Earl: Earl moved page Fight:981597 to Thomas Hearns vs. John Long

2012-09-25T07:12:08Z

Earl moved page Fight:981597 to Thomas Hearns vs. John Long

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Earl: Created page with "981597 ---- DETROIT — The crowd waited for the right moment to explode. It had to be only a matter of time — hopefully sooner than later — for Tommy Hea..."

2012-09-25T07:11:17Z

Created page with "<fight>981597</fight> ---- DETROIT — The crowd waited for the right moment to explode. It had to be only a matter of time — hopefully sooner than later — for Tommy Hea..."

New page

<fight>981597</fight>

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DETROIT — The crowd waited for the right moment to explode. It had to be only a matter of time — hopefully sooner than later — for Tommy Hearns to take control of his comeback bout late Saturday night.

They hoped that, even at 46, Hearns' illustrious talent would be a true reality — and not just a distant memory.

Hearns' first fight in five years resulted in a ninth-round technical knockout of John Long, but the former champ was definitely pushed hard.

"It's a start, it's a start," said Hearns, who now has a career record of 60-5-1. "I feel like I fought eight tough rounds. He (Long) was very determined. He wanted to go at it."

Long (19-7-1) wasn't swayed by the screaming fervor of the sparse crowd of 3,000 at Cobo Arena, nor was he intimidated by the taller, better-conditioned Hearns.

He surprised Hearns in the first round, connecting with a few hard body blows and shots to the head.

Hearns looked sluggish and his timing was off, allowing Long to pin him on the ropes.

The Cobo crowd was hushed in antsy quiet, unhappy to see Hearns to getting hit. A few implored Hearns to become more aggressive and get off the ropes.

Hearns' son, middleweight boxer Ronald Hearns, sat in his father's corner and seemed visibly concerned with every punch Long landed.

Ronald was fresh off winning his own fight on the undercard, defeating Donald Adams by knockout in the first round.

"It was a lot harder watching my dad fight than having to do my own," said Ronald (7-0). "It's been a while since I've seen my dad get it. It's not easy seeing that. But he prevailed. He got it done again. I have to give him all the credit."

Ronald gave his dad advice between rounds, and Hearns seemed to be taking his own mental notes.

Hearns got his bearings as the fight wore on. He connected in the fifth with vicious combinations, led by his right. Long staggered, unable to cope with Hearns' power.

The barrage continued, and Hearns opened up a cut under Long's right eye.

Long continued to get in a few shots as the bout went into the seventh and eighth rounds. But it was also becoming clear that Hearns rediscovered his substantial reach advantage over the shorter Long.

Hearns punished Long in the eighth round, sending him back to his corner in rough shape.

Long's corner advised the referee that he'd had enough, and the fight was called.

The crowd, unaware of Long's status, jumped to their feet in shocked excitement when the announcement was made.

Hearns was in good shape when the bout was stopped, as all three judges had him ahead, 79-72, on their cards.

He said this fight was just a warm-up for several more. He would like to challenge for another world title, something that is probably two or three fights down the road.

Hearns has won six world titles in five weight classes in his career.

"I think I am going to take a month off and then get back at it," Hearns said. "We'll see what comes. I think I am going to get better each time I get into the ring. Better and better. This was just the first fight, I got through it and I won. Now we go on."

'''The Detroit News - July 31, 2005'''

Thomas Hearns vs. John Long - Revision history

Earl: Earl moved page Fight:981597 to Thomas Hearns vs. John Long

Earl: Created page with "981597 ---- DETROIT — The crowd waited for the right moment to explode. It had to be only a matter of time — hopefully sooner than later — for Tommy Hea..."