Thomas ‘The Hitman’ Hearns helped to define an era of boxing alongside his fellow ‘Four Kings’.
Competing in one of the greatest fights of all time with Marvin Hagler, Hearns also boasts wins over Roberto Duran and Jose ‘Pipino’ Cuevas.
Retiring in 2006, Hearns remarkably fought across four decades, after making his debut in 1977. His final career tally would see him hang up his gloves with a 61-5-1 record.
As a champion, Hearns was able to have some fantastic performances, including one title defense where he broke down his opponent.
Thomas Hearns caused Randy Shields to bow out of world title bout
Defeating Cuevas in August 1980, Hearns became a world champion for the first time at just 21 years of age. In December of the same year, ‘The Hitman’ would also make the first defense of his WBA World Welterweight championship, beating Luis Primera.
For the second defense of his world title, Hearns would take on 25-year-old Randy Shields in Arizona. The title challenger had a professional record of 38-6-1, with his last loss coming to Cuevas in 1979.
The bout would take place in April 1981, as Hearns looked to build on his perfect 30-0 record.
Although Shields had faced top opposition such as Sugar Ray Leonard and Wilfred Benitez, the youngest ever world champion, he could not offer Hearns a close fight.
Hearns was leading the fight that was scheduled for 15 rounds, as the damage began to accumulate on the face of the title challenger. Clearly the sharper and more explosive fighter, Hearns was causing Shields problems he could not solve.
After the end of the 12th round, a deflated-looking Shields did not want to continue in the bout when asked by the referee. The official result would see Hearns retain his title via TKO.
Thomas Hearns made three world title defenses before facing Sugar Ray Leonard
Despite winning his world title in such impressive fashion, Hearns would only be able to defend the belt three times before tasting defeat.
After his win over Shields, Hearns would also stop Pablo Baez as he set up a fight with Leonard.
Competing in a welterweight title unification bout, Leonard would score a stunning knockout in the penultimate round of the fight.
Dethroning Hearns, Leonard’s record improved to 31-1. As for ‘The Hitman’, he was now a fighter with a 32-1 record.