned to face Hagler he was hit by another massive right. Hagler missed with a left hook, but connected with a third overhand right that put Hearn on the rope. Hagler came inside and hit Hearns with a vicious left uppercut that sent Hearns straight to the canvas at 2:01 of round three. Hearns staggered to his feet and managed to get up at the count of nine, but it was obvious he could not continue. A bloody Marvin Hagler celebrated with his corner, as the referee held a semi-conscious Tommy Hearns upright. At the time of the stoppage two of the judges had Hagler ahead, and the third had Hearns in the lead.

“That first round took everything I had, Man” Hearns remarked after the fight. Hagler said of the fight “He definitely tried to put the bomb on me. He can punch”. The fight was the pinnacle of Marvin Hagler’s career; solidifying him as the one of the greatest middleweight boxers ever. The fight was one of the greatest of all time , with the first round considered by many as the single greatest round in the history of boxing. Throughout the rest of both fighters careers a rematch was proposed but, for various reasons, one would never come to fruition .