Hit Man - Brian Hughes [60]
When they emerged for the third round, Hearns appeared to have taken heed of his corner’s instructions and opened up with his snaking jab. Hagler was relentless and continued to bob and weave, never taking a backward step. Petronelli had been unable to stem the flow of blood and had only cleaned the cuts, which had continued to bleed profusely. Richard Steele halted the fight to call Doctor Romeo into the ring to check whether the cuts were significant enough to stop the contest. He asked Hagler if he could see through the blood coming from his forehead. Hagler answered in the affirmative and would later claim that he sarcastically replied, “Well, I ain’t missing him, am I?” The doctor spoke to Steele and allowed the fight to continue.
Hagler knew that it was now or never. He dashed at Hearns and hit him with a right hook which sent him reeling backwards. Hearns’s legs went into spasms and Hagler drilled home even more spiteful punches, eventually toppling his challenger to the canvas. Hearns dug deep into his reservoir of courage and clambered back to his feet before the count ended. When Richard Steele assessed his capacity to defend himself further, he looked into the dead eyes staring back and threw his arms around the beaten warrior to signal the fight’s conclusion. The most electrifying eight minutes of mayhem ever seen in a ring were over.
Whilst Hagler, his face drenched in a mask of blood, cavorted wildly to celebrate his eleventh successful championship defence, some ringside observers were upset to witness the brave but beaten challenger being held up by one of his entourage like a baby and carried back to his corner. It was several minutes before he could stand on his own two feet and hear the official announcement of one of the sport’s truly epic encounters.
IN THE SANCTUARY of his dressing room, Hearns winced in pain as his right glove was gently removed. Dr Fred Lewerenz, the medical adviser for the Kronk boxing team, suggested that Hearns had fractured his hand. “The injury is to the bone leading from the knuckle of his finger,” said Dr Lewerenz, and insisted that he have an immediate x-ray. Despite his agony, Hearns refused to mention his injury, sustained in the first round, during his post-fight interviews. He later said that he did not want to take anything away from Hagler. When the two men met outside the dressing rooms, Hearns congratulated him and Hagler told the press, “He seemed to be a little more sensible and less cocky then. We talked and he told me that he thought we had earned our money.”
The inquest into Hearns’s second professional defeat started immediately. Veteran Detroit sportswriter George Puscas mused, “Thomas Hearns just doesn’t know when to run. Invite him to fight and he will fight. He allowed himself to be lured into a brawl with Marvin Hagler.” He levelled criticism at the Kronk team, which had allowed Hearns to swallow his own publicity. “A guy can destroy himself by believing in his own beauty and Hearns is narcissistic about the power in his right hand. If he landed it on the moon, the moon would shatter. He’s sure of it. The problem was, Marvin Hagler took all his heaviest shots and didn’t crumble.” Emanuel Steward blamed the unprecedented intensity of the contest. “It was a more physical fight than we wanted and before the first round had ended, I sensed trouble ahead. They fought a twelve-round fight in eight minutes and it was like starting a marathon with a sprint.” He later cited the fact that Hearns had a massage prior to the fight, which weakened his legs and prompted such an aggressive opening salvo.
Other observers suggested that Hearns should retire with a reputation as a great fighter who fell just short of being classed amongst the greatest. Steward vowed to talk to his charge when they returned to Detroit. “I’m proud of