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By Thomas Gerbasi - In the days before cell phones, Mississippi junior middleweight Paul Thorn got used to getting fights by way of a knock on his trailer door from his trainer / manager / uncle Merle.
So when Merle Thorn showed up one day in early 1988 with a fight, the 9-1-1 prospect assumed it would be another bout against someone on his level, an opponent who could help get him to the next level should he win.
It was something more than that.
“My uncle drove up to my trailer, and I’m not making this up,” Thorn said. “It almost sounds like something out of a Forrest Gump movie, but in my hallway in my trailer, I had the centerfold of KO magazine of Roberto Duran. My uncle says ‘I got you a fight in Atlantic City, it’s gonna be a good one.’”
“Who?”
“Roberto Duran.”
Thorn laughs.
“I thought he was joking, but it was for real.”
This wasn’t some other Roberto Duran, but the legendary “Manos de Piedra,” 82-7 at the time and two fights away from fighting Iran Barkley and Sugar Ray Leonard in back-to-back fights. For the Hall of Famer from Panama, the April 14, 1988 bout was just a blip in his career, but for Thorn, it remains a touchstone in a life that has had many of them.
These days, more than 26 years removed from the competitive, but losing, effort, the 50-year-old from Tupelo isn’t down on his luck trying to relieve past glories in a sport that doesn’t treat its own too kindly. Instead, Thorn is a singer-songwriter who has achieved that rare mix of critical and popular acclaim. His latest effort, Too Blessed to Be Stressed, delivers some of his best work yet, but the Americana artist isn’t one to toot his own horn about himself.
“I hope people will like my new record, and that’s the main insecurity I have when I put a record out,” he said. “Just like when I was boxing that was the main insecurity I had, going into the ring and hoping I’d win.” [Click Here To Read More]
So when Merle Thorn showed up one day in early 1988 with a fight, the 9-1-1 prospect assumed it would be another bout against someone on his level, an opponent who could help get him to the next level should he win.
It was something more than that.
“My uncle drove up to my trailer, and I’m not making this up,” Thorn said. “It almost sounds like something out of a Forrest Gump movie, but in my hallway in my trailer, I had the centerfold of KO magazine of Roberto Duran. My uncle says ‘I got you a fight in Atlantic City, it’s gonna be a good one.’”
“Who?”
“Roberto Duran.”
Thorn laughs.
“I thought he was joking, but it was for real.”
This wasn’t some other Roberto Duran, but the legendary “Manos de Piedra,” 82-7 at the time and two fights away from fighting Iran Barkley and Sugar Ray Leonard in back-to-back fights. For the Hall of Famer from Panama, the April 14, 1988 bout was just a blip in his career, but for Thorn, it remains a touchstone in a life that has had many of them.
These days, more than 26 years removed from the competitive, but losing, effort, the 50-year-old from Tupelo isn’t down on his luck trying to relieve past glories in a sport that doesn’t treat its own too kindly. Instead, Thorn is a singer-songwriter who has achieved that rare mix of critical and popular acclaim. His latest effort, Too Blessed to Be Stressed, delivers some of his best work yet, but the Americana artist isn’t one to toot his own horn about himself.
“I hope people will like my new record, and that’s the main insecurity I have when I put a record out,” he said. “Just like when I was boxing that was the main insecurity I had, going into the ring and hoping I’d win.” [Click Here To Read More]
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