Hit Man - Brian Hughes [72]
On 4 November 1987, thousands of Detroit residents flocked to the streets connecting the city’s Kennedy Square and the Cobo Arena to pay homage to Thomas Hearns, immaculate in a black suit, sat atop a white Mustang convertible which slowly passed along the route, led by the Central High marching band thumping out a rendition of Michael Jackson’s “Bad” and flanked by a police motorcade. The only thing missing from this honour, which was usually reserved for returning astronauts and World Series baseball champions, was the ticker tape. The cavalcade snaked its way to the Cobo Hall, the scene of many of Hearns’ greatest days, where Mayor Coleman Young waited, ready to proclaim that 4 November was officially “Thomas Hearns Day” and to award the fight legend and his trainer the keys to the city. Standing beside the looming statue of Joe Louis, Mayor Young declared, “Thomas Hearns has made the city of Detroit feel incredibly proud. One week ago, he achieved something that no other boxer has ever done and it is appropriate that this ceremony is taking place in front of the great Brown Bomber because Thomas is in that class along with Sugar Ray Robinson who was also a proud Detroit citizen.” An emotional Hearns responded, “This is truly a great moment for me. It is something I will cherish more than anything and that includes the honour of winning the fourth title.”
“Go for number five, Tommy!” shouted someone in the crowd.
While Ring magazine was cynical about the legitimacy of Hearns’s four-weight record, achieved as it was at a time when numerous governing bodies, the so-called Alphabet Boys, had demeaned the notion of world titles, it nevertheless admitted “there can be no denying the ‘Hit Man’s’ stature as one of the 1980s’ greatest and most exciting performers.” Bob Arum attended the ceremony and wasted little time hyping future challenges for Hearns. “There are a couple of guys out there called Marvin and Ray who need to respond to our challenge,” he told the crowds. Emanuel Steward also tried to increase the public pressure on Hearns’s two conquerors, and said, “I am meeting with the representatives of Sugar Ray Leonard and Marvin Hagler in the coming week to negotiate terms for a fight in May 1988.” He speculated that such a bout would reap each fighter in excess of $10 million but insisted that Hearns must get the larger share. “Right now, Thomas is the most popular fighter out there. He is more popular that Leonard or Hagler.” The cheering hordes of Detroit fans certainly did not disagree.
14 THE BLADE AND THE HEAT
IN MAY 1988, Hearns was based in training camp in Phoenix, Arizona, preparing for his imminent fight against Iran Barkley in Las Vegas when he received news that Kimberly Craig, his one-time high school sweetheart, had been shot in the face and was in a critical condition at a Detroit hospital. Craig, aged twenty-eight, was the mother of Hearns’s five-year-old daughter Natasha Alana, although they had become estranged after Ms Craig, an estate agent, had felt obliged to sue Hearns two years earlier to get him to pay a weekly allowance of $600 in child support. Reports suggested that she had been shot twice by a male passenger who was in her car and subsequently fled without a trace. Police chiefs contacted Hearns to inform him and to ascertain if he had any information which could help them discover the assailant’s identity. Hearns said that he did not know anything that could help but was prevented by Emanuel Steward from returning to Detroit, so instead arranged to have his daughter flown directly to Phoenix. Steward was hugely sympathetic to his boxer’s plight but was determined that nothing would interfere with the preparations for the fight against the unpredictable Barkley. Craig would eventually recover from her injuries and be reunited with Hearns.
After dismantling Juan Roldan, Hearns