Four Kings: Leonard, Hagler, Hearns and Duran and the Last Great Era of Boxing

This is a page turner for any fan of boxing on any level. Whether you remember any of these fights or not, Mr. Kimball has recreated the atmosphere of this era perfectly. Mr. Kimball was there for every fight and has recaptured them here.

While we're growing long-in-the-teeth for the great rivalries of the '80s to return to the ring, I picked up George Kimball's `Four Kings: Leonard, Hearns, Hagler, Duran, and the Last Great Era of Boxing.' Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns, and Roberto Duran are among the major colonnades of the '70s and '80s for boxing. A lot of fight fans can argue what era and class remains the golden age of boxing. Yet, when you observe the careers of these four fighters, you would be hard-pressed to argue against the tenure of their time. In fact, if HBO and their mesmerizing 24/7 series portrayals of boxers today would have been available in the mid-80s, boxing would have remained one of the most popular sports today. I just wish that someone could turn the classic footage from the HBO Boxing preludes for each fight into a mini 24-7 series...HBO's Greatest Fights are close, but we need more. Yes, it's true. The stories of Leonard, Duran, Hearns, and Hagler and how they intertwined haven't been highly described or investigated in detail. Fortunately, Kimball had the inside look at each fighter's climb with his job writing at the Boston Herald. Throughout the book, he details the camp, pre-lim fights, and although Kimball interjects a lot of his own personal recollections and `I was there' descriptions that can stall the stroies, he provides sharp detail in each fighter's career. He also gives the chewy analysis upon how each fighter intertwined with one another for each fight. Yet, the treats are found in the details provided by his notes and hanging with the great men who were in the corners. For example, due to his proximity to Brockton, Massachusetts as a Boston Herald reporter, Kimball pulls scintillating details from the rise of Hagler and through his conversations with Hagler's trainers, Goody and Pat Petronelli. From Kimball's insights, you're not only able to see what drove Hagler for his fights, but also feel the loyalty, trust, and close bonds that Hagler had instilled throughout his career. Throughout the read, I grew to be a huge Hagler fan just alone upon the close circle that he kept throughout his career. The sincere frustration that Hagler and the Petrocellis must have felt waiting for the big fights to come with Leonard and Hearns is symbolic of Hagler's final fight with Ray Leonard...He was robbed. The saving grace is that we saw him dominate the middleweight division for the time that we had. The bottom line here says that Hagler is the statue of this era, and I wish that we could grab more details upon him and his management team. He is what boxing is about and how fighters should handle their business. Gems are also found in the conversations and details that Kimball gleams from Emmanuel Steward with his experience with Thomas Hearns. Kimball takes great care to compile all of the tidbits to determine who was the greatest talent of them all, and if not for the drama often found in Hearns's camps and pre-fig

If you are no longer interested in boxing; If Don King's world of Pay Per View and the lack of personalities in the sport have killed your interest; Please allow George Kimball to take you back to another era. If you're under 40 you probably won't believe me. Once upon a time, boxing was bigger than football.

George Kimball absolutely nails one out of the park with this well researched book covering a time in Boxing that he lived through covering the sport. Each fighter: Duran, Leonard, Hagler and Hearns are each given equal coverage and there is absolutely no bias or spin from the author. Given Kimball covered the Sport in Boston for the Herald, Hagler's backyard, this is VERY refreshing. The book does what you hope it does, cover the nine fights that each of these four greats had against each other, but George adds so much more insight and background and PERSONAL perspective about the fighters and fights, that you are never bored or disappointed. All Sports books should strive to be this great. George Kimball has set the bar very high here. I don't anticipate it being reached any time soon. Hawk

Kimball is a boxing insider, and that alone qualifies him to write a book that is long overdue. I've been reading his articles covering the Sweet Science for three decades and his command of the lingo, recollection of details, and his ability to turn a phrase well, make "Four Kings" well worth reading. Duran, Leonard, Hearns, and Hagler are modern day Greek Heroes. They're more than that. Neither Achilles, nor Odysseus, nor Arthur, nor Beowulf have anything on these four warriors, shrouded in myth and exaggeration as they are. The four kings' conquests, by contrast, can be seen on film. Roberto Duran was the greatest among them. He came out of the barrios of Panama where he experienced the kind of poverty no American has tasted to become probably the greatest lightweight who ever lived. His reign of terror in his natural division lasted 7 years. He defied history and probability by stepping up a full division to challenge one of the greatest welterweights (that's 12 lbs north of the lightweight division) who ever lived in Sugar Ray Leonard -defeating him over 15 rounds. This hadn't been done in 50 years. Lightweights don't beat welterweights due to the difference in size. For Duran, pushing 30 and in his 70th fight, to defeat Leonard, who was younger, bigger, faster, and in his prime, was a considerable feat that confirmed the greatness of Duran. Then came the fall. Duran quit in the rematch. Three years later, he rises from the ashes of his disgrace and takes a 3rd title, once again from a younger, faster, and this time far stronger champion in Davey Moore. He then does the unthinkable. He steps up to the middleweight division and faces a man who is considered among the greatest of the 160 pounders ever -Brockton's own Marvelous Marvin Hagler. Duran becomes the first man to go the distance with Hagler. Only crazy lightweights would challenge middleweights, particularly as dominant a middleweight as Hagler was. And Duran was right there at the last bell, still scowling with those Manson lamps at the shaven-headed champion. Uninspired and unready, Duran's next bout was with the fearsome punching Thomas Hearns. Duran is carried out on his shield inside of two rounds. But just when you thought it was over for Beowulf, he steps into the ring against another, larger, dragon. Iran Barkley had just knocked out Hearns (!) and decides that he is going to "finish off these legends." A friend of Davey Moore (who had died in an unrelated accident some time after the beating Duran gave him), Barkley had a vendetta to settle. He wants to destroy Duran. It's 1989. For perspective, know that Duran turned professional in 1968. He became lightweight champion in 1972. The champion is 6'1 and in his prime. Duran is 5'7, 25 pounds out of his natural division, and a decade past his prime. Summoning the kind of skill and courage that is rarely seen in the civilized world, Duran knocks down the giant and stands triumphant at the end of 12 rounds -a fourth titl