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now part of the Kronk team. Futch had some sharp opinions on why Hearns had lost and, despite his friendships with the team surrounding the fighter, he wasn’t afraid to express them. “I attribute his two defeats down to his strategy,” Futch said. “Against Hagler, he came out and got embroiled in a war which he wasn’t able to get out of. When he opened up and hit Hagler with his best shot and stopped him in his tracks, I would have told Hearns to box him.” In a thinly veiled dig at Emanuel Steward, he said, “You have to prepare your fighter to have a number of different strategies. If you go out and take a shot at the guy and don’t get him, then get on your bike and move.” When he reflected on the loss to Leonard, he said, “I was at the fight but had to leave after the thirteenth round when Hearns was winning the fight. When I heard he’d gotten knocked out, I was shocked. Leonard was able to make adjustments when he found out that he couldn’t outbox Hearns from the outside and he started to attack the body.”

Mischievous reports suggested that Hearns might be getting bored with boxing. He had recently taken up drag racing, having bought himself a 1974 Nova Super Rod which he blasted up to 135 mph on a quarter-mile track. “I tried to talk him out of it,” said Steward. “I get nervous just thinking about it.” In the days preceding the Shuler fight, there were also concerns that it could be postponed due to high winds and torrential rain. It was only on the day itself that Bob Arum could officially confirm to the 16,000 spectators and Showtime, who were involved in their first ever production and estimated that around $25 million had been taken via pay-per-view, that the bill would go ahead. He still had to hastily assemble heaters to dry out the ring apron.

Hearns’s road to redemption began when he strode to the ring where Shuler awaited him. He looked confident as he faced his challenger, though it was one of the few occasions when he didn’t enjoy a height advantage, and the pattern of the bout was set in the first few seconds when he exchanged left jabs from a side-on stance and began to move Shuler steadily backwards towards the ropes. He then delivered a surprisingly swift left hook to the body which caused Shuler to drop his hands. In a flash, Hearns launched a long right hand that had the full force of his weight behind it. It crashed onto Shuler’s jaw. Shuler immediately tumbled backwards and landed flat on his back and remained there, oblivious to the referee, Richard Steele, tolling the count of ten over him. He remained unconscious for several more anxious minutes before the ringside doctor was able administer a neck massage to alleviate the pain and discomfort the impact had caused to his vertebra, and allowed him to regain his feet.

A short time afterwards, Hearns was coming down the stairs of the trailer that served as his dressing room. Suddenly James Shuler appeared, walking up the stairs. They came face-to-face again; both smiled and shook hands gingerly. “I guess I’ll have to get you on the court,” Shuler said with a sheepish smile. “But don’t ruin my basketball dreams too.” Hearns was in a hurry to get ringside, where he was rooting for Marvin Hagler to do a number on John Mugabi. He wanted the big money that would come if and when he crossed gloves with the Marvelous One again; it takes two to make a great fight, and Bob Arum was already teasingly suggesting this one could take place in Las Vegas on 23 June.

Hagler beat John Mugabi in eleven rounds of mortal combat. Twelve hundred punches were exchanged before the champion ended the destruction in the eleventh round with a power-packed right hand. Arum said that Hearns had faced the easier opponent on the night and went so far as to state, “If Tommy had boxed Mugabi, the African would have won.” This was a view that was endorsed by some of the press. Mitch Albon suggested, “Hagler and Hearns fought the wrong opponents. It should have been Hearns against John Mugabi and Hagler fighting James Schuler. If Hearns wants a rematch with Hagler, he should prove