It had been nearly 8 years since their first battle in Las Vegas on September 16, 1981, when Sugar Ray Leonard stopped Thomas Hearns on the ropes in the 14th round. Now they were fighting at the super-middleweight limit of 168 lbs., with Ray defending the belt he won against Donny Lalonde. He had relinquished the 175 lb. title right after winning it. Leonard had somehow forced Hearns to agree to fight at no more than 162 1/2 lbs., or pay a two million penalty. Thomas agreed, and the fight took place on June 12, 1989 at Caesar’s Palace once again.
I again made my way to the Pavilion in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Unlike the first bout, I was rooting hard for Hearns this time. I leaped from my seat when he dropped Leonard with a right hand in the 3rd round. He was the bigger and stronger fighter and pressed the action constantly. Ray did fight well in spots and never quit, and hurt Hearns a few times.
When Thomas dropped Ray a second time in the 11th round, I thought it sealed the victory. A close twelfth round may have raised some doubts, but not in my mind. Unfortunately the judges ruled it a draw, and robbed Hearns of his title. It being boxing, I was never surprised by a judge’s decision, and went home that night with an empty feeling in my stomach,
