Editing Thomas Hearns (section)

==Professional career==
{{main|José Cuevas vs. Thomas Hearns}}
Hearns began his professional boxing career in Detroit, Michigan, under the tutelage of [[Emanuel Steward]] in 1977. Steward had changed Hearns from a light hitting amateur boxer to one of the most devastating punchers in boxing history.

He won six major world titles in five weight classes during his pro career, defeating future [[International Boxing Hall of Fame|boxing hall of famers]] such as [[José Cuevas (boxer)|José "Pipino" Cuevas]], [[Wilfred Benítez]], [[Virgil Hill]] and [[Roberto Durán]]. In addition, he won the [[International Boxing Organization|IBO]] title at Cruiserweight.

Hearns started his career by knocking out his first 17 opponents. In 1980, Hearns carried his 28–0 record into a world title match against Mexico's Cuevas. Hearns ended Cuevas's 4-year reign by beating him by TKO in the second round. Hearns was voted "Fighter of the Year" by Ring Magazine in 1980.

===Hearns vs. Leonard===
{{main|Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Thomas Hearns}}
[[File:Tommy Hearns ca. Dec. 1981, Detroit Michigan USA.jpg|thumb|right|Hearns, center, in Detroit, December 1981.]]
In 1981, Hearns the [[World Boxing Association|WBA]] Champion, with a 32–0 record (30 KOs), fought [[World Boxing Council|WBC]] Champion [[Sugar Ray Leonard]] (30–1) to unify the World [[Welterweight]] Championship in a bout dubbed "The Showdown". In this fight, Hearns suffered his first professional defeat when Leonard stopped him in the 14th round. In the 13th round, Leonard, behind on points on all 3 judges scorecards, needed a knockout to win. He came on strong and put Hearns through the ropes at the end of the round. Hearns was dazed, totally out of gas and received a count but was saved by the bell. Leonard, with his left eye shut and time running out, resumed his attack in the 14th. Hearns started the round boxing and moving, but after staggering Hearns with an overhand right, Leonard pinned Hearns against the ropes. After another combination to the body and head, referee Davey Pearl stopped the fight. Hearns and Leonard banked a combined 17 million dollars for the fight, making it the largest purse in sports history at the time. The following year, Leonard retired due to a detached retina, and there would be no rematch until 1989.<ref>Harry Mullan: "The Pictorial History of Boxing" p.295</ref>

===Light Middleweight Champion===
{{main|Wilfred Benítez vs. Thomas Hearns|Thomas Hearns vs. Roberto Durán}}
Hearns moved up in weight and won the [[World Boxing Council|WBC]] [[Super Welterweight]] (154&nbsp;lb) title from boxing legend and three-time world champion [[Wilfred Benítez]] (44–1–1) in New Orleans in December 1982, and defended that title against European Champion Luigi Minchillo (42–1) (W 12), [[Roberto Durán]] (TKO 2), no.1 contender Fred Hutchings (29–1) (KO 3) and #1 contender Mark Medal (26–2) (TKO 8). During his reign at this weight, the 2 round destruction of Roberto Durán, in which he became the first boxer to KO Durán, is seen as his pinnacle achievement, earning him his second Ring Magazine "Fighter of the Year" award in 1984.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/jrmiddle.htm|title=Thomas Hearns - Lineal Junior Middleweight Champion|publisher=The Cyber Boxing Zone Encyclopedia}}</ref>

