---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That was the fight. I knew that I had…"
description: "\"That was the fight. I knew that I had done something that no man had been able to do to a champion.\" — Thomas Hearns"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b80/thomas-hearns-48889_able_that-was-the-fight-i-knew-that-i-had-don_2744133.png"
---

#  That was the fight. I knew that I had done something that…

![“That was the fight. I knew that I had done something that no man had been able to do to a champion.” quote by Thomas Hearns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b80/thomas-hearns-48889_able_that-was-the-fight-i-knew-that-i-had-don_2744133.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b80/thomas-hearns-48889_able_that-was-the-fight-i-knew-that-i-had-don_2744133.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b80/thomas-hearns-48889_able_that-was-the-fight-i-knew-that-i-had-don_2744133.png)

> “That was the fight. I knew that I had done something that no man had been able to do to a champion.”

[Thomas Hearns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hearns/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Defeating a champion felt like achieving something no man could.

**In simple terms:** Winning over a champion felt uniquely personal.

Key Takeaway

Celebrate breaking barriers.

Themes

sports achievement gender dynamics

Mood

proud triumphant

Type

sports motivational

When to use this quote

- boxing
- women’s sports
- media coverage
- personal milestones

Key Concepts

competition historical precedent

Questions to Reflect On

- What does this victory mean for gender equity?
- How to inspire others with this achievement?

A Different Perspective

May overlook team effort.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Able](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) [Able Champion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able-champion-3049824/) [Been](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/been/) [Champion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/champion/) [Done](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/done/) [Fight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fight/) [Fight Knew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fight-knew-246309/) [Had](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/had/) [Knew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knew/) [Knew Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knew-man/) [Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man/) [Something](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/something/) [Wrestling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrestling/)

## Related quotes

> [I knew that I had done something that no man had been able to do to a champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hearns/i-knew-that-i-had-done-something-that-no-man-had-been-able-to-do-to-a/)

[Thomas Hearns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hearns/)

> [I thought I fought a really good Orlando Salido. I never let him get into his fight. I knew what I needed to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikey-garcia/i-thought-i-fought-a-really-good-orlando-salido-i-never-let-him-get/)

[Mikey Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikey-garcia/)

> [I can't tell you the number of times I looked down at what was going on on the ground, or I was engaged in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-mattis/i-can-t-tell-you-the-number-of-times-i-looked-down-at-what-was-going/)

[Jim Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-mattis/)

> [I knew that Errol Spence Jr. was going to be my last fight. I knew that in 2017 when he won his championship fight.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-porter/i-knew-that-errol-spence-jr-was-going-to-be-my-last-fight-i-knew-that/)

[Shawn Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-porter/)

> [As soon as I put on gloves, I knew. I felt heart and determination. It's in you, not on you. I just loved to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-crawford/as-soon-as-i-put-on-gloves-i-knew-i-felt-heart-and-determination-it-s/)

[Terence Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-crawford/)

> [I knew coming into this to fight that this was going to be a world class fight, but I knew he didn't have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrien-broner/i-knew-coming-into-this-to-fight-that-this-was-going-to-be-a-world/)

[Adrien Broner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrien-broner/)

> [I knew her man, he was just up North and would've got left up North, but he was the chef up North.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jadakiss/i-knew-her-man-he-was-just-up-north-and-would-ve-got-left-up-north/)

[Jadakiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jadakiss/)

> [But he knew well enough that any man in the right circumstances could be dehumanised by panic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/but-he-knew-well-enough-that-any-man-in-the-right-circumstances-could/)

[Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/)

> [She knew this man's smile, his gentle ways of love, but not his godlike fury in the storm. She might snare him in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/she-knew-this-man-s-smile-his-gentle-ways-of-love-but-not-his-godlike/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [“Knock a man down, and you saw what he was made of. That man might run. If he didn’t—if he stood back up with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jordan/knock-a-man-down-and-you-saw-what-he-was-made-of-that-man-might-run/)

