Arguably the greatest opening round in boxing history, the savage pace set by “Marvellous” Marvin and the “Hitman” at Caesars Palace is still discussed to this day. At the time, sportscaster Barry Tompkins, calling the fight for HBO, yelled out “This is still only the first round!” Of course they couldn’t keep it up and the aptly named “War” came to a swift end after, in the words of Ring Magazine, the “most electrifying eight minutes ever” as Hagler scored a third-round KO. The enduring image of a blood soaked Hagler being carried around the ring in victory with Hearns being taken back to his corner in a state of semi-consciousness serves to remind us what a brutal sport this can be.
Top 10 Boxing Matches of All Time
On the morning of 17 April 1860, boxing's inaugural "world title" match took place. Though illegal, sporting historians accept that John C. Heenan vs Tom Sayers (U.S. vs England, in a Hampshire field) was the first of many thousands of "fights of the century." Here's TIME's selection of the greatest bouts of all time
Marvin Hagler vs. Thomas Hearns, April 15, 1985
Full List
The Sweet Science
- Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier III, Oct. 1, 1975
- Jack Dempsey vs. Luis Angel Firpo, Sept. 14, 1923
- Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Thomas Hearns, Sept. 16, 1981
- Micky Ward vs Arturo Gatti I, May 18, 2002
- Joe Louis vs. Billy Conn, June 18, 1941
- Diego Corrales vs. Jose Luis Castillo, May 7, 2005
- Marvin Hagler vs. Thomas Hearns, April 15, 1985
- Erik Morales vs Marco Antonio Barrera I, February 19, 2000
- Julio Cesar Chavez vs. Meldrick Taylor, March 17, 1990
- Chris Eubank v Nigel Benn I, November 18, 1990
