Even though the world remembers the iconic wars of the “Four Kings,” Hearns maintains that the Puerto Rican maestro was the most complete warrior he ever faced in the ring.

His career is often associated with fights with Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran and Marvin Hagler, a group later called the Four Kings. He stopped Duran, lost to Hagler and Leonard at a distance, and fought to a disputed draw in the rematch with Leonard.

Despite these fights, Hearns singled out Wilfred Benitez as the most complete opponent with whom he shared the ring.

“Wilfred Benitez was very good, skillful and very cunning. He moved well and fought all over the ring,” said Thomas Hearns in an interview with The Ring, recalling one of his former opponents.

They met in December 1982, with Benitez’s WBC welterweight title at stake. It was a 15-round high-level boxing clinic. Benitez, the youngest world champion in history at 17, used his incredible defensive instincts to make Hearns miss, while Hearns had to rely on a disciplined, swift attack to secure a majority decision.

Benitez’s resume compares every era: he was a three-division champion, winning titles at lightweight, welterweight and featherlight middleweight. He defeated Roberto Duran and pushed Sugar Ray Leonard to his limits before a late-round stoppage.

For Hearns, a man who built a legacy on devastating knockouts, the “skillful and cunning” Benitez remains the ultimate paragon of intelligence and boxing ability.

Figueroa currently holds the WBA featherweight title, and one of the available fights in his division is against Rafael Espinoza, the WBO 126-pound champion. This fight has been discussed, but at this stage it is not treated as a leading option.

Rodriguez said that while the fight against Espinoza, known as “Divino,” remains undecided, it is not a priority for Figueroa’s team. All indications are that attention will shift elsewhere, depending on how events unfold in Japan this weekend.

Inoue vs. Nakatani has ramifications for multiple weight classes, especially if either fighter wants to move up or change position after the result. Figueroa’s interest suggests he could weigh a future opponent depending on that outcome, rather than finalizing a featherweight unification.

As a result, Espinoza may have to look for alternative opponents for his next title defense if Figueroa goes in a different direction.

While the natural unification target at 126 is Rafael Espinoza, Brandon Figueroa’s team is clearly hoping for a bigger match. Focusing on Saturday’s super fight Naoya Inoue vs. Junto Nakatani at the Tokyo Dome suggests Figueroa is positioning himself as the welcome vehicle for Inoue’s eventual jump to featherweight.

Inoue clears out the 122-pound division (most recently defeating Alan Picasso in Saudi Arabia). If he beats Nakatani, moving up to 126 pounds would be the only logical progression. Figueroa, with his continued strength and WBA belt, is probably the most fan-friendly style of Inoue’s featherweight debut.

No official information has been announced about Figueroa’s next fight or schedule. The focus remains Saturday’s result in Japan and how it could reshape the 126-pound option.

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.