Has anyone on here ever met Tommy Hearns

Terrific post. It's true of a lot of professions, music too. The old guard is always changing there as well.

I remember reading in the buildup for the Hagler fight that someone connected with the Hearns camp commented that Tommy's entire sense of self-worth and well-being had to do with his right hand. That might be overplaying it some, but I wasn't there to see him, so who knows.

 

Trying to live a normal life after a life in sport is very challenging, especially if the money is gone. Imagine someone like him having to get a mundane job etc, must screw your head.

 

This guy was a legend like his buddy Duran and both of them squandered all that money. I have a hard time feeling sorry for either of them. I get it. The big money is there and they are on top of the world and then boxing ends and no money is coming in. They don't realize boxing is not a long term thing? I read somewhere how many fighters buy houses and pay it in payments. They have the money to buy it outright why pay the payments. Hearns and Duran could have had just as much money as Ray had they managed well. Someone asked Hearns once how could he and Duran lose all their money and he got mad at the guy and said "how much money do you have? Could you do better?" And the guy said " I would have more than you guys if I had earned that much" and Hearns looked like he wanted to punch him but he just turned and walked away.

 

Tommy and Roberto are great fighters from a great great era so I am not insulting them as fighters. They were the best and will always be remembered. But how can we feel sorry for guys who earned in the millions where money was the name of the game and they earned it and now it is gone? They have to go to fight cards and dinners or what have you and earn pennies compared to what they did before. It must suck. Did they think they could fight forever? Hearns and Duran did fight forever which makes you wonder if they actually did think that way. Ray was smarter and he gets into skeechers and dancing with stars and everything. Marvin I don't know how he is doing monetarily.

 

I wasnt excusing his squandering of money if you read my post. I wasnt talking from a money perspective in my comments.
On the subject of money , as Tony Tubbs once said " The thing is , you always think there will be another big payday".

 

Ironic isn't it as he won the Sutherland fight basically only with his left as he folded his right early on ..

 

Well really from the defeat to Leonard up to Duran, I think he only stopped two out of six opponents, something like that.

 

Ya the Murray fight was at MW, and Tommy just wasn't a great MW, I loved the Motor City Cobra days

 

Good post. I think he got too ambitious and after he lost to Hagler he wanted to get all the belts he could. I wish he would have stayed at middleweight for a long time and not moved up to 175 and then I think his power would have come to what it was at 154.. He knocked out Shuler and I thought, ok he is getting legit at the weight. He looked bigger and solid on March 10, 1986 I think it was. Then I hear he is going to go back down to 154 and fight Mark Medal with Duran fighting Sims and McGuigan someone else, but then Cruz I think was scheduled. Wasn't someone else scheduled for McGuigan and pulled out? I could be wrong. The triple hitter card. Tommy looked ok but cautious. Then he goes up and fights Dewitt in Oct. at 160, and in March less than 9 months after he fought Medal at 154 he is fighting at 175.. Then he goes down 7 or so months later and fights Roldan at middleweight. Too much moving around. I know he wanted titles but he did a little what Jones did with Ruiz. Then after that he fights Barkley at 160 in June 1988 and Kinchen at 168 in Nov. 1988.. I wondered why he did the up and down so much in weight. If we see how much he moved up and down it is rather ridiculous. I have not seen guys move up and down like that for years and years.

 

How they handled their money is so personal. I don't know what to say there. Tommy and Roberto were kind hearted guys and they wanted to be generous. I don't think that is a bad thing.

 

I did not meet him but had a chance to see him and spend time studying him back in late 81 a few months after his first Leonard fight .. he came to NYC and sparred at Gleason's gym, then on W 30th Street .. his team was there although not Steward .. they had him sparring with a equally large, athletic sparring partner he seemed to know very well ... it was almost like they were choreographed in their movements, like a show until the man actually tagged Tommy a bit and Hearns momentarily stumbled like he was slightly buzzed .. immediately his who group was there to give him big emotional support and to finish the round .. I think it was all part of him moving up to larger weight and getting his confidence back .. he seemed otherwise nice enough and was swarmed by a huge team of handlers , followers and a huge positive reaction from the overflowing gym ..

 

I met Tommy when he was doing a speaking tour with Manny Streward. Manny did most of the talking.

They were both contracted to sit and be photographed with every guest at the dinner and both of them were extremely patient and friendly with everyone. I had my photo taken with them. Tommy came across as a very proud man. Quiet, humble but serious. He struggled with some questions mostly because he was a yes or no kind of guy. Where as Manny could elaborate on anything. During the talk Hearns came across as a guy who took nothing for granted. He was unspoiled. Genuinely looked amazed that people were still as interested in earlier details of his career as they were. As though he had never given it a thought.

Mind, there was no flys on Tommy, apparently Hearns requested a suit of clothes from the promoter as part of the deal before appearing. The promoter, an ex boxer of similar build, offered him a suit from his own wardrobe but Tommy looked at this “Prince of Wales” checkered jacket and said “come on man, that’s not my style”. He was then taken to a tailors to get measured up.

 

So Tommy Hearns has lost his money? I saw a documentary years ago where he was buying a nice car every year. and lived in a top house.

All gone?

 

Many people do poorly managing large amounts of money. Powerball winner often squander their huge winnings and five or six years later are much worse off than before they won. Money is a very double edged thing and it sure does not guarantee happiness.