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[FIGHT BIO] Thomas “Motor City Cobra” Hearns | The Hard Punching Hitman

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Who Is Thomas Hearns?

Former American boxer Thomas Hearns, AKA “Motor City Cobra” and “The Hitman” started his professional boxing career in 1977 at the age of 19 and retired in 2006 when he was 48 years old. Hearns started his amateur career at the age of 10 (1967) and went on to achieve an impressive amateur record of 155-8.

He was born on the 18th of October, 1958 in Grand Junction, Tennessee.

His mother had three children in her first marriage, and Thomas was the youngest of the three.

During his professional career, Hearns was coached by Emanuel Steward in Detroit, Michigan.

Steward helped him become arguably the best puncher in boxing history.

Hearns fought in six different weight divisions: Welterweight, Light Middleweight, Middleweight, Super Middleweight, Light Heavyweight, and Cruiserweight.

Thomas was honored as Fighter of The Year in 1980 by The Ring Magazine and was eventually inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame on June 10th, 2012.

He was known as the heavy hitter, handing out some of the most devasting punches in boxing history.

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Thomas Hearns

When Did Thomas Hearns Retire?

Thomas Hearns fought his last professional fight on the 4th of February, 2006 against Shannon Landberg. He did retire once before in 2000 after he got injured fighting Uriah Grant, but came back 5 years later for 2 more fights before retiring for good in 2006.

His last two fights were against Johan Long and Shannon Landberg.

Even though he won his last two fights, Hearns realized he wasn’t the boxer he was 5 years before.

He was slower and couldn’t effectively avoid punches anymore, prompting him to announce his retirement after his last fight on February 4th, 2006.

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What Happened To Thomas Hearns?

Thomas was a very wealthy boxer. He always had money and loved splurged on new suits and clothes, until he spent too much.

Hearns ended up with a massive IRS bill for $250,000, and outstanding payments on his home which ended up costing him an estimated $1 million.

In 2010 he had to auction off one of his cars and many other assets to pay back the debt.

Where Is Thomas Hearns Now?

Currently, Hearns is divorced and lives in Southfield, Michigan.

Hearns doesn’t speak about his personal life much, so very little is known about what he’s up to.

He has 6 children, and one of them (Ronald Hearns) is also a boxer.

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What Is Thomas Hearns Net Worth?

Hearns has an estimated net worth of around $500,000 and owns a house in Southfield, Michigan.

Hearns was even part of WWE for a few years, which added to his net worth.

Thomas still makes a full-time income coaching boxing in Detroit.

Who Did Thomas Hearns Lose To?

Hearns has a professional record of 61 wins and 5 losses (1 draw).

He won 48 of the 67 fights by knockout.

These are the fighters he lost to:

  1. Sugar Ray Leonard
  2. Marvin Hagler
  3. Iran Barkley (twice)
  4. Uriah Grant

Let’s take a look at some of his most memorable fights.

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Thomas Hearns Vs Roberto Duran

Hearns and Duran fought on the 15th of June, 1984 in Paradise, Nevada.

It was a slow start at the beginning of round 1 with both fighters feeling each other out. Later in the round Thomas became more aggressive and started landing his power shots.

Duran was dropped twice in the first round, but stood back up both times.

Hearns came out in the 2nd round determined to end the fight, landing combinations and hurting Duran badly.

Roberto Duran was knocked down for the third and final time.

Hearns won the fight by TKO and retained the WBC Middleweight title.

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Thomas Hearns Vs Roberto Duran

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Thomas Hearns Vs Sugar Ray Leonard (Fight #1)

Hearns and Leonard fought in Caesar’s Palace on September 16th, 1981.

The fight started quite evenly with both fighters trading shots.

As the fight progressed Hearns looked more dominant, landing most of his shots.

Leonard knew he had to start fighting back, and he did in round 6.

Sugar Ray hurt Hearns in round 6, maintaining control of the fight until he knocked him down in round 13.

Hearns stood back up and survived to the end of the round.

A motivated Leonard came out of his corner in round 14 and dominated Hearns until the referee called the fight.

Sugar Ray Leonard won the fight by TKO.

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Thomas Hearns Vs Sugar Ray Leonard

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Thomas Hearns Vs Sugar Ray Leonard (Fight #2)

Hearns and Leonard fought for the second time on the 12th of June, 1989 in Caesars Palace.

This second installment of Hearns vs Leonard was an absolute war, with both fighters having a point to prove.

The fight was mostly equal, both fighters trading and taking heavy blows.

Hearns knocked Leonard down early in the fight, but Leonard managed to stand up and recover.

The constant back-and-forth kept the crowd on their feet.

Later in the fight, Thomas knocked Leonard down again, but Leonard once again managed to stand back up.

This nail-biting fight ended in the 12th round and resulted in a draw.

