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Sports

Thomas Hearns names which of the Four Kings pushed him the hardest: “It made the fight so tough”

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Thomas Hearns was one of the legendary Four Kings, dominating the sport during the 1980s alongside Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler and Roberto Duran, and ‘The Hitman’ has revealed which of those names provided him with his toughest fight.

Hearns became boxing’s first five division world champion, but it is his wars with Leonard, Hagler and Duran that better define his career; having provided fight fans with a number of classic encounters that will be spoken about for generations to come.

Against that trio, Hearns registered a record of 1-2-1, with Duran being the only ‘King’ that he officially defeated, although his controversial draw in a rematch with Leonard is often seen as a victory, even in the eyes of Leonard.

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Speaking with OSP TV, Hearns reflected on those bouts, stating that Leonard gave him the most challenging fights of his career.

“Ray Leonard, both of them [fights].

“People know that I won the [second] fight, he [Leonard] knows that I won the fight. The reason why it was so challenging is because we are both boxers, we both have good ability and what made a difference was who out-thought who in the fight and playing them mind games, it makes the fight that much tougher. 

“You don’t know where he is coming from and he doesn’t know what you are about to do, you have got to figure out what is going to happen. In most fights you can go out there, use your jab and set your right-hand up, or set the hook up, but with Ray Leonard, I had watch my P’s and Q’s at all times.”

Hearns hung up the gloves in 2006, after a near three decade-long career in the ring, before being inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2012.

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Sports

Shimon Yoshinari sets his sights on the divisional elite for his next outing

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ONE flyweight Muay Thai contender, Shimon Yoshinari, just earned his spot on ONE Championship’s global roster. Now he wants to know who’s next.

Fresh off a unanimous decision victory over Johan Ghazali at ONE SAMURAI 1 on April 29, the 21-year-old WBC Muay Thai World Champion wasted no time looking ahead.

Speaking to Nick Atkin after his performance at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, the EIWA Sports Gym product made his ambitions clear through his translator.

“Well, [anyone] within the rankings, he wants to just [face them].”

Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more

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The win over ‘Jojo’ was no easy task. The Malaysian-American striker arrived in Tokyo with serious credentials and a point to prove. Shimon withstood a second-round knockdown, fired back immediately, and found his best form in the championship round to take the decision.

For a fighter who moved to 26-1 on the night and secured a life-changing six-figure ONE Championship contract, most might take a moment to breathe.

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But that statement-making win only made Shimon want more.

The flyweight Muay Thai division is stacked with elite names, and the young Japanese star wants to test himself against the best of them as soon as possible.

Watch the full interview:

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Shimon says he’ll only get better after joining the main roster

Capturing that life-changing six-figure contract has only motivated Shimon Yoshinari to keep getting better at his craft.

Joining the promotion’s main roster means facing more formidable challenges in the stacked ONE flyweight Muay Thai division.

It’s something he embraces wholeheartedly. After all, Shimon wants to follow the lead of his cousin, ONE atomweight Muay Thai world champion Nadaka, and claim 26 pounds of gold himself.

“Okay, yeah, I’m very happy to get a contract, but this is only the beginning. It’s just the start, so he just needs to focus and get the work done, yeah,” Shimon told Nick Atkin in the same interview.