In the latest episode of Old Scribes The Podcast Borderland Brothers George Willis and Matthew Aguilar discuss the epic welterweight championship fight between Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas Hearns on September 16, 1981.

It was one of the most legendary boxing matches of all time. Dubbed "The Fight of the Century," it lived up to the hype and is still considered by many to be one of the greatest boxing matches ever fought.

Leonard and Hearns were both at the peak of their powers going into the fight. Leonard was the reigning WBC welterweight champion, while Hearns was the WBA champion. Both fighters were known for their devastating punching power and their aggressive fighting styles.

The fight was an instant classic from the opening bell. Hearns came out blazing, landing powerful punches with his right hand. Leonard was rocked but managed to stay on his feet. In the third round, Leonard landed a counterpunch that sent Hearns to the canvas. Hearns was able to beat the count, but he was hurt.

Leonard continued to press his advantage, landing a series of punches that cut Hearns badly around the left eye. In the 14th round, Leonard landed a perfect right hand that sent Hearns crashing to the canvas. Hearns was unable to beat the count, and Leonard was declared the winner by knockout.

The Leonard-Hearns fight was a testament to the skill and courage of both fighters. It was a brutal and exciting fight that will be remembered for years to come.

Anthony Joshua Will Stand Tall in a Dangerous Showdown with Daniel Dubois for the IBF Heavyweight championship.

By Matthew Aguilar

In an era when it’s fashionable to sit on your laurels and wait for the big fight to come to you, give Anthony Joshua credit. All he had to do was maintain a heartbeat while waiting for the results of December’s Oleksander Usyk-Tyson Fury rematch, and he would’ve gotten the winner. Instead, he went old-school and picked the toughest guy available. 

Continually criticized and questioned - often unfairly - Joshua is taking the path of most resistance this weekend when he challenges the suddenly formidable Daniel Dubois for his old IBF heavyweight title at Wembley Stadium in London (11 a.m. ET, Saturday, main card; main event approximately 5 p.m. ET, PPV.com).

Old-School AJ

Last we saw Joshua in March, he was looking like his old self against Francis Ngannou, blasting out the overmatched MMA fighter in two rounds. Certainly, the inexperienced Ngannou isn’t a good barometer to measure A.J.’s peak quotient. But, as far as a confidence booster, you can’t help but think it helped.

It was classic Joshua, destroying Ngannou – who’d given Fury hell just a few months prior – with three knockdowns and polishing him off with one punch. A few months before that, he looked similarly formidable against Otto Wallin, stopping the Swede in five one-sided rounds.

All said, Joshua, 28-3 (25 knockouts), London, England, is on a four-fight win streak since dropping a second decision to Usyk in August 2022. It’s a commendable streak for the 34-year-old, who was so frustrated in the second Usyk defeat that he had a bit of an emotional breakdown in the ring afterward. After the gold medal at the 2012 Olympics, the title-winning knockout of Charles Martin (KO 2), the war with Wladimir Klitschko (TKO 11), the comfortable victory over Joseph Parker (W 12), the blitz of Alexander Povetkin (TKO 7) and the revenge fight over Andy Ruiz (W 12) – it seemed the end was near for A.J.

But no. He picked up the pieces, went back to square one, and methodically climbed his way back into the division’s limelight. If he can beat Dubois convincingly, a third battle with Usyk or an all-Britain showdown with Fury awaits.

It won’t be easy.

DuBois On A Roll

Speaking of Dubois, 21-2 (20 KO’s), the 27-year-old Londoner has come back from a 2020 knockout loss to Joe Joyce. That was a fight that “Dynamite” was highly criticized for quitting after taking a shot to the eye, and it seemed he would disappear as quickly as he arrived. But no. He went on a four-fight knockout string to earn a fight with Usyk in August 2023. The fight was going as expected when, in the fifth round, Dubois caught Usyk with a shot to the midsection. The Ukrainian went down in a heap, writhing in pain. The punch was ruled a low blow, with Usyk given time to recover. Replays, though, showed a shot right on the beltline. When the fight resumed, Usyk maintained his dominance and scored a ninth-round stoppage when Dubois took a knee after absorbing a jab to the same eye that was injured vs. Joyce. But it was one of the more controversial moments of Usyk’s perfect career.

Undeterred, Dubois came back strong again, stopping Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller in the 10^th round four months later, and stopping the previously undefeated Filip Hrgovic in eight rounds to claim the interim IBF crown, which eventually turned into the permanent title.

Go With Joshua

At 6-foot-5, 245 pounds, Dubois is just an inch shorter and five pounds lighter than Joshua. Joshua has a four-inch reach advantage at 82 inches and that will likely be the difference. While Joshua can come in and bomb away, as he did against Ngannou, he can also sit back and jab an opponent to death, as he did Ruiz. Joshua has the better skill set, the greater speed, and the better power.

But make no mistake, he needs to stay focused on this one. One slip-up – like the one on June 1, 2019, when he was shocked by Ruiz in one of the biggest upsets in heavyweight history – and he will find himself picking up the pieces of his career again.

Given Joshua’s experience and discipline, look for him to control Dubois with the jab, and survive a couple of rough moments before taking the fellow London resident out.

Joshua by 9^th-round TKO.

@MatthewAguilar5 on X/Twitter