This is Rummy’s Corner.
‘The Motor City Cobra’ Thomas Hearns is the featured boxer in this edition of the
Top 5 Notable Wins series.
So let’s dive right in and begin by going through a quick chronology of what I personally
consider to be the Top 5 notable wins during the tremendous career of Tommy ‘The Hitman’
Hearns.
On August 2, 1980, at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan, Thomas Hearns challenged
WBA welterweight champion Pipino Cuevas.
As things were getting underway both simultaneously landed big lefts.
Cuevas was having trouble with the size, the speed, and the strength of the Motor City
Cobra.
Hearns was utilizing an impeccable jab to dictate the action, and he was often following
up with a booming right.
Cuevas continued having difficulties in round 2, and Hearns was beginning to methodically
bombard the champion.
Hearns rattled Cuevas with a mean right hand and quickly followed up with another to send
the champion down.
Cuevas managed to bravely beat the count, but the referee didn’t like what he saw
and he waved it off.
The fight was over.
It was a 2nd round technical knockout, and Thomas ‘The Hitman’ Hearns had just become
the new WBA welterweight champion.
On December 3, 1982, at the Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, Thomas Hearns challenged
WBC junior middleweight champion Wilfred Benitez.
The action began with a lot of movement and feinting and posturing as both boxers were
looking to discover their range.
Benitez was using a lot of lateral movement, and Hearns was having difficulty establishing
his jab.
Even when Benitez had his back against the ropes, the champion was providing a mighty
slippery target.
Neither boxer was throwing much in the early rounds, but Hearns was throwing more and some
of his shots were getting through.
It was a tactical chess match where both boxers were exhibiting tremendous patience as they
studiously searched for openings.
Hearns was deducted a point as round 4 neared its end.
In round 5 Hearns landed a glancing right that caused Benitez to stumble and touch the
canvas which was a knock down.
The champion quickly regained his composure and survived the round without further incident.
Over the next few rounds Hearns started finding ways to land some more power punches, but
Benitez was taking them well.
Benitez was also beginning to dart in and out, effectively landing isolated shots and
short combinations.
Near the end of round 9 Benitez landed a short grazing left hook that sent Hearns down.
He beat the count and the round soon ended.
Round 10 saw the two boxers trading more frequently, where each was landing some scoring blows.
But the later rounds reverted back into a technical battle of elite level skills and
ring smarts.
Hearns was using his jab effectively and largely in control of the rhythm, but Benitez was
still exhibiting good defense and sometimes attacking effectively.
Both boxers displayed excellent stamina down the final stretch of the fight, but Tommy
was still generally throwing more and landing more as he continued controlling the tempo
of the action.
At the conclusion of 15 rounds it was a majority decision.
One judge had it even at 142 apiece, overruled by the other two judges who both had it for
Hearns, 144-139 and 146-137.
With the victory, Thomas Hearns had just become the new WBC junior middleweight world champion,
officially making him a two-division champion.
On June 15, 1984, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada, Tommy Hearns defended the WBC
junior middleweight championship against former three-division world champion Roberto Duran.
The contest began with both boxers exhibiting deliberate patience.
Before long the action started heating up.
Hearns staggered Duran, and soon followed it up with a monster right hand that sent
Duran crashing down.
He beat the count, and Hearns followed up ferociously and soon had him down again.
Duran rose once more and the round was over.
Hearns resumed his attack early in round 2 and soon had Duran in trouble again.
Roberto was battling his best, but he was simply being outgunned.
A nuclear right from Hearns had Duran down yet again, and this time the referee waved
it off.
The fight was over.
It was a 2nd round technical knockout for Tommy ‘The Hitman’ Hearns.
On March 7, 1987, at Cobo Hall in Detroit, Michigan, Thomas Hearns challenged WBC light
heavyweight champion Dennis Andries.
The action started with Andries and Hearns both trying to get the jab going.
Hearns was more accurate with his jab, and before long, he started landing some clubbing
right hands, but Andries snuck in a nice stinging right of his own.
This pattern persisted throughout the early rounds where Hearns was generally controlling
the flow of the action.
Hearns was outboxing, outjabbing, and outmaneuvering the champion, and this trend continued into
the middle rounds.
Early in round 6, Hearns drilled Andries with a mean counter right that dropped him.
He beat the count, and Hearns had him down again almost immediately.
He again beat the count, and he was sent right down yet again.
Andries got up again and he was staggering around as Hearns jumped all over him.
Andries was soon down again, but the referee ruled it a slip.
Hearns resumed his assault, and Andries desperately held on the best he could to try and buy some
time to regain his composure.
A wild swing and a miss caused Andries to slip down again, but amazingly he made it
out of the round.
Andries looked surprisingly fresh to begin round 7, and Hearns was looking a bit fatigued.
