Hit Man - Brian Hughes [99]
When Hearns finally appeared in court before Judge Sheila Johnson, he pleaded “no contest” to the charge and was sentenced to probation for the incident. In the courtroom, he was accompanied by Renee, who sat a few feet away, and looked humble and contrite. “The only thing I would like to say is that the last three weeks of my life, have not been the best three weeks of my life,” he told Judge Johnson. “I’ve learned something and I will not do it again.” The judge said the police report indicated that Hearns and his son had become involved in an altercation during which Hearns pushed his son and struck him once in the face with an “open-handed slap.” Police reports indicated that the teenager had disobeyed his father’s directive to turn up a thermostat in a cold bedroom where he was playing a computer game. “You are a dutiful parent and have always taken an interest in your children,” Judge Johnson told Hearns. “This was an unfortunate, bad situation and hopefully something was learned and it would not happen again. Children have to realize there are times they have to be disciplined. And parents have to act in appropriate manner when they do and not let the heat of the moment decide it.”
The incident was uncharacteristic of Hearns, who had no criminal record. After an embarrassingly public airing of his domestic life, Hearns expressed his relief at being sentenced to nine months probation, $515 in court fees and fines, two days’ community service and compulsory attendance to parenting and anger management classes. Oakland County Assistant Prosecutor Keri Middleditch described the ruling as, “Just and typical, considering the circumstances of the case.”
During the court case, Hearns had kept himself in good physical condition and after it was concluded, he decided to put his hard work to use for one last time. On 4 February 2006, the famed Hit Man fought his last fight. His opponent was Shannon “Sand Man” Landberg, from Indiana. The Sand Man was on a rare nine-fight winning streak in his undistinguished seventy-nine fight career. The last rites to the Hearns journey were administered at The Palace, Michigan. As expected, Hearns laboured to a plodding, pedestrian victory over ten rounds. In the tenth, Thomas Hearns jumped from his stool and for two minutes, he worked his left jab with precision, his footwork was sublime and graceful and his famed right hand worked like a missile. He created the impression that time had stood still and he was the phenomenally talented, fearsome and sublimely skilled athlete of yesteryear, as he summoned his resources to stop the hapless Landberg. But in truth it was just an illusion. After his victory had been officially declared, Thomas Hearns stepped out of the ring for good.
THERE ARE FEW happy endings in boxing. At the beginning of 2006, due to deep budget cuts, the city of Detroit threatened to close down the Kronk. Steward immediately launched a fundraising campaign to raise the estimated $500,000 a year needed to keep the centre going. He managed to draw in a large pledge from an online casino, but then the gambling site backed out. In September 2006, the gym closed temporarily after thieves stole copper pipes, cutting off the water supply, and adding to the long list of repairs needed to keep the place open. The boxers relocated to the Dearborn branch of Gold’s Gym. The cost of fixing the plumbing and making other major repairs led officials to decide to make the gym’s shutdown permanent, and on 28 November 2006, the unthinkable happened: the Kronk officially closed.
At the beginning of 2007, a high profile fundraiser was held at Detroit’s Fisher Building in a bid to raise the cash to reopen the gym. Actor Sylvester Stallone