Thomas Hearns Vs Sugar Ray Leonard

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Thomas Hearns Vs Marvin Hagler

Hearns and Hagler fought on April 15th, 1985 in Caesars PalaceThis fight was actually called “The War”.

Hagler started the fight fast, relentlessly attacking Hearns and making his presence known.

Hearns responded with his own exchange of combinations and power shots, putting on an exciting fight where anyone could win.

Hagler was bleeding badly in round 2, nearly causing a stoppage.

He managed to come back in round 3, hurting Thomas and knocking him down.

The referee called the fight and Hagler won by TKO.

Thomas Hearns Vs Marvin Hagler

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Thomas Hearns Profile

Born October 18, 1958
NationalityAmerican
DivisionWelterweight
Light middleweight
Middleweight
Super middleweight
Light heavyweight
Cruiserweight
Height6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight105 kg
Reach72 in (183 cm)
DebutNovember 25, 1977

Thomas Hearns Professional Record

WhenOpponentResult
November 25, 1977 Jerome Hill Win (KO)
December 7, 1977Jerry Strickland Win (KO)
December 16, 1977 Willie Wren Win (TKO)
January 29, 1978Anthony House Win (KO)
February 10, 1978Robert Adams Win (TKO)
February 17, 1978Billy Goodwin Win (TKO)
March 17, 1978Ray Fields Win (TKO)
March 31, 1978Tyrone Phelps Win (TKO)
June 8, 1978Jimmy Rothwell Win (KO)
July 20, 1978Raul Aguirre Win (KO)
August 3, 1978 Eddie Marcelle Win (KO)
September 7, 1978Bruce Finch Win (KO)
October 26, 1978 Pedro Rojas Win (TKO)
December 9, 1978Rudy Barro Win (KO)
January 11, 1979Clyde Gray Win (TKO)
January 31, 1979Sammy Ruckard Win (TKO)
March 3, 1979Segundo Murillo Win (TKO)
April 3, 1979 Alfonso Hayman Win (UD)
May 20, 1979 Harold Weston Win (RTD)
June 28, 1979 Bruce Curry Win (KO)
August 23, 1979Inocencio De la Rosa Win (RTD)
September 22, 1979José Figueroa Win (KO)
October 18, 1979Saensak MuangsurinWin (TKO)
November 30, 1979Mike ColbertWin (UD)
February 3, 1980Jim RichardsWin (KO)
March 2, 1980Ángel EspadaWin (TKO)
March 31, 1980Santiago ValdezWin (TKO)
May 3, 1980Eddie GazoWin (KO)
August 2, 1980José CuevasWin (TKO)
December 6, 1980 Luis PrimeraWin (KO)
April 25, 1981 Randy ShieldsWin (TKO)
June 25, 1981Pablo BaezWin (TKO)
September 16, 1981Sugar Ray LeonardLoss(TKO)
December 11, 1981Ernie Singletary Win (UD)
February 27, 1982Marcos Geraldo Win (KO)
July 25, 1982Jeff McCracken Win (TKO)
December 3, 1982 Wilfred Benítez Win (MD)
July 10, 1983Murray Sutherland Win (UD)
February 11, 1984Luigi Minchillo Win (UD)
June 15, 1984Roberto Durán Win (TKO)
September 15, 1984Fred Hutchings Win (TKO)
April 15, 1985 Marvin HaglerLoss(TKO)
March 10, 1986 James Shuler Win (KO)
June 23, 1986 Mark Medal Win (TKO)
October 17, 1986Doug DeWitt Win (UD)
March 7, 1987Dennis Andries Win (TKO)
October 29, 1987Juan RoldánWin (KO)
June 6, 1988 Iran BarkleyLoss(TKO)
November 4, 1988James KinchenWin(MD)
June 12, 1989Sugar Ray LeonardDraw(SD)
April 28, 1990Michael Olajide Win (UD)
February 11, 1991Kemper Morton Win (KO)
April 6, 1991Ken Atkins Win (TKO)
June 3, 1991 Virgil Hill Win (UD)
March 20, 1992Iran BarkleyLoss(SD)
November 6, 1993Andrew Maynard Win (TKO)
January 29, 1994Dan Ward Win (TKO)
February 19, 1994Freddie Delgado Win (UD)
March 31, 1995 Lenny LaPaglia Win (TKO)
September 26, 1995Earl Butler Win (UD)
November 29, 1996Karl Willis Win (KO)
January 31, 1997Ed Dalton Win (KO)
November 6, 1998Jay Snyder Win (KO)
April 10, 1999Nate Miller Win (UD)
April 8, 2000Uriah GrantLoss(RTD)
July 30, 2005John Long Win (TKO)
February 4, 2006Shannon Landberg Win (TKO)

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Source

The Guardian

Wikipedia

Ring TV

Eurosport

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