Andries began to rally, and he was landing some punches when he had Hearns backed up
against the ropes.
Andries was also boxing a bit more effectively in the center of the ring.
Hearns appeared to get his second wind the following round, and he began throwing more
power shots.
A wrecking ball right sent Andries down in round 9.
He rose quickly, and Hearns continued unloading, and the two boxers crashed down in the midst
of a frenzy.
In round 10 an exhausted Andries fell down again from a cupping right.
It was ruled a knockdown, and Andries was really wobbly, which prompted the referee
to call it.
It was a 10th round technical knockout, and Tommy ‘The Hitman’ Hearns had just become
the new WBC light heavyweight champion, making Hearns a three division champ.
On June 3, 1991, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada, Thomas Hearns challenged the
undefeated WBA light heavyweight world champion Virgil ‘Quicksilver’ Hill.
The action began with a tentative feeling out process where both boxers were sizing
each other up.
Things quickly evolved into a battle of jabs.
Hill was utilizing a lot of lateral movement and looking to fire his jab when he maneuvered
into a favorable angle.
Hearns was patiently pressing forward, and he was throwing a jab that was just as fast
and had a lot more umph behind it.
As the early rounds progressed, Hill was becoming a bit more stationary, as the two boxers continued
trading angry jabs.
Sometimes a nice right hand would follow behind it (3), but the jab was the primary weapon
of choice for both Hill and Hearns.
During the middle portions of the contest, it largely remained a jabbing duel.
Hearns began sneaking in more power shots here and there, but to his credit Hill was
absorbing them well.
Hill was also sometimes doubling and tripling up the jab effectively, but by and large,
Hearns was landing a heavier jab, and he was also sneaking in a wider variety of power
punches.
Each boxer was having moments of success when he took the initiative, and things remained
competitive.
In the championship rounds, Hill was giving it his all, but Hearns was landing the far
more damaging blows down the final stretch.
At the conclusion of 12 rounds of action, Hearns was awarded a unanimous decision with
two judges scoring it 115-113 and the other having it 116-112.
With the victory, Hearns won the WBA light heavyweight championship, marking him as a
two-time champion at 175.
Now before I rank these five victories, it’s worth mentioning there are a few others worth
considering here.
For starters there is the 4th round knockout against Juan Domingo Roldan.
That was an exciting fight where Hearns won the vacant WBC middleweight title, and this
was historical.
Hearns had become the first boxer in history to win a major world championship in 4 different
weight classes.
Another fight worth considering was when Hearns scored a 1st round knockout against undefeated
#1 WBC ranked contender James Shuler.
That was just a devastating 1st round knockout from 'The Hitman'.
There might be a few others that deserve mention.
But the strange thing here is, in the case of Tommys, the fights he is best known for
are brilliant efforts where he fell short of victory.
And of course, we have the highly controversial rematch against Sugar Ray Leonard, where most
observers believed Hearns deserved to win that one, but it was ultimately ruled a draw
in the eyes of the judges.
Counting down from #5, the victory against Dennis Andries.
Hearns was exceptionally sharp in this one, and the fact that he earned himself a portion
of the light heavyweight crown carried a lot of weight for me here.
It’s interesting to think that after winning titles at 147 and 154, that Hearns would next
go on to win a major championship way up at 175.
#4 is the victory against Benitez.
At that time, both of them only had one professional loss against the same guy - Sugar Ray Leonard.
Benitez was an elite technician with impeccable counterpunching skills, and Hearns bested
him in a battle of tactics, where 'The Hitman' injured his right hand mid-fight, and still
persevered to outbox a master boxer.
#3 for me would be the victory against Virgil Hill.
At this point Tommy was well past his best and well north of his prime fighting weight.
Hill had made 10 consecutive title defenses going into this one, and he was a highly skilled
technical boxer with good speed, and at the end of the night, Hearns was the superior
technician where his heavier hands and ample quickness allowed him to outbox the younger
champion in style.
#2 would be the victory when he won his first world championship against Pipino Cuevas.
Going into this one, Cuevas had been the reigning champion for more than 4 years and during
that time he made 11 consecutive title defenses.
The hard punching Cuevas had won inside the distance in all but one of his previous championship
bouts, and Hearns simply outgunned him in spectacular fashion
And #1, Roberto Duran.
Oh my goodness.
Such an incredible display of power and destruction.
Duran is one of the greatest boxers to ever lace them up, and the brutal powerhouse showcase
from Hearns is definitely his most notable career defining victory in my mind.
So what do you think were the Top 5 notable wins for Thomas ‘The Hitman’ Hearns?
Please share your thoughts in the comments section.
Thanks for watching everyone, I hope you enjoyed, and have a wonderful night.
This is Rummy’s Corner.