===Hagler vs Hearns===
{{main|Marvin Hagler vs. Thomas Hearns}}
While remaining super-welterweight (light-middleweight) champion, Hearns ventured into the [[middleweight]] division to challenge undisputed middleweight champion [[Marvin Hagler]] in 1985. Billed "The Fight" (later known as "The War"),<ref name="war1">{{cite news |last1=McCarthy |first1=Alex |title=Hagler's 'highlight' came against Hearns, which had the greatest round in history |url=https://talksport.com/sport/boxing/849062/marvin-hagler-tommy-hearns-round-1-war-boxing-history/ |work=talkSPORT |date=15 March 2021}}</ref> this bout has often been labeled as the three greatest rounds in boxing history.<ref name="war1" /><ref name="war2">{{cite news |last1=Wang |first1=Gene |title=Marvin Hagler helped boxing soar in the 1980s, and nothing topped his epic TKO of Thomas Hearns |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/03/13/marvin-hagler-thomas-hearns-the-war/ |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=14 March 2021}}</ref> The battle elevated both fighters to superstar status. Hearns was able to stun Hagler soon after the opening bell, but he subsequently broke his right hand in the first round.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hoffer |first1=Richard |title=Hearns Broke Right Hand in 1st Round : An Uppercut to Head Stunned Hagler but Hurt the Hit Man |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-04-18-sp-23678-story.html |work=Los Angeles Times |date=18 April 1985}}</ref> He did, however, manage to open a deep cut on Hagler's forehead that caused referee Richard Steele to call a time out; the ring doctor examined the cut over Hagler's right eye and said, "let him go." The fight was allowed to continue at this point, with the ringside commentators remarking on the fact that, "the last thing Hagler wants or needs is for this fight to be stopped on a cut."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Smith |first1=Adam |title=Marvin Hagler vs Thomas Hearns remembered by Adam Smith on 35th anniversary of legendary fight |url=https://www.skysports.com/boxing/news/12183/11973778/marvin-hagler-vs-thomas-hearns-remembered-by-adam-smith-on-35th-anniversary-of-legendary-fight |work=Sky Sports |date=15 April 2020 |language=en}}</ref> The battle did go back and forth some, but Hearns was unable to capitalize on his early successes against Hagler. As a result of breaking his right hand, Hearns began to use lateral movement and a good jab to keep Hagler at bay as best he could. This tactic worked fairly well, but in the third round Hagler staggered Hearns and managed to catch him against the ropes, where a crushing right hand by Hagler knocked Hearns down. Hearns beat the count but was clearly unable to continue and the referee decided to stop the fight. Despite the loss, Hearns garnered a tremendous amount of respect from fans and boxing aficionados alike.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Zinoman |first1=Jason |title=The last hurrah for the hitman |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2006/may/07/boxing.features |work=the Guardian |date=7 May 2006}}</ref> Considering the popularity of the fight and the level of competition, a rematch seemed to be a foregone conclusion and was highly anticipated, but it never took place.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Katz |first1=Michael |title=Hearns Races Toward Hagler Rematch |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/07/30/sports/hearns-races-toward-hagler-rematch.html |work=The New York Times |date=30 July 1985}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Slater |first1=James |title=Hagler-Hearns - When They Tried To Set Up A Rematch — Boxing News |url=https://www.boxing247.com/boxing-news/hagler-hearns/60717 |work=Boxing247 |date=30 August 2016}}</ref>

===Comeback===
{{main|Dennis Andries vs. Thomas Hearns|Thomas Hearns vs. Juan Roldán|Thomas Hearns vs. Iran Barkley|Thomas Hearns vs. James Kinchen}}
Hearns quickly made amends by dispatching undefeated rising star [[James Shuler|James "Black Gold" Shuler]] with a devastating first-round knockout in 1986. One week after the fight, Shuler was killed in a motorcycle accident. Hearns presented the [[North American Boxing Federation|NABF]] championship belt to Shuler's family at his funeral, saying he deserved to keep the belt as he had held it longer than Hearns.

In March 1987, Hearns scored six knockdowns of [[Dennis Andries]] to win the [[World Boxing Council|WBC]] [[light-heavyweight]] title with a tenth round stoppage at Cobo Hall, Detroit, Michigan. Later that year, his four-round destruction of [[Juan Roldán]] (63–2) to claim the vacant WBC middleweight title made Hearns a four-weight world champion.

In a huge upset, Hearns lost his WBC middleweight title to [[Iran Barkley]] via a third-round TKO in June 1988 in a bout Ring Magazine named ''1988 Upset of the Year''. In November that year, Hearns returned to win another world title, defeating [[James Kinchen]] (44–3) via a majority decision to win the inaugural WBO [[super-middleweight]] title. Hearns became the first boxer to win a world title in five weight divisions.

===Rematch with Leonard===
{{main|Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Thomas Hearns II}}
Hearns had to wait until 1989 for a rematch with Sugar Ray Leonard, this time for Leonard's [[World Boxing Council|WBC]] [[super-middleweight]] title and Hearns's WBO title. This was Hearns's sixth Superfight, a fight which much of the public believed Hearns won, flooring Leonard in both the 3rd and 11th rounds. However, the judges scored the fight a controversial draw.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Putnam |first1=Pat |title=ANOTHER CLASSIC |url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1989/06/19/another-classic-sugar-ray-leonard-survived-two-knockdowns-and-escaped-with-a-draw-in-a-thrilling-rematch-against-thomas-hearns |work=Sports Illustrated Vault {{!}} SI.com |date=19 June 1989}}</ref>

