Pryor, on the other hand, was fearsome, intimidating and, despite possessing great talent and having been a peer of greats Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas Hearns, was the recipient of limited media coverage.

On April 15, 1985, Hagler and Thomas Hearns met in what was billed as The Fight ; later it would become known as " The War.

Its first championship fight was for its vacant super middleweight title, between Thomas Hearns and James Kinchen ; Hearns won by decision.

20 minutes after the first of the two co main events was over, it was Hearns ' turn to step into the ring and challenge Benitez.

When the decision was announced, it was a majority decision: two judges had voted for Hearns, ( 144-139 and 146-136, according to KO magazine ) and one for a draw ( 142-142 ), making Hearns the WBC's new world Jr Middleweight champion.

Hearns was named Ring Magazine fighter of the year in 1980 and 1984 and is best known for his fights with Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler and Roberto Durán.

Born in Grand Junction, Tennessee on October 18, 1958, Hearns was the youngest of three children in his mother's first marriage.

On her own, Mrs. Hearns raised Tommy and his siblings in Grand Junction until Tommy was five years old ; then the family moved to Detroit, Michigan.

Hearns was voted " Fighter of the Year " by Ring Magazine in 1980.

Hearns was dazed, totally out of gas and received a count but was saved by the bell.

" The battle did go back and forth some, but Hearns was unable to capitalize on his early successes against Hagler, and the hand injury ultimately contributed to his undoing.

Hearns beat the count but was totally gone and the referee stopped the fight.

This was Hearns's sixth Superfight, a fight which much of the public believed Hearns won, flooring Leonard in both the 3rd and 11th rounds.

Leonard later admitted that he believed Hearns had beaten him and that he was gifted the draw, stating the fighters were 1-1 in his book.

On June 23, 1997, Hearns appeared on a WWE telecast, performing in a storyline making use of kayfabe, where he was taunted and challenged by professional wrestler Bret " Hitman " Hart.

Hearns " attacked " Jim Neidhart and knocked him down as he was standing in front of Hart.

Due to personal financial issues, Hearns was forced to auction off his possessions at The Auction Block of Detroit, Michigan on April 3, 2010.

The much taller and lankier Hearns was able to use his reach to his advantage as he kept Cuevas at a distance and knocked him out in the second round.

Hearns threw his devastating right hand to Hagler's chin, stunning Hagler for a moment before Hagler was able to tie him up in a clinch.

" Hagler, despite a cut to the head and being covered in blood, managed to overpower Hearns in the third round after a glancing right hand followed by two more rights and a left, scoring a decisive knockout.

The first round of Hagler v Hearns is often considered to be among the best three minutes in boxing in middleweight history as the two fighters stood toe-to-toe trading blows.

Arum organized superfights like Marvin Hagler vs. Roberto Durán and Hagler vs. Thomas Hearns.

Some of the boxers featured on the magazine covers have included Andrew Golota, Salvador Sánchez, Jack Dempsey, Max Schmeling, Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robinson, Jake LaMotta, Rocky Marciano, Willie Pep, Muhammad Ali, Alexis Argüello, Wilfred Benítez, Wilfredo Gómez, Roberto Durán, Larry Holmes, Marvin Hagler, Sugar Ray Leonard, Bud Taylor, Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Thomas Hearns, Roy Jones Jr., Bernard Hopkins, Julio César Chávez, Félix Trinidad, Manny Pacquiao, Oscar De La Hoya, Mauro Mina, and Ricardo Mayorga.

* The War ( boxing ), a 1985 bout between Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns

During his time as Super Welterweight Champion, Hearns also ventured into the middleweight division, losing a legendary battle to Undisputed Middleweight Champion Marvin Hagler in 1985.

This tactic worked fairly well, but in the third round a smiling Hearns turned his back on Hagler after an exchange.

This grave mistake allowed Hagler to trap Hearns on the ropes, where a crushing right hand by Hagler knocked Hearns down.

Hearns became one of Steward's most successful and popular fighters, fighting Sugar Ray Leonard, knocking out Roberto Durán, and challenging undisputed Middleweight Champion Marvelous Marvin Hagler in a fight known as The War.

He was part of an early 1980s ' junior middleweight and middleweight division scene that included Marvin Hagler, Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns, Wilfred Benítez, Davey Moore, and Roberto Durán-an era which many boxing fans rank as one of the most exciting times ever in those weight classes.

Because of his ability to fight both at junior middleweight and middleweight, fans began to talk of the possibility of him challenging either world light middleweight champion Hearns or world middleweight champion Hagler.

Despite Mugabi being a mandatory contender for some time, a Hearns-Mugabi title match never materialised, as Hearns elected to move to Middleweight to challenge Marvin Hagler.

Other fights Steele refereed included Mike Tyson's defeat of Donovan Ruddock in 1991, Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns, Julio César Chávez vs. Meldrick Taylor I, and the fight where Sugar Ray Leonard made his comeback after a three year lay-off in 1987 to beat Hagler.

* April 15-The War: Marvin Hagler knocks out Thomas Hearns in three rounds to retain the world's Middleweight title.

* 1985-Marvelous Marvin Hagler KO 3 Thomas Hearns — see The War

Another important aspect of boxing in the 1980s was the rivalry between five world champions: Wilfred Benítez, Roberto Durán, Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns and Sugar Ray Leonard.

Benitez's career went downwards after the fight with Hearns, as did his lifestyle.

In that bout Barkley first knocked Hearns down in the third round and a discombobulated Hearns appeared to be in no shape to continue but Steele let him go on, stating after the fight that a great champion like Hearns should be given the chance to pull himself together.

Hearns started the round boxing and moving, but after staggering Hearns with an overhand right, Leonard pinned Hearns against the ropes.

In round fourteen, after staggering Hearns with an overhand right, Leonard pinned Hearns against the ropes, where he unleashed another furious combination, prompting referee Davey Pearl to stop the contest and award Sugar Ray Leonard the Unified World Welterweight Championship.

In 1980, Kenty became Kronk's first world champion, and Hearns followed him as world champion months after.

* March 10-Marvin Hagler retains his undisputed world Middleweight title with an eleventh round knockout of John Mugabi, Thomas Hearns wins the NABF Middleweight title with a first round knockout of James Shuler, and Gaby Canizales wins the WBA world Bantamweight title with a seventh round knockout of Richie Sandoval, who was critically injured and almost died in the days after the fight.

* March 22-James Shuler dies only twelve days after fighting Thomas Hearns, in a motorcycle accident, in Pennsylvania.

title ( the same title that Hearns won from Hill, but which was vacated after Iran Barkley dethroned Hearns afterward ).

These include Helen Zilwicki, introduced in From the Highlands ( after a cameo in The Short Victorious War ), and Abigail Hearns, introduced in Ashes of Victory and also seen in The Service of the Sword.

When asked in the ring after the bout if he was hurt by Hearns ' first right hand, a blow that caused him to step back and then fall into a clinch, Hagler commented "... he definitely tried to put the bomb on me ... he can punch ...".

The blow staggered Hearns who awkwardly stumbled backwards into the ropes, Hagler running after him in hot pursuit.