August 2, 1980: Thomas Hearns and Aaron Pryor are World Champions!

[elmersalsa]

Do you remember when American TV networks used to broadcast live on Saturdays and Sunday afternoons the fights?

On Saturday, August 2, 1980 two American fighters became world champions: Thomas "The Hitman" Hearns and Aaron "The Hawk" Pryor.

They defeated long-time champions Pipino Cuevas (WBA welterweight) and Antonio Cervantes (WBA jr welterweight) respectively.

The knockout that Hearns gave Cuevas was devastating as hell. What a knockout!

[elmersalsa]

I can't believe that 40 years ago past like that? It seems like It was yesterday.

[Onetimeonly]

Pryor was on NBC. Hearns/cuevas wasnt on CBS until the following week, fight was at night. Couldn't get the result for a day or two.

[Nile4000]

Great memories. 2 months after the other Pryor caught on fire.

[elmersalsa]

Pryor was on NBC. Hearns/cuevas wasnt on CBS until the following week, fight was at night. Couldn't get the result for a day or two.

The Pryor-Cervantes fight was on CBS, too. Tim Ryan and Gil Clancy made the call.

[Onetimeonly]

Pryor was on NBC. Hearns/cuevas wasnt on CBS until the following week, fight was at night. Couldn't get the result for a day or two.

The Pryor-Cervantes fight was on CBS, too. Tim Ryan and Gil Clancy made the call.

Did he look as sensational as he did in all those fights you never saw?

[AntonioMartin]

Do you remember when American TV networks used to broadcast live on Saturdays and Sunday afternoons the fights?

On Saturday, August 2, 1980 two American fighters became world champions: Thomas "The Hitman" Hearns and Aaron "The Hawk" Pryor.

They defeated long-time champions Pipino Cuevas (WBA welterweight) and Antonio Cervantes (WBA jr welterweight) respectively.

The knockout that Hearns gave Cuevas was devastating as hell. What a knockout!

Ring en Espanol called this a dark day for Latin boxers. Samuel Serrano also lost his WBA Junior Lightweight world title to Yasutsune Uehara, on the same card as Hearns-Cuevas While the USA and Japan won titles, Latin America lost three of them, Colombia, Mexico and Puerto Rico each lost one title. Also..they were all WBA ones!

And yes, Aaron Pryor did look sensational..

[f read]

I miss those days of network television having a good fight on television. There were also fights that were not title fights that would show up. Yes it stopped in the early 1990s i believe. This Hearns-Cuevas fight was a savage beating. Good for Cuevas that it was short. I believe the Cobb-Shavers fight was also on that card. I do not know if it was televised.

[AntonioMartin]

I miss those days of network television having a good fight on television. There were also fights that were not title fights that would show up. Yes it stopped in the early 1990s i believe. This Hearns-Cuevas fight was a savage beating. Good for Cuevas that it was short. I believe the Cobb-Shavers fight was also on that card. I do not know if it was televised.

It was! Its on you tube.