While Thomas Hearns’ most memorable battles may have been against other members of the Four Kings, he claims his greatest rival ever was someone else entirely.

Hearns is one of the most popular fighters of all time, and his knockout power and action-packed style make him a favorite of many boxing fans.

He became the first boxer in history to win world titles in five divisions, from welterweight to lightweight heavyweight, and in these divisions he participated in epic fights with Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran and Thomas Hearns.

The quartet of boxing icons were known collectively as the Four Kings, and Hearns claimed a knockout victory over Duran, but suffered losses due to stoppages to Hagler and Leonardalong with a controversial draw with Leonard in the rematch.

Despite these legendary fights, “Hitman” believes that another rival in his career is superior to each of the above-mentioned names, after revealing himself in a feature film with Ring that he considers Wilfred Benitez the best player he has ever faced.

“Wilfred Benitez was very good… skillful and very cunning… He moved well and fought all over the ring.”

Hearns fought Benitez in December 1982, winning by majority decision after a 15-round fight for the WBC welterweight title.

Benitez was a world champion in three weight classes and the youngest world champion in the history of the sport, winning the WBA welterweight title at the age of just 17.

In addition to Hearns, Benitez also faced two other members of the Four Kings during his career, defeating Duran but falling tiny against Leonard.

A fight between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury has been agreed, provided that “AJ” wins in his July return. However, promoters Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren have given different time frames for the highly anticipated fight.

Fury made his ring return earlier this month, he overtook the Russian Arslanbek Makhmudov claiming his first victory since 2023 before demanding a fight with arch rival Joshua, who was sitting at ringside.

“AJ” has yet to fight since a tragic car crash in Nigeria that killed two close friends, but the former unified world champion has vowed to continue boxing and eventually face “The Gypsy King” after a warm-up fight in the summer.

It was revealed on Monday that the Londoner would face Albanian Kristian Prenga in Riyad on Saturday, July 25, and that it had been agreed that Joshua would face Fury before the end of the year.

Interview with The Punch podcastJoshua’s promoter Hearn said the event would take place in November.

“We will come back in July against Kristian Prengi and then, if everything goes well, we will fight Tyson Fury in November. Everything has been signed on our side and ready.

“Fury has said he has signed a contract as well, so touch wood, in the end it will be undoubtedly the biggest fight in British boxing history, maybe even close. [the biggest ever] also on a global scale.”

However, in an interview with talkSPORT BoxingFury’s longtime promoter Warren stated that he expected the fight to take place “sometime in October.”

“It’s signed. Tyson signed up for it a few months ago, we were waiting for AJ and now he has done it. So the fight will continue and it looks like it will take place sometime in October.”

As a result, it appears that further details of the deal still need to be worked out, including whether Fury will have an additional “tune-up” ahead of the blockbuster fight.

Munguia (45-2) returns on May 2 in Las Vegas against WBA super middleweight titleholder Armando Resendiz. This fight will provide him with a direct path to a return to title contention. He currently trains under Eddy Reynoso, Canelo’s longtime trainer, which adds extra appeal to his achievements in the league.

Alvarez is expected to return to 168 pounds later this year following his September loss to Terence Crawford, leaving open the possibility that the two will fight for titles on separate circuits.

Their first fight in 2024 ended with a clear victory for Canelo, who defended his undisputed super middleweight title. Munguia has since made it clear that he is open to a second meeting, but only if both players return to their positions.

If Munguia wins against Resendiz on Saturday night, the student-versus-teacher storyline with Eddy Reynoso will become a powerful promotional hook.

If Resendiz wins, Canelo will be able to fight a fresh Mexican face who currently holds a world title, satisfying his desire to remain champion while also providing fans with a fan-friendly fight.

By targeting this winner, Canelo can secure a world title and a massive commercial event in Riyad or Las Vegas, while avoiding the stylistic headaches of other division titleists.

This is the definition of “secure” matchmaking, and fans tend to pick up on it quickly. If Canelo targets the May 2 winner, it will look like a business decision cloaked in competitiveness.