Thomas Hearn is an ex-professional American boxer with a very long career which lasted for 29 years who became one of the most prominent fighters of his time.
He is still very well remembered in the boxing world. His life and his work inspired many people around the world all of the time.
He was known for his nickname “Motor City Cobra” but he himself preferred being called “The Hitman” because it seemed more dangerous.
Thomas will always be remembered as the first boxer ever to win world titles in not one or two but five different boxing weight divisions. This was something that not a lot of people have done and therefore he was very well remembered in history.
He became a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2012 and it was an extremely powerful and emotional moment for him. He knew that this was the moment he was getting ready for his entire career and he was very excited about it.
Early years
He was born as Thomas Hearns on October 18, 1958, in a town named Grand Junction in Tennesse, a state in the United States. Little did his parents know that he was going to become a world famous sports player.
Grand Junction is today known as a tourist place because of its grand nature and various possibilities for outdoor adventures.
His mother Lois was married twice, and Tommy was one of the three children from her first marriage with his biological father named John.
Tommy lived with his siblings until the age of 5 when his family decided to move to Detroit in Michigan, in order to gain better job prospects.
His real dad John divorced his mother Lois when he was only 7 years old. This was a pretty tough thing for the little Hearn to live through, but he became stronger because of it and learned how to deal with it.
After she was re-married Tommy gained six more siblings so he was growing up in a very large family. This was making the whole thing for him easier because he didn’t have to be alone all of the time.
Career development
He took up boxing at the age of 10 and liked it so much that he started to train at Kronk Gym when he was a young teenager.
He was soon addicted to it and he started serious training because he recognized that he was good at it.
After he started boxing he rose up quickly to the big scene. He was 19 years old when he became the winner of the National Amateur Light Welterweight Championship by winning in the finals against Bobby Young.
He was the winner of the National Golden Gloves the same year and it was considered that he had a very bright boxing future in front of him because of his boxing skills and the speed he learned and improved those skills.
During his amateur boxing career, he had 155 wins and only 8 loses which made him become one of the Top boxers in amateur boxing ever.
He became a professional boxer in 1977 and received a lot of interest due to his physique: he was very tall (1,85 m) and slim.
He got famous for his strong right hand which he used for knockouts so most of his winnings came from it.
All of his first 13 fights ended up in his winnings and in knock-outs which happened almost always in the first three rounds of the boxing match.
In 1980, he had his first fight for the world title for a welterweight champion and it was his first fight against Jose Pipino Cuevas whom he knocked down as early in the 2nd round.
He was also engaged in two big boxing matches which brought him accolades although he lost both of them. He knew that he was going to train more and train harder, but this didn’t create any issues for him because he was ready to give all of him for the career.
The first was a fight against a world famous Sugar Ray Leonard and it lasted for 14 rounds and is considered to be one of the most compelling fights ever.
He was pushed to his limits in this fight but didn’t even think of stopping or was afraid of getting hurt – he was in for the win. After so much training, it would be a shame to give up on all of these opportunities.
Although he lost this fight he garnered the respect of boxers and boxing fans.
The other fighter which brought him recognition was in 1985, against Marvin Hagler which was also considered as a historic battle.
In 1984 he won another match, this time against Roberto Duran by knocking him down early in the 2nd round.
In 1987, he won a fight against Juan Domingo Roldan which brought him the WBC middleweight title.
His career ended in 2016 with great numbers for a boxer: 61 wins, only 5 loses and just 1 draw. This is something that not a lot of boxers can brag with: these statistics make him one of the best boxers in the era.
Personal life
Hearn earned a lot of money during his professional career but unfortunately, at the end of it he had huge debts to the IRS and had to sell a lot of his possessions. Many people criticized him for this and the media couldn’t get enough of the story. It just wasn’t clear to people how did he end up having no cash.
He claims he has given his large family too much money, not thinking about himself and most of the people close to him confirmed that he was always very giving and that a lot of people used his generosity. Not everyone believes this story, but this is what he told the media.
His last fight was in 2000 when he lost a fight against Uriah Grant. He has hurt his ankle during the fight and it was probably the reason for his loss.
He became a boxing promoter after his retirement. His son Ronald started boxing as his father and he is very proud of him. He says that be never forced the kid into that career, he just decided on his own that it would be a great thing for him to do.
Although Thomas didn’t want his kid to become a boxer, Ronald chose to go that way. Thomas said that there are many bad things that happen when you become famous and he didn’t want his kid to be a part of it.
The only thing that Thomas could do is force his son to finish college first (American University) and get his degree in criminal justice.
He was trained by Emanuel Steward, who became almost like a second father. He died in 2012 and he misses him a lot.
He became a very good friend with Sugar Ray Leonard and they meet or speak about their past.
His wife is named Renee Hearns and in 2016 there were rumors that they are splitting up because she had enough of their financial troubles.
Quick summary
Full name: Thomas Hearns
Date of birth: October 18, 1958
Birthplace: Grand Junction, Tennessee
Age: 61
Profession: boxing promoter, a former boxer
Height: 1,85 m
Weight: 80 kgs
Net Worth: $50 000