WBC welterweight champion Ryan Garcia has backed Thomas Hearns to defeat Terence Crawford in a hypothetical clash of prime five-division world champions. Speaking to Daily Mail Sport, Garcia selected the Detroit icon over the recently retired Omaha switch-hitter.
Crawford secured his place alongside boxing’s all-time greats after defeating Canelo Alvarez to become a five-division world champion last September. That victory made the Omaha native the first fighter in 17 years to join the five-division club, 37 years after Hearns first accomplished the feat. Crawford simultaneously became the first post-war boxer to reign as an undisputed champion across three different weight classes. Now officially retired, he is receiving full recognition for an exceptional career as a unanimous pound-for-pound legend.
Despite those accomplishments, Garcia believes Hearns would have held the decisive edge in a fantasy bout between the two icons. Hearns established himself as one of boxing’s greatest knockout artists, recording 48 stoppages in 61 professional victories across six divisions. He claimed his fifth division title in 1988 by outpointing James Kinchen for the inaugural WBO super-middleweight crown. For Garcia, the Detroit fighter’s sheer size and reach would present an insurmountable task for Crawford.
Size remains the key factor in Garcia’s assessment of the fantasy contest.
In the same interview, Garcia extended his predictions to other legendary names in boxing history. He picked Hearns to come out on top against Floyd Mayweather, but stated that Sugar Ray Leonard would always have Hearns’ number if they fought in their respective primes. That assessment comes despite their controversial 1989 rematch, where Leonard escaped with a draw before later admitting he lost the fight. Regardless of that admission, Garcia maintains that Leonard held the tactical formula to master Hearns at his peak.
