After his knockout of Mustafo Hamsho in October, 1984 in a mandatory title defense, Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns signed a contract to meet on April 15, 1985 at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. Both men went on a press tour in January of ’85 to promote the bout, giving fans a Super-Fight to look forward to.
I personally was rooting for Thomas Hearns to win, but knew he had absolutely no chance of winning. Tommy had been dropped too many times, and you couldn’t knock out Marvin. He had never hit the deck in over 60 professional fights, and had maybe the best chin in boxing history. The ‘Hit-Man’ intended to try and box with Marvin, and fought 4 minute rounds in sparring for the fight. No one trained harder than Marvin, who would run up to 15 miles a day in preparation for his big bouts.
On Monday, April 15th, I made the 15 mile or so drive to the Spectrum in South Philadelphia, bought a program, then took my seat on the floor of the arena. It was a pleasure to see my favorite announcer ever, Curt Gowdy emcee the card, then sat through an undercard that was as forgettable as most closed-circuit shows were.
At the opening bell, Marvin immediately charged Hearns, never giving him a chance to box and move. A sizzling right hand from Tommy actually stunned Hagler for a second, but he charged forward nonetheless. The pace was furious and frantic, with both guys landing hard shots at a fast pace. When the 3 minute round had ended, you realized you had seen one of the greatest rounds in boxing history.
The pace slowed in the second, and I noticed that Tommy was throwing roundhouse right hands, instead of straight ones. It turned out he had broken his hand in the first round, but never complained, and did his best to keep going. Marvin was starting to take control of things however, regardless of the cut on his forehead that opened in the first round.
When the third round began, I knew Thomas didn’t have much left. After trying to box for a little bit, Marvin caught up to him, and despite the referee calling a halt for the doctor to examine the gash on his head, immediately went after Tommy as soon as the fight was allowed to continue. Shortly afterwards, he stunned Hearns with a long right hand, then knocked him out with a hard combination. Tommy slumped to the canvas, and it was all over.
To me, it’s the high-point of Hagler’s great career. He was finally celebrated as the best fighter in the world, and Madison Avenue discovered him. He started to appear regularly in all kinds of commercials, and you knew he savored every minute of it. Thomas was gracious in defeat, and while disappointed he had lost, I took solace in the fact he had done his best. It was a historic night in Vegas that night, and one I’ll certainly never forget.
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