José Cuevas vs. Thomas Hearns

José Cuevas vs. Thomas Hearns, billed as World War II, was a professional boxing match contested on August 2, 1980, for the WBA welterweight title.[1]

World War II
DateAugust 2, 1980
VenueJoe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Title(s) on the lineWBA welterweight title
Tale of the tape
Boxer José Cuevas Thomas Hearns