Hit Man - Brian Hughes [89]
This discrepancy in pay was one of a number of niggles which upset the champion in the pre-fight build-up. He felt that he was not afforded the respect he had worked so hard to obtain in his four years as champion. When he and Hearns were called together at press conferences, the media treated Hearns as the champion and dismissed Hill as a second-rate challenger. This discontent bubbled away quietly. Hill used it as motivational fuel but was unable to contain his disgust at the final Caesars Palace press conference. The traditional etiquette was for the champion to speak after the challenger had delivered his final words, but on this occasion the roles were reversed. To make matters worse, Kathryn Greene, widow of the legendary boxing agent and writer Ben Greene, interrupted the event to present the Ben Greene Humanitarian of the Year award to Hearns. “This is not the Thomas Hearns show,” railed Hill. “Hearns is not the champion. I am and I think that you ought to remember that and treat me accordingly.”
This demand for respect was not something which Hearns felt he needed to be reminded of. He appreciated Hill’s ability and resolve and knew that it would take a sublime performance to wrestle the title from his grasp. He delivered a masterful performance which stripped away the years and the increasing signs of decay to unanimously outpoint Virgil Hill over the fight’s twelve round duration. He battered the defensive specialist repeatedly with crisp, fast left jabs followed through with lightning-fast right hands to the head. The plan, according to Boxing Monthly, had been devised by Alex Sherer: Beat the champion at his own game. “So, Hearns concentrated getting off first and sharpest with the left jab, nullifying Hill’s best weapon, and beating him to the draw with left hooks,” reported the magazine. “When Hill countered, Hearns countered right back so that a puzzled, demoralised Hill was in the unhappy position of a fighter who couldn’t get into his rhythm, couldn’t make things happen to his advantage.”
On three occasions, in the sixth, ninth and eleventh rounds, Hearns had Hill in dire straits, but each time the champion relied on his wiles to survive. The champ did land some good shots, particularly a left hook in round five, but told his trainer between rounds that he “couldn’t get going” and Hearns generally dominated. The challenger crowned his performance in the twelfth round when he rolled back the ravages of age to crack Hill with three whiplash right crosses, breaking his nose and causing Hill to grope and claw at him to remain vertical.
Judge Chuck Giampa made Hearns the conclusive winner by 116-112, whilst judges Jerry Roth and Art Lurie agreed that he had won his fiftieth fight by the margin of 115-113. Ringside observers declared that it was his best fight in years. He hadn’t been wobbled like his 1989 rematch with Sugar Ray Leonard. He had resisted getting careless and staring up at the overhead arc lights as he had against Iran Barkley and he avoided falling below his level of ability as he tended to against Mark Medal and Doug DeWitt, which turned out to be protracted struggles. Hill’s presence had made Hearns totally focused, disciplined and sharp. He outboxed a boxer, outjabbed a jabber, and out-countered a counter-puncher to control the proceedings and dominate a champion who had reigned for four years and entered as a 4-1 favourite.
At the post-fight press conference, Hill’s trainer Freddie Roach was an agitated presence, in contrast to his battered and bruised charge, who seemed to have taken his defeat with nonchalance. The respected Roach was visibly fuming because his fighter had not followed their detailed fight strategy. “Virgil Hill didn’t show up,” Roach told the packed meeting room. “He failed to execute the plan and let things happen that we didn’t want to.” He accused Hill of paying Hearns too much respect and was circumspect in praising the