Thomas Hearns Names Hagler the Hardest Puncher But Says Leonard Did the Most Damage

Thomas Hearns has revisited his legendary run against the other members of boxing's Four Kings, telling interviewers that Marvin Hagler was the hardest puncher he ever faced while also conceding that Sugar Ray Leonard inflicted the most sustained damage across their encounters.

Thomas Hearns on Marvin Hagler's power

Hearns made a clear distinction between punching power and the overall toll a fight can take. He singled out Marvin Hagler as being "a different class" when it came to raw force, describing Hagler as the hardest puncher he fought. That assessment was made in the context of their intense, three-round middleweight meeting, a contest Hearns still cites as the toughest physical test despite its relatively short duration.

Leonard did the most damage, Hearns says

At the same time, Hearns has been equally candid about which opponent left the biggest mark on him over the long run. He identified Sugar Ray Leonard as having inflicted the most damage, pointing to the extended nature of their clashes and the cumulative wear from sharing many rounds. Hearns acknowledged that the Leonard rivalry produced the biggest fights of his career and that, across their encounters, more damage was done than in his bouts with the other kings.

How those judgments sit with Hearns' career record

The comments come framed by the outcomes of those meetings. Hearns' record against the other three kings stands at one win, two losses and one draw; he stopped Roberto Duran, while he was halted by both Leonard and Hagler, and a later rematch with Leonard ended in a controversial draw. Across his professional run Hearns accumulated a high stoppage rate in his victories and retired with a career record that reflected his longevity and varied divisional success.

Taken together, the assessments reflect Hearns' view that power and damage are distinct measures: Hagler's punches carried exceptional weight, whereas Leonard's contests produced the most punishment over time. Those twin judgments reinforce how differently each of those headline fights played out in the ring and why Hearns still separates the men on the basis of impact versus brutality across rounds.