Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas Hearns met for the first time on September 16, 1981, and there were talks of a rematch many times over the years, but nothing every materialized. After his knockout win over Donny Lalonde in November of 1988, the path was cleared for the long awaited rematch between the all-time greats, and I for one couldn’t wait to see it happen.
In the late 80’s, I subscribed to every boxing magazine there was, and it seemed like every time I went to our mailbox, another one was in it. I loved the color photos and the articles by the top writers, which kept me entertained for hours. The preview issues for the Leonard-Hearns rematch were awesome, and had me counting the days until the June 12, 1989 date at Caesar’s Palace nicknamed ‘The War’.
Unlike the first fight, this time I would be rooting hard for Tommy to get his revenge against Leonard, who had become a complete egomaniac after his upset win over Marvin Hagler. The WBC super middleweight belt would be on the line that Ray held, but Tommy agreed to a catchweight of 164 lbs. or pay a huge financial penalty.
This closed-circuit bout meant another drive to the beautiful Pavilion in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, a part of the Garden State Racetrack property. At the weigh-in, Hearns tipped the scales at 162 1/2 lbs., while Ray was 160 lbs. even.
The fight was action packed from the start, but my heart jumped when Tommy dropped Leonard with a right hand in the third round. Ray got up and wasn’t that hurt, but the round was in the bank for Tommy. Both men fought evenly most of the night, with the advantage shifting back and forth. In the eleventh, Hearns nailed Ray with two right hands that put him on the canvas hard. In my opinion, Tommy had been the aggressor and the more effective fighter the whole twelve rounds, so when the final bell rang, I was sure he would be called the winner. Tim Ryan, Marvin Hagler and Gil Clancy all agreed, so when the judges ruled the bout a draw, I was shocked.
I was pissed off the entire drive home, and the decision still bothers me nearly 37 years later. Even Ray admitted he thought Tommy won, but the bottom line was boxing shot itself in the foot with crappy calls so many times, I can’t keep track. At least they didn’t give Leonard the win that summer night in June of 1989, which made it bearable for me at least.
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