===Later career===
{{main|Thomas Hearns vs. Michael Olajide|Virgil Hill vs. Thomas Hearns|Thomas Hearns vs. Iran Barkley II}}
Hearns had one last great performance in 1991, as he challenged the undefeated [[World Boxing Association|WBA]] [[light-heavyweight]] champion Virgil Hill. In Hill's eleventh defense of the title, Hearns returned to his amateur roots and outboxed the champion to win a convincing decision and add a sixth world title to his illustrious career.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Putnam |first1=Pat |title=The Last Of The Legends |url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1991/06/17/the-last-of-the-legends-thomas-hearns-unlike-three-former-illustrious-peers-is-still-a-champion |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030020116/https://vault.si.com/vault/1991/06/17/the-last-of-the-legends-thomas-hearns-unlike-three-former-illustrious-peers-is-still-a-champion |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 30, 2020 |work=Sports Illustrated Vault {{!}} SI.com |date=17 June 1991 }}</ref> On March 20, 1992, Hearns lost this title on a split decision to old foe [[Iran Barkley]] but continued to compete and won his next 8 bouts.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Berger |first1=Phil |title=BOXING; Decision Goes to Barkley After a 12-Round Brawl |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/03/21/sports/boxing-decision-goes-to-barkley-after-a-12-round-brawl.html |work=The New York Times |date=21 March 1992}}</ref>

On June 23, 1997, Hearns appeared on a [[WWE|WWF]] telecast, performing in a storyline where he was taunted and challenged by professional wrestler [[Bret Hart|Bret "Hitman" Hart]], who claimed that Hearns stole the "Hitman" nickname. Hearns ended up attacking [[Jim Neidhart]] and knocking him down with a series of punches before officials entered the ring and broke up the confrontation.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Dixon |first1=James |last2=Furious |first2=Arnold |last3=Maughan |first3=Lee |last4=Ashley |first4=Rick |last5=Dahlstrom |first5=Bon |title=The Raw Files: 1997 |date=2014 |isbn=978-1-291-75779-8 |page=67|publisher=Lulu.com }}</ref>

On November 6, 1998, Hearns had a boxing fight which featured a rare, [[Knockout|double knockdown]]. In it, Hearns and opponent Jay Snyder landed punches simultaneously during the very first round, Hearns a devastating right hand to Snyder's chin and Snyder a left jab to Hearns's chin. Hearns was able to get up before the referee's count reached ten seconds; Snyder was not and Hearns won by first-round knockout.<ref>{{cite news |title=Hearns Begins Comeback With KO |url=https://apnews.com/article/6e92158f9dacd7b922af7e85fce09d25 |work=AP NEWS |date=7 November 1998}}</ref>

On April 10, 1999, Hearns travelled to England and beat [[Nate Miller (boxer)|Nate Miller]] by unanimous decision to win the IBO [[cruiserweight (boxing)|cruiserweight]] title.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Slater |first1=James |title=On This Day 21 Years Ago – Thomas Hearns Has His One And Only Pro Fight In England — Boxing News |url=https://www.boxing247.com/boxing-news/thomas-hearns-hengland/148090 |work=Boxing247 |date=10 April 2020}}</ref> In his next fight in April 2000 he lost the title to [[Uriah Grant]]. The first round was competitive, with Hearns appearing hurt by a solid right to the jaw. Both fighters traded blows in the second round until Hearns appeared to injure his right ankle. He was forced to retire injured at the end of the round.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hoffer |first1=Richard |title=It's a Wrap Thomas Hearns ended his glorious career not with a bang but a sprain |url=https://vault.si.com/vault/2000/04/17/its-a-wrap-thomas-hearns-ended-his-glorious-career-not-with-a-bang-but-a-sprain |work=Sports Illustrated Vault {{!}} SI.com |date=17 April 2000}}</ref> The crowd booed and Hearns took the microphone and promised his fans that he would be back.<ref>{{cite news |title=Injured Hearns loses title |url=https://www.deseret.com/2000/4/9/19500937/injured-hearns-loses-title |work=Deseret News |date=9 April 2000}}</ref> Hearns fought twice more, winning both fights by TKO. His final fight was on 4 February 2006 against Shannon Landberg.<ref>{{cite news |title=Hearns beats Landberg with 10th round stoppage |url=https://www.espn.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=2319744 |work=ESPN.com |date=5 February 2006}}</ref>