Hit Man - Brian Hughes [35]
The seventh round looked like it would follow the pattern of the preceding one when Leonard opened with a left jab to the jaw of Hearns. However, in an instant, he hit back with a left and right to the head. Leonard then slipped inside Hearns’s long jab to score with his own left jab and hook. Hearns caught him with a short right to the jaw but then took a stunning left and right, which jarred him and stood him rigid. Leonard sensed an opening and moved in to deliver a beautiful left-right combination, which required the Hit Man to quickly bring his gloves up to his head for protection. For the first time in the fight, referee Dave Pearl had to step in and break up the two fighters. After he wrestled them apart, Leonard was first to attack and he hit Hearns with three straight lefts to the head. He seemed to understand that he had established superiority and suddenly oozed confidence. With seconds to spare before the bell, Hearns stepped forward, bent to the left and delivered a powerful hook to Leonard’s body. Leonard came straight back with two left hands to the face and took his second consecutive round by a clear margin.
In the eighth round, even Hearns appeared to understand the change in the tide as he stayed on the outside as Sugar Ray established the centre of the ring as his base. Both connected with effective body punches. Hearns landed with a short left hook to the chin which saw Leonard back up. Shortly afterwards, he caught Hearns with an overhand right which grazed the jaw and a following left hook that rattled his senses as he was moving away. Leonard pursued him and they moved along the ropes, locked in an absorbing battle of wills. Leonard scored with a right hand in the final few seconds to secure another round.
Neither boxer landed a punch during the first few seconds of the following round, although it was obvious that Leonard, dominating the ring’s centre, was the aggressor now. He dug a hurtful left hook into the body, which prompted Hearns to get up on his toes, showcasing his footwork. This time, Hearns landed the final blows, connecting with two left hooks to Leonard’s stomach before the bell. When they both retreated to their respective corners, spectators were divided about who was in front and the noise level increased by several decibels, as each fighter’s supporters sought to give their backing.
The tenth round was another even session as both fighters appeared to have won the other’s respect and seemed content to conserve energy for one final frenzied push for victory. There were protracted periods without either man landing a punch. But the lull was brief. Hearns landed a stiff left jab to the body and then Leonard threw a fast right cross to the side of his face before following through with a hurtful left hook to his unguarded body. Both men allowed the rest of the round to ebb away before they retreated to their respective corners to compose themselves for the imminent conclusion to their brutal ballet.
Leonard instigated the action when he leapt from his corner and charged at Hearns, grazing him with a right cross. He followed with a searing left hook to the body. Hearns matched his increased pace and both men traded jabs to the head before Hearns made his foe wince with a stinging straight right to the jaw. He ruthlessly doubled up on this by throwing an overhand right to the head and then connected with a jab. His best moment of the round came when his right-left combination was followed by a left uppercut directly under the chin. Hearns drove Leonard backwards and targeted his left eye, which was now almost closed. Despite this sustained attack, Leonard’s fighting instinct still drove him to offer the round