New Showtime sports documentary “The Kings” chronicles the golden age of boxing, focusing on four big names from the ea: Roberto “Manos de Piedra” (“Hands of Stone”) Duran, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Thomas “The Hitman” Hearns, and Sugar Ray Leonard. Fast forward three decades, the show delves deep into the enduring rivalries of Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn, as well as Lennox Lewis and Frank Bruno. Through a compelling blend of archival footage showcasing their electrifying clashes that mesmerized global audiences, and exclusive interviews offering poignant insights into their personal struggles with mental health beyond the spotlight, Four Kingsrevisits a pivotal era in British sports history.

Marvelous Marvin Hagler obituary: One of boxing’s ‘Four Kings’

Following a brief fallow period in the wake of Ali’s retirement, boxing was revitalized when Leonard became a world champion in 1979 and waged his first battle with Durán in 1980. From that point, the Four Kings engaged in a decade-long run of riveting fights that far outperformed any other sport in attention and revenue. They were the most popular stars of sports and American culture. Leaving the points tally for each boxer here would still be a poor reflection into the illustrious career each of them had, therefore we have added further decisive factors that warrant extra points. Outstanding' - ***** Reader review ***************************************************************************** Most observers predicted a war when these two violence artists met in 1983. What followed was a tactical battle, showing that these two were skilled technicians as well as being brutal warriors. Duran abandoned his usual come-forward aggression to box on the outside. On reflection it might have been ill-advised, but he ran Hagler close with this bold strategy.

Is The Kings on Amazon Prime?

Four Kingswill examine the notorious rivalry between British boxing legends Chris Eubank, Nigel Benn, Lennox Lewis and Frank Bruno. Lennox Lewis added: “It is pretty special to have been on this journey through the 80s and 90s, and a privilege to share the story with Frank, Nigel & Chris on screen. Whilst we had our own lanes, our own processes and experiences, we had the combined desire to get to the top and we achieved that, in the process we made history as the first ones to do it for Britain and the rest have followed. Everybody knows what happened in the fights, but they didn’t see what led up to the fight, the rivalries were real, we all wanted to outdo each other, I’m excited that this series will give the public a chance to see behind the curtain.”

Four Kings: Every Hagler, Leonard, Duran And When We Were Four Kings: Every Hagler, Leonard, Duran And

In short, there is a true reason their era is so romanticized and so highly-regarded. They are timeless fighters who had timeless fights with one another, through all the action and drama and controversy.Duran’s entertainment inside and outside of the ring has built him a huge, loyal fanbase to this day. His fan-friendly style that the casual watcher would perceive as brawling gained him lots of followers. He is also labelled a God in his home nation of Panama due to being a representative of his people in front of thousands as well as helping with crisis in the country. Boxing certainly has benefited most in history when it had a strong cast of heavyweights (Ali, Tyson, etc) but some of its greatest fights happened at the weight class right below. The four men in this book put on not just fights but epic battles which will stand the test of time. FOUR KINGS: Leonard, Hagler, Hearns, Duran and the Last Great Era of Boxing” was published, to widespread acclaim, by Mainstrean Press in the United Kingdom and by McBooks Press in the United States, and immediately became the best-selling boxing book in both countries. Some deem this to be the Wilmington native’s best attribute but also believe it to be ‘Marvelous’ Marvin’s worst. Those people include me. Although he could get off short hooks on the inside or ranged jabs on the outside, Hagler never had the speed to go with these punches. Hearns did though as did Duran which made them a couple of the best offensive fighters in the sport’s history. Marvelous Marvin Hagler was the most powerful among the kings, and he was naturally, the heaviest. Boxing experts in the world attribute his fights against the other three kings as some of the best in history. Image source: deepredcreative.com

