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By Lyle Fitzsimmons - Wow… this one’s hard to believe.
Seems like a day ago I was a sports-geek pre-teen in Western New York, making weekly pilgrimages to Mario’s general store to grab the latest issues of whatever boxing magazines had arrived.
It was on those trips – long before 24-hour sports outlets really took hold – where I first caught on to the freakishly lean and powerful welterweight who’s career arc would ultimately have me rapt.
Thomas “Hitman” Hearns.
I marveled at his demolition of Pipino Cuevas, cringed at the loss to Ray Leonard, rejoiced at his splattering of Roberto Duran and still wince years later at the mere mention of Iran Barkley.
An on-site handshake and interview before his penultimate fight in 2005 ranks among the top two or three moments of my professional career, even though I look back and shudder at the gallons of pre-fight Kool-Aid I must’ve guzzled to think he still had a chance to be world elite.
And now it’s 2011… and my favorite fighter’s a Hall of Fame candidate.
I can’t decide if I’m happy about his laurels, or concerned that I’m officially old.
Either way, I’ll save the suspense. He’s got my vote for 2012 induction.
As for the rest of the field, I’m having some quandaries.
I was 3-for-3 on voting for 2011 inductees Julio Cesar Chavez, Kostya Tszyu and Mike Tyson, continuing a three-year stretch in which I’ve had “YES” on my ballot next to seven of the eight honorees.
Only Danny “Little Red” Lopez has gotten in without my blessing so far, but my “Hearns in 2012” intoxication has me willing to let bygones be bygones with the guys in Canastota.
Joining my hero as first-timers on the ballot are former two-division champions Mark Johnson and Dariusz Michalczewski, who combined for 32 title defenses in their primes between 1995-2004. [Click Here To Read More]
Seems like a day ago I was a sports-geek pre-teen in Western New York, making weekly pilgrimages to Mario’s general store to grab the latest issues of whatever boxing magazines had arrived.
It was on those trips – long before 24-hour sports outlets really took hold – where I first caught on to the freakishly lean and powerful welterweight who’s career arc would ultimately have me rapt.
Thomas “Hitman” Hearns.
I marveled at his demolition of Pipino Cuevas, cringed at the loss to Ray Leonard, rejoiced at his splattering of Roberto Duran and still wince years later at the mere mention of Iran Barkley.
An on-site handshake and interview before his penultimate fight in 2005 ranks among the top two or three moments of my professional career, even though I look back and shudder at the gallons of pre-fight Kool-Aid I must’ve guzzled to think he still had a chance to be world elite.
And now it’s 2011… and my favorite fighter’s a Hall of Fame candidate.
I can’t decide if I’m happy about his laurels, or concerned that I’m officially old.
Either way, I’ll save the suspense. He’s got my vote for 2012 induction.
As for the rest of the field, I’m having some quandaries.
I was 3-for-3 on voting for 2011 inductees Julio Cesar Chavez, Kostya Tszyu and Mike Tyson, continuing a three-year stretch in which I’ve had “YES” on my ballot next to seven of the eight honorees.
Only Danny “Little Red” Lopez has gotten in without my blessing so far, but my “Hearns in 2012” intoxication has me willing to let bygones be bygones with the guys in Canastota.
Joining my hero as first-timers on the ballot are former two-division champions Mark Johnson and Dariusz Michalczewski, who combined for 32 title defenses in their primes between 1995-2004. [Click Here To Read More]
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