Four Kings: The intoxicating and captivating tale of four men who changed the face of boxing from award-winning sports writer George Kimball

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Pete Hamill, American journalist and novelist, writes in his Foreword to George Kimball's book "This book is about the last Golden Age of boxing. That is, it is about a time when the matches themselves transcended the squalor of the business side of the sport, and focused only on the men who fought." For unsurpassed brilliance, blood-tingling thrills and skills and enough pathos to empty a box of tissues, those glorious battles will still be talked and argued about 100 years from now.

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.By James Slater: It was a golden era of boxing the likes of which may never be seen again. From 1980 – beginning with Roberto Duran’s sensational points win over “Sugar” Ray Leonard and, perhaps fittingly, ending with Leonard’s rubber-match of a points win over “Hands of Stone” in 1989 – to the very end of the decade, four men fought from welterweight up to super-middleweight, giving their all and giving the entire world a thrill. Excellent book. Quite possibly the best boxing book around, certainly in the top 5. It certainly helps that the topic is so interesting - the best era in boxing bar none. Kimball obviously knows his stuff and if there's any slight criticism from me it's that the book is very (obviously) American-centric: I felt that Duran was made to seem difficult to understand or know simply because he spoke another language or came from somewhere outside the USA. Pretty sure a guy who spoke his mind as freely as Duran did (always quoted in broken English, too) must have articulated his thoughts in easily-translatable Spanish somewhere. How was Hearns, Leonard and Hagler's Spanish? But anyway - it's a small whinge. And the tiny bit of Duran's autobiography which was quoted in the book didn't leave me salivating for more!

There was a stretch in boxing from the late ‘70s to the mid-80s where men didn’t hesitate to fight the greatest fighters in the world. During this era, four boxers stood out. They were known as the Four Kings, and each of them fought the other at least once. That time was considered as boxing’s greatest era. Let’s take a moment to remember these four gentlemen. Image source: rossboxing.com Chris Eubank said: “The Boxing Royalty. In the world of boxing, I’ve been called a champion, but for me, it goes beyond that—I am a king. Christopher Livingston Eubank, a name that echoes through the annals of the sport, isn’t just about winning in the ring; it’s about being a true King, both inside and outside of the squared circle. Kimball also explores the contributions of Emanuel Steward, who worked with Thomas Hearns. By carefully compiling tidbits from Steward, Kimball helps assess who among the four fighters had the greatest talent. The book's exploration of Hearns' pre-fight dramas and camp preparations adds depth to the discussion of his legacy and contribution to boxing.Roberto Duran is the toughest of the Four Kings, and arguably the fighter with the most heart. He was as macho as they come and could hit like an ox. He was called the Hands of Stone – and rightfully so. He gave me a better fight than all the boxers did in the last 10 years’: Fury reflects on win over Ngannou

Fight Hagler vs Duran: "The rows of scar tissue Hagler wore like combat ribbons around his eyebrows could provide an inviting target, even for a boxer more observant of the Marquis of Queensberry rules than Roberto Duran."

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. 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. 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. The scores are given with impartiality and we have used evidence and research with every point we award to each:

Duran came from the very poorest circumstances: "Food was scarce; unable to care for him, his mother literally gave the boy away on several occasions. He (Duran) followed Toti to a boxing gym at the age of eight, and had his first amateur bout a year later."Despite knowing it will not settle the debate, I don’t think it ever could be, BoxingGuru has decided to put together a scoring system that ranks Roberto Duran, Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns, Ray Leonard, and against attributes any boxer needs to become as legendary as them.