In a night that will be etched in the sport’s annals, Thomas Hearns etched his name into boxing history on 29 October 1987, becoming the first man to claim world titles in four separate weight divisions. His opponent, the rugged Argentine Juan Roldán, came forward with unrelenting ferocity, but it was Hearns’ precision and power that ruled the evening at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas.

Roldán came charging from the bell, a human storm of hooks and looping rights. His intent was unmistakable — to break Hearns’ rhythm and test his resolve early. But the “Hitman” had come prepared. Just a minute into the bout, Hearns found the mark with two crisp rights, sending the Argentine to his knees. Roldán, undaunted, was quickly up and back in pursuit, but he walked into another three-punch combination at the close of the first round and was dropped again as the bell sounded.

The second round saw more of the same relentless aggression from Roldán, but Hearns’ counter-punching brilliance began to shine through. When the Argentine lunged forward with a wild right, Hearns answered with a thunderous left hook that put him down for the third time. Roldán, brave to the last, rose again, shaking off the count and pressing on. His courage could not be questioned — nor could Hearns’ accuracy.

Round three provided a brief reprieve for the Argentine challenger, who managed to steady himself and even edge the round on all three judges’ scorecards. Hearns, though, looked patient — coiled, calculating, and waiting for the opening that would end it all.

That chance arrived in the fourth. Roldán caught Hearns flush with a right hand that had the Detroit man’s legs quivering. For a moment, the contest hung in the balance. But Hearns, ever the ring tactician, gathered himself, dug in a short left to the ribs, and then unleashed a devastating right cross. Roldán fell forward, face-first to the canvas. He tried to rise, but referee Mills Lane’s count reached ten at 2:01 of the round. The fight was over.

The triumph crowned Thomas Hearns as the first boxer in history to win world titles in four different weight classes — a feat that legends like Henry Armstrong and Roberto Durán had failed to achieve.

It was not merely a victory; it was redemption, legacy, and a statement of mastery. On that October night in Las Vegas, Thomas Hearns defeated Juan Roldán, and in doing so, he conquered more than an opponent — he conquered history itself.

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At the Riviera Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas on 30 March 1984, Marvin Hagler reaffirmed his dominance over the middleweight division with a tenth-round stoppage of Argentina’s Juan Domingo Roldán, retaining his WBA, WBC, and IBF world titles in emphatic fashion.

It was a contest that began with high drama. Within seconds of the opening bell, Hagler found himself on the canvas after a glancing left from Roldán caught him on the back of the head. Referee Tony Perez ruled it a knockdown — the only official one of Hagler’s illustrious career — though the champion immediately protested it as a slip. The early moment of chaos sent a murmur through the crowd and gave Roldán the confidence to press forward with his trademark aggression.

Roldán, ranked as the WBA’s number one contender, tore into Hagler with wild right hands and relentless pressure, testing the champion’s composure. But Hagler, a master of adaptation, steadied the tempo by the third round. A sharp left uppercut to the Argentine’s eye began to change the tide, followed by a thudding combination that sent the challenger into the ropes for a count. From that moment, Hagler’s superior skill and conditioning began to tell.

As the rounds progressed, Roldán’s face bore the marks of a punishing education. His right eye was swollen shut by the middle rounds, and cuts opened across the bridge of his nose. Still, the challenger fought on with admirable bravery, swinging that sledgehammer right in desperate bursts of defiance. Hagler, ever the consummate professional, maintained a measured pace — switching stances, picking his shots, and breaking down his opponent with precision.

By the ninth, the outcome seemed inevitable. Roldán’s face was a mask of damage, yet he refused to yield. The referee and ringside doctor conferred but allowed the bout to continue. Early in the tenth, Hagler landed a series of crisp punches that sent the exhausted Argentine to the floor. He rose at the count of seven but shook his head moments later, signalling that he could not go on. The time was 0:39 of round ten.

Hagler, earning £1 million to Roldán’s £80,000, extended his reign as undisputed middleweight champion with his eighth successful defence. The fight demonstrated once again his ability to blend power, patience, and technical mastery against a fearless challenger who refused to surrender easily.

In the end, it was a triumph of skill over spirit — and another chapter in the storied career of one of boxing’s greatest middleweights. On that March night in Las Vegas, Marvin Hagler defeated Juan Domingo Roldán and left no doubt about his supremacy.

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