Sugar Ray Leonard And The "Hit Man" Thomas Hearns In 1981 and 1989The two fights between Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas Hearns in 1981 and 1989 were among the most eagerly anticipated confrontations in the history of boxing. Sugar Ray Leonard had won the WBC's world Welterweight title with a win over Wilfredo Benitez in 1979, then lost it to Roberto Duran in 1980 but regained the title from Roberto Duran at the "No Mas" Fight later in that same year. In the Duran - Leonard "No Mas" boxing match, Robert Duran could not get near Sugar Ray to land any punch as his punches was hitting the wind. In 1981, Sugar Ray Leonard went on a short stint in the Jnr. Middleweight division, where he conquered the WBA's world championship belt, beating the WBA's world champion, Ugandan Ayub Kalule, by a knock out in round nine. Thomas Hearns, by his part, had won the WBA's world Welterweight championship in 1980, knocking out Jose 'Pipino' Cuevas in round two, in Detroit City. Thomas Hearns kept busy defending his crown for the next year, fending off challenges from Randy Shields, Pablo Baez and Luis Primera. Sugar Ray Leonard And Thomas "Hitman" Hearns Were The Star Attraction On 16th September 1981, in a makeshift arena that was the parking lot of Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada, "Superfight" took place. In one corner stood the swift handed, fleet footed, once beaten WBC welterweight champion of the world. In the other corner stood the undefeated knockout artist, the WBA welterweight champion of the world. In an era that produced many highly anticipated fights, this was perhaps the most highly anticipated one of all. Sugar Ray Leonard with 29 - 1, his only loss being the 15-round decision to Roberto Duran 15 months earlier. He eradicated that defeated less than 10 months later with perhaps the finest outing of his career, shutting out and stopping Roberta Duran in the eighth round of their title bout that became known as the "No Mas" fight, a phase coined by Roberto Duran. Ray Leonard was a minnie carbon of Muhammad Ali. In A Heartbeat, The Fight Was Over: Sugar Ray Leonard Had WonJust three months earlier, Leonard and Hearns had fought in Houston, Texas, but not against each other. They were the star attractions in a title match doubleheader. If both won their bouts, they'd go on to face each other in one of the most anticipated matches in the history of boxing. The Motor City Cobra Thomas Hearns took his unbeaten record of 31-0 as he entered into the ring first. Twenty-nine of those victories had come by knockout. His opponent was the tough Pablo Baez. Thomas "Hitman" Hearns upheld his end of the promotion, putting Baez to sleep in the fourth round and the Hitman made it look so easy. Then it was Sugar Ray Leonard's turn to meet the Hitman Thomas Hearns three titles would be up for grabs the WBA's world welterweight title, the WBA Jnr. Middleweight title and the WBC Welterweight title, with Leonard being the WBA Junior Middleweight and WBC Welterweight champion. This was the most anticipated fight for the fans. The Public Clamoured For A Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Thomas Hearns Part 1FightMiddleweight champion Ayub Kalule had a 36-0 record, with 18 of those wins coming by way of knockouts. The contest was competitive throughout the first eight rounds, with Leonard holding a slight edge. The promoters and their families were edgy. A mega-million dollar fight loomed if Leonard won. There were no talks of Hearns-Kalule. Suddenly, in the ninth round, Leonard broke through. His speed and power were unleashed in a blur against the Ugandan. In a heartbeat, the fight was over. Sugar Ray Leonard was the victor. He was now the WBC Welterweight Champion and WBA Jnr. Middleweight Champion. Due to the fact that Sugar Ray Leonard was seen as a speedy boxer puncher, and "The Motor City Cobra" Thomas "Hitman" Hearns as an aggressive boxer with a hard punch, the public clamoured for a fight between the two boxers to happen. |
Boxing Match Was A Sold Out At Caesar's PalaceAfter the contracts were signed by both boxers, and several magazines from around the world wrote articles publicising the fight. The fight was a sell out. Their first fight was 16th September 1981 at the Caesar's Palace hotel in Las Vegas, hotels and motels in that city were filled with fans hoping to get tickets. The fight began as expected, Sugar Ray Leonard boxing from a distance, and Hearns head hunting. By the sixth round, Leonard was showing a nick over his left eye, and Thomas Hearns had a sizeable lead on the boxing cards. But Leonard hurt Hearns in that round, and suddenly, "The Motor City Cobra" Thomas "Hitman" Hearns switched into a more conservative, strategic style of boxing, while Sugar Ray Leonard turned into the head hunter. | |
