Thomas Hearns vs. Karl Willis
Thomas Hearns 176 lbs beat Karl Willis 171 lbs by KO at 2:45 in round 5 of 10
- Date: 1996-11-29
- Location: Roanoke Civic Center, Roanoke, Virginia, USA
- Referee: Larry Doggett
- Judge: Vaughn LaPrade
- Judge: Wayne Peters
- Judge: Phil Kornberg
Fighting for the first time in 14 months, six-time world boxing champion Thomas Hearns stopped Karl Willis in the fifth round of their light heavyweight bout last night in Roanoke, Va.
The 38-year-old Hearns hit Willis with a stiff punch just below the sternum. The referee stopped the fight when the blow sent Willis to his knees. Just a minute earlier, Willis (23-5, 17 KOs) had swung a left hook that put Hearns (57-4-1, 44 KOs) on his heels.
"More than anything else, I was too laid back," Hearns said afterward in his dressing room. "I wasn't able to hit him clean. But I knew when he came in close, I wouldn't have any problem."
Willis, 28, won the first round and fought Hearns so evenly in the second that they hugged when it was over. Willis lost a third round punctuated by a Hearns hook that knocked out his mouthpiece at the bell. Hearns seemed to regain his old form in the fourth.
Willis, who weighed 171 pounds - had the advantage in the fifth before the 176-pound Hearns landed his decisive combination.
"I definitely could have kept going," said Willis. "I wasn't even dazed. But you can't argue with the ref, no matter if he's wrong. You can make yourself look bad, and I'm not into that."
The Seattle Times - November 30, 1996