Hit Man - Brian Hughes [97]
The English fight fans gave him a rapturous ovation when he was called to the ring but he failed to live up to it as he plodded and laboured to a dubious points decision to capture the meaningless International Boxing Organisation cruiserweight championship. It was a sad footnote to the night that, long before the conclusion of the twelve rounds, many spectators chose to leave the arena rather than watch their memories of a once great champion being tarnished. The crowd did not heckle or boo; their respect was too sincere for that. But the contrast between the warrior who had been involved in some of the sport’s greatest tussles and the pale shadow before them seemed even starker given that it was seven years since one of his fights had last been broadcast in the UK – against Iran Barkley. Few had seen how sharply he had declined and it was all the more shocking when revealed. “Maybe it is time to admit that life as a boxer does not begin at forty,” acknowledged Emanuel Steward. He vowed that he would speak with Hearns about his options.
The discussions between trainer and fighter concluded with the agreement that Hearns would box at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit for the very last time. He would, once again, feature on the October undercard of a Prince Naseem Hamed defence, against Cesar Soto; Hamed was now being tutored by Steward. But though it was announced at a press conference that Hearns would feature on the bill, it was also revealed that an opponent had not yet been secured. Eventually, Hearns had to be withdrawn after his discussions with promoter Cedric Kushner foundered. He agreed to fight English cruiserweight Crawford Ashley, but refused to accept $150,000. Hearns felt that this was around $100,000 short of his expectations. He reassured his supporters that he would bow out in style with a title fight.
In April 2000, Thomas Hearns held yet another press conference to announce that, after a swansong, he would retire from the sport he had graced for twenty-three years. The opponent for his last hurrah was to be a fellow veteran, thirty-nine-year-old Uriah Grant, at the Joe Louis Arena, Detroit. He had again been supposed to fight Crawford Ashley, but once more complications around the agreed purse (this time Ashley was unhappy with the amount offered) meant that Grant, from Jamaica, was called up as a late replacement just three weeks before the bill.
The Detroit fans flocked to buy tickets to give their prodigal son the send-off he merited, and 10,000 were sold in the week leading up to the fight. They did not anticipate the embarrassment which ensued when Hearns suffered a severe ankle sprain at the end of the second round. He limped back to his corner grimacing in pain, and Emanuel Steward was compelled to ignore his pleas to be allowed to box on and retired him on his stool. The charged, emotional crowd turned ugly and, amid a crescendo of booing and jeering, debris rained into the ring, sparking skirmishes to erupt at ringside. Hearns took the microphone and begged the fans to stop. He apologised and vowed, “This won’t be my final fight.”
In the sanctuary of his dressing room, he was calmer and more reflective. He told reporters that he had to discuss his future with his family before he made any more decisions. Steward was less composed and asked Hearns in an emotional conversation, “Everything has to end sometime, but does it have to end like this?” He later told Ronald Hearns, Thomas’s oldest son and a promising junior at Washington University, that he wouldn’t want his father’s career to end the way it had, through injury. “He is a champion who deserves far better.” However, he did admit, “I don’t know if the public would really want to buy a second ‘final’ fight.”