Hit Man - Brian Hughes [30]
With the publicity machine working overtime, the fight attracted some powerful interest. Dan Duva phoned Mike Trainer and told him he had received a call from the White House requesting tickets to the fight. Duva, who had never been in this situation before, asked Trainer if he had ever had dealings with the White House and wondered what the protocol was. “Do we just give it to them or charge them or what?” asked Duva. Part of the deal for both fighters was an agreement to tour the major American cities for two weeks in a publicity drive to help promote the fight on closed-circuit television. The barbed insults continued throughout the tour. When Leonard was asked how he intended to handle Hearns, he reasoned that his speed would be a big factor and speculated that Hearns had never been forced to endure the incredible levels of hype and publicity this match-up entailed. “Hearns will become a psychological victim when he sees all those people, hears all that noise and have to go through all the media hype. All of this can get to you and turn most fighters’ legs to jelly,” he said.
On another occasion, Hearns suggested that people should stop calling Leonard by his nickname “Sugar.” He argued that it was just another publicity gimmick to add to his marketability, and was an insult to a legend. “Sugar Ray Robinson was a great champion and a great person and nobody should be using his name like Leonard is doing now. He should use his own name.” Without missing a beat, Leonard said, “Thomas Hearns has a very unique nose and I’d like to do an operation on that. As tall as he is, something has to hang loose. That will be my target.” Hearns looked riled and retorted, “He also has a big target. A big head.”
During the New York leg of the two-week promotional tour, Hearns played in a softball game in Central Park against a team of media people. He appeared relaxed and seemed to enjoy the break from boxing training. Reporters were positive about Hearns and one reporter commented, “Tommy has gotten into the swing of things. In fact, so far he has out-Leonard Leonard, the master showman.” Hearns shed his image of the strong, silent type and was offered a guest spot on Saturday Night Live. He also went to Harlem, where a crowd of over 4,000 watched him give a boxing clinic for youngsters.
Whilst Hearns was charming New Yorkers, Leonard was touring Detroit. He recognised the need to afford his opponent due respect in his home town but said Hearns was important to him merely from a business aspect. “Now the time is right from the interest I’ve given Thomas Hearns through TV magazines and talk shows. This fight doesn’t need hype, no gimmicks. It’s a natural. We have no communication problems. Two American fighters. The public is aware.” He beamed his 1,000-watt smile and assured the fans that he had no animosity toward Hearns. “We’re not good friends. But there’s no hatred. However, there is a distance between us.” But he went to great pains to say that he was misquoted in a magazine when it said he would destroy Hearns’s family. “What I said was I would destroy Hearns physically, destroy his followers spiritually and his manager financially. I was hurt by the misquote. His mother’s a lovely person.” He then turned his attentions to Emanuel Steward. Calling him by the nickname “Sonny,” which Steward was said to hate, he employed a mischievous divide-and-conquer