Ryan Garcia picks a winner in prime Tommy Hearns vs Terence Crawford

WBC welterweight world champion Ryan Garcia has predicted how Terence Crawford would fare if tasked with boxing legend Thomas Hearns in his prime.

Crawford became boxing’s sixth five-division world champion when he defeated Canelo Alvarez back in September, 37 years after Hearns became boxing’s first five-weight conqueror.

Hearns is hailed as one of boxing’s greatest knockout artists, boasting 48 KOs in his 61 wins; which span across a total of six weight divisions. In 1988, ‘The Hitman’ clinched world honours in a fifth division when he decisioned James Kinchen to become the inaugural WBO super-middleweight champion.

Meanwhile, Crawford became the first fighter in 17 years to join the five-division club when he dethroned Canelo, simultaneously becoming the first post-war boxer to reign as an undisputed champion in three different divisions.

As a result, ‘Bud’ has earned his place amongst boxing’s all-time greats and now that he has retired, he is beginning to receive the recognition that his phenomenal career merits, unanimously considered as a pound-for-pound legend. 

However, in an interview with Daily Mail Sport, Garcia admitted that he would still favour Hearns in a fantasy fight with the Omaha-born switch-hitter, with the size of the Detroit icon presumably being one key factor. 

Garcia then went on to pick Hearns to come out on top against Floyd Mayweather, but admitted that Sugar Ray Leonard would always have Hearns’ number if they fought in their primes, despite their controversial rematch in 1989; where Leonard was fortunate to escape with a draw and later admitted that he lost that fight.