Thomas “Hitman” Hearns, who won world titles in five divisions, headlines a list of newcomers on this year’s International Boxing Hall of Fame ballot.

Hearns (61-5-1, 48 KOs) should be an easy decision after a distinguished career that included classic bouts with Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvelous Marvin Hagler and Roberto Duran during the 1980s. Hearns would have been enshrined earlier but he continued to fight until 2006 before finally calling it quits. To be eligible, fighters must not have had a match in the previous five years.

Hearns undoubtedly goes down as one of the greatest fighters in the game simply because he won titles as a welterweight, junior middleweight, middle weight, super middleweight and light heavyweight in a career that spanned from 1977 to 2006.

Joining Hearns as a newcomer on the Hall of Fame ballot are Mark “Too Sharp” Johnson, Dariusz Michalczewski along with star trainer Freddie Roach, ESPN and Showtime broadcaster Al Bernstein.

Full members of the Boxing Writers Association of American have began receiving the 45-man ballots this week. The final list of enshrinees will be announced before the end of the year.

Contact Terrance Harris at terrancefharris@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @Terranceharris