The Four Kings – How they match up… - Boxing Guru

You can stream ‘The Kings’ on Spectrum and DirecTV. The sports docuseries is also available on Showtime. Popular video-on-demand platforms such as FandangoNow, Vudu, Google Play, Microsoft Store, and iTunes are expected to add the series to their platforms in the near future. How to Stream The Kings for Free? This aforementioned pursuit pays dividends in this category as the ‘Motor City Cobra’ became the first champion to win a world belt in five different weight classes with Leonard soon following the feat. The legendary lightweight also traversed through the divisions, retiring as a quadruple champion. Hagler never went outside the realms of 160lbs during his 14-year career though therefore scores himself one point for the division he triumphed in. Sugar Ray Leonard: Charming and one skilled fighter, Ray Leonard was thought to be the new Muhammad Ali, after all, they shared the same coach in Angelo Dundee. Leonard had fast hands and excellent footwork. He also had the most wins against the Four Kings. Everything was set up for “Four Kings” to be one of the truly great boxing books. It tells the story of the middleweight boxing division during the 1980s – widely recognised as the last glory era for the sport – where the four titans of Duran, Hagler, Leonard and Hearns fought out nine epic battles against each other over the course of the decade. The late George Kimball was one of the most gifted and lauded boxing writers of his generation, possessed of a Runyonesque turn of phrase and a legendary disdain for authority and flim-flam. So it is puzzling that “Four Kings” is not quite the classic that it ought to be.The scores are given with impartiality and we have used evidence and research with every point we award to each: Regarding Ray Leonard, Kimball navigates through the events and portrayal of the boxer, highlighting both his successes and shortcomings. From Leonard's rise after the 1976 Olympics to the controversies surrounding the "No Mas" decision, readers gain insight into the glittering veneer that often surrounded Leonard, shielding some of his flaws inside and outside the ring. Sugar Ray Leonard had Angelo Dundee for a trainer – the same man who trained Muhammad Ali, and you could see it in his boxing. Among the Four Kings, he was probably the most charismatic. He also had blinding hand speed as well as impeccable footwork. years after the group who captivated the sporting world laced up their gloves, the debate still goes on about who the best out of the fabulous four. The rest of the group cement a 9, Duran beat a prime Leonard and boasted a 71-1 record before that fight, Hagler cleaned out the Middleweight division and fought the Philadelphians when they were at their most dangerous and Leonard fought extremely tough talents outside of this group with the most signature wins inside a short number of fights.

Boxing history: The Four Kings – Edgar Gonzalez Anaheim Boxing history: The Four Kings – Edgar Gonzalez Anaheim

The last factor is one most use to separate the four, however, it deserves more detail than looking at the records and realising Leonard beat everyone. Indeed he did thus earns 3/5 points and not top marks due to his first fight against one ‘fab four’ member resulting in a loss at the hands of Duran as well as an unconvincing win against Hagler that people still dispute the result of to this day. Thanks to being a game champion and carving out one of the closest fights in boxing, Hagler scores 2 points here as the fight, and win against Hearns is the best out of the nine fights the group had and arguably the best in boxing. The other two greats dismally score 1 point apiece as they only had 1 yet emphatic win during this competitive time. Although this may look unfair to Hearns, he scores an 8 due to losing his biggest fights and having the least signature wins out of the group. In addition, all but one of his five losses come by way of KO/TKO. In his defence, his win against Virgil Hill should be more rejoiced than it is when reviewing the ‘Hitman’s’ career. Sports fans and boxing enthusiasts alike will love this compelling study of the resurgence of boxing in the early 1980s - and the four 'greats' who effected that change. Four Kings captures the contests, fighters and the period with a wonderful perception and vividly conjures up those by-gone smoky and raucous ringside nights in Vegas... It is worth noting the pair who scored 8 were so defensively sound that it was a rarity they were caught flush with a shot thus had their chin tested. Duran’s chin does not get downgraded with his KO loss to Hearns as that was the hardest right hand which would even threaten the consciousness of the most durable of pugilists.

Where to Watch The Kings Online?

When you discuss a showman though, no boxer is as flashy as Leonard. This attitude is a theory of what spurred Duran on to utter the words ‘No Mas’ as ‘Sugar’ would taunt even the most respectable of opponents. Not to mention, winning a gold medal for his country gave him the status of a golden child in the American media. In boxing, it is said that styles make fights. From 1980 through 1989, it was the style of four great fighters that not only made legendary fights, it ushered in a boxing renaissance. The fierce rivalry between world champions and future Hall of Famers known as the “Four Kings”– Roberto “Manos de Piedra” Durán, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Thomas “The Hitman” Hearns, and Sugar Ray Leonard – produced a Golden Age defined by the nine world championship fights between them and solidified their place among the greatest to ever live.