Hearns, Thomas
Boxing
b. Oct. 18, 1958, Memphis, TN
As an amateur, Hearns won 147 of 155 fights and took the AAU national and Golden Gloves 147-pound championships in 1977. The 6-foot-1 Hearns had only 11 knockouts in his amateur career but, after turning professional in November of 1977, he became known as the "Hit Man" because of his new-found punching ability.
Hearns won 28 straight professional bouts going into a WBA welterweight championship fight against Pipino Cuevas on Mexico on August 2, 1980. He knocked out Cuevas in the 2nd round to win the title, and he was named fighter of the year on the strength of that match.
On September 16, 1981, Hearns met WBC champion Sugar Ray Leonard and was leading after 12 rounds. But Leonard knocked Hearns down in the 13th and won on a technical knockout in the 14th round.
Hearns won the WBC super welterweight championship in 1982 by beating Wilfred Benitez and he was named fighter of the year again in 1984 after knocking out Roberto Duran to win the WBA version of the title.
He then stepped up to the middleweight class, but lost to Marvin Hagler in a 1985 championship fight. However, in 1987 Hearns knocked out Dennis Andries to win the WBC light heavyweight title and Juan Roldan to take the WBC middleweight crown. After he won the middleweight victory, the WBC stripped him of the welterweight championship.
Hearns won his fifth championship, in the new super middleweight division, by beating James Kinchen in 1988. He had a rematch with Leonard in 1989, knocking him down twice, but the fight resulted in a controversial draw. In 1991, Hearns began fighting exclusively as a light heavyweight. He won the WBA championship in June, beating Virgil Hill on a 12-round decision. Hearns lost the title to Iran Barkley in a 12-round split decision on March 20, 1992.
He became a champion for the seventh time by winning the NABF cruiserweight (junior heavyweight) title with a first-round knockout of Dan Ward on January 1, 1994. He also won the IBO version of the title in 1999. In his last bout before retiring, Hearns lost the IBO title to Uriah Grant on April 8, 2000.
Hearns won 59 of his 64 professional fights, 46 by knockout.
