Boxing’s Greats of the States | Tennessee: Thomas Hearns

Boxers come from every corner of the globe. Sometimes, fighters are products of their environment, favoring styles prevalent in the country or state from which they hail. Various regions of the United States are considered factories for great fighters, though that certainly is not the case with each state. In this weekly Sherdog.com series, the spotlight will shine on the best boxer of all-time from each of the 50 states. Fighters do not necessarily need to be born in a given state to represent it; they simply need to be associated with it.

***
Thomas Hearns may be known as the greatest fighter to ever come out of the famed Kronk Gym in Detroit, but “The Hitman” also has ties to the Volunteer State: He was born in Grand Junction, Tennessee, on Oct. 18, 1958. One of the key figures in boxing’s golden era of welterweights, Hearn enjoyed a remarkable career that was capped by his induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Many mistake Hearns for a wild brawler who was willing to stand toe-to-toe with anyone he faced. That was not the case. Yes, he waged an iconic war with Marvelous Marvin Hagler in 1985, but Hearns was a masterful boxer with deadly precision on his leads and counters. He won his first 32 professional bouts and gave “Sugar” Ray Leonard fits in their first meeting on Sept. 16, 1981 before eventually losing by technical knockout in the 14th round. Hearns racked up a number of meaningful victories during his brilliant career, with wins over Wilfred Benitez, Roberto Duran, Jose Cuevas and Virgil Hill, among others. When “The Hitman” faced Leonard again in their 1989 rematch, many felt it a robbery when the fight was declared a draw.

Hearns retired with a 61-5-1 (48 KOs) record, having captured world championships as a welterweight, junior middleweight and light heavyweight.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Antwun Echols, Gorilla Jones, Tommy Brooks