Hit Man - Brian Hughes [40]
The next fight took place at the Aladdin Casino’s Theatre for Performing Arts in Las Vegas. Geraldo, whose birth name was Marcus Lopez, had been around the boxing scene for years and had fought a litany of famous names. The fact that he had gone the distance with both Marvin Hagler and Sugar Ray Leonard was testament to his toughness. He stood five feet and eleven inches tall and, significantly, his reach, at seventy-six inches, was only two inches shorter than Hearns’s famous span. This was a useful addition to the armoury which had stopped thirty of his forty-nine opponents.
At the opening bell, Hearns strode purposefully from his corner and began stalking the Mexican. His jab was thrown briskly and he caught Geraldo’s head and body with ease. It was also evident that his jabs contained plenty of power, as they pushed Geraldo backwards. However, it was not all one-way traffic as the orthodox Geraldo delivered some snappy lefts of his own, and midway through the round he issued a reminder of his own power when he sent over a powerful right cross that narrowly sailed past Hearns’s head.
Within a split second, Hearns threw a terrific right lead that landed flush on Geraldo’s mouth. The power of the punch drove him backwards into the ropes, his senses reeling. Hearns struck like the cobra of his nickname, sliding closer and finishing his prey with another short right followed by two devastating left hooks to the jaw. They sent Geraldo to the canvas and fight referee Joey Curtis waved Hearns away so he could begin his count. The Mexican groped towards the ropes and attempted to pull himself upright but fell backwards as the referee waved his hands to signal that the fight was over.
Hearns punched the air in delight – then quickly walked straight into another confrontation. Sugar Ray Leonard was analysing the action for CBS television and his questions were designed to rile his old foe.
“Why don’t you admit you lost to me?” Leonard asked, with a big grin on his face.
Hearns was visibly annoyed and replied, “I’ll never admit that I wasn’t able to continue. You may have thought that I was out but I wasn’t.”
The two fighters continued to bicker when Leonard asked why Emanuel Steward had admitted that the fight should have been stopped. Hearns, enraged that Leonard was choosing not to dwell upon his impressive single round victory over Geraldo, quickly snapped, “I will speak for myself.” Instead, he challenged Leonard: “Tell the world that you’ll give me a rematch.”
Leonard, not to be outdone, replied, “I’ll give you a second fight if I hear you admit that the fight should have been stopped and that if the public demand that I give you a rematch.”
It was typical Leonard. He loved to be in control, and his popularity with the huge US TV audience gave him the financial clout to call the shots. If Leonard wanted a fight, he got it, and if he didn’t, no amount of baiting could draw him into one. Hearns would have to wait. For how long, nobody knew.
THE OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT was made at a New York press conference on Monday, 22 March 1982. Thomas “Hit Man” Hearns would challenge “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler on 24 May in Las Vegas for the world middleweight championship. The figures that each fighter was due to receive were not as high as either could have earned against Ray Leonard, but they were enough to satisfy both. Hagler, as the reigning champion, would make $5 million. Hearns would take home more than $3 million.
Despite the vast sum on offer, there were those who believed Hearns was rushing needlessly to disaster. At twenty-three, he had time on his side. Hagler was six years older, heavier, stronger, more experienced and a formidable prospect. Why rush? “He is a child