[Robert Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jordan/)

> [I never knew a man could tell so many lies, he had a different story for every set of eyes. How can he remember…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-young/i-never-knew-a-man-could-tell-so-many-lies-he-had-a-different-story/)

[Neil Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-young/)

> [I knew a man who grabbed a cat by the tail and learned forty percent more about cats than the man who didn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-knew-a-man-who-grabbed-a-cat-by-the-tail-and-learned-forty-percent/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [I knew a man called him Sam the Cane few folks even knew his name.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-ray-cyrus/i-knew-a-man-called-him-sam-the-cane-few-folks-even-knew-his-name/)

[Billy Ray Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-ray-cyrus/)

> [“I knew a man who, in the age of chain-saws, went right on cutting his wood with a handsaw and an axe. He was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/i-knew-a-man-who-in-the-age-of-chain-saws-went-right-on-cutting-his/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [“You never really knew a man, he said, until you saw him die”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/you-never-really-knew-a-man-he-said-until-you-saw-him-die/)

[Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/)

## More by Thomas Hearns

> [The loss just made me hungry; it made me want to go out and win another title.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hearns/the-loss-just-made-me-hungry-it-made-me-want-to-go-out-and-win/)

[Thomas Hearns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hearns/)

> [I prayed, thanking God, for making it all possible for me, because I knew where I came from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hearns/i-prayed-thanking-god-for-making-it-all-possible-for-me-because-i/)

[Thomas Hearns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hearns/)

> [In boxing, everybody has their favorites.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hearns/in-boxing-everybody-has-their-favorites/)

[Thomas Hearns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hearns/)

> [I knew that I had done something that no man had been able to do to a champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hearns/i-knew-that-i-had-done-something-that-no-man-had-been-able-to-do-to-a/)

[Thomas Hearns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hearns/)

> [Ray Leonard was more of a favorite than Thomas Hearns that night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hearns/ray-leonard-was-more-of-a-favorite-than-thomas-hearns-that-night/)

[Thomas Hearns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hearns/)

> [I'm going to fight again because this wasn't a fight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hearns/i-m-going-to-fight-again-because-this-wasn-t-a-fight/)

[Thomas Hearns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hearns/)

> [Some people are going to be happy with my decision, some people aren't... But I must live my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hearns/some-people-are-going-to-be-happy-with-my-decision-some-people-aren-t/)

[Thomas Hearns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hearns/)

[Explore all 8 Thomas Hearns quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hearns/)

## More Able quotes

> [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/)

[Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/)

> [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/)

[Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/)

> [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/)

[Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/)

> [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/)

[Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/)

> [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/)

[Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/)

> [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/)

[Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/)

> [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/)

[Greg Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-perry/)

> [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/)

[Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/)

> [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/)

[Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/)

> [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/)

[Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/)

> [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/)

[Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/)

> [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/)

[Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/)

[Browse all 17,257 Able quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "That was the fight. I knew that I had done something that no man had been able to do to a champion.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Thomas Hearns"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hearns/that-was-the-fight-i-knew-that-i-had-done-something-that-no-man-had/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Able"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hearns/that-was-the-fight-i-knew-that-i-had-done-something-that-no-man-had/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b80/thomas-hearns-48889_able_that-was-the-fight-i-knew-that-i-had-don_2744133.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b80/thomas-hearns-48889_able_that-was-the-fight-i-knew-that-i-had-don_2744133.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b80/thomas-hearns-48889_able_that-was-the-fight-i-knew-that-i-had-don_2744133.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“That was the fight. I knew that I had done something that no man had been able to do to a champion.” — Thomas Hearns",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Thomas Hearns",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hearns/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "That was the fight. I knew...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hearns/that-was-the-fight-i-knew-that-i-had-done-something-that-no-man-had/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hearns/that-was-the-fight-i-knew-that-i-had-done-something-that-no-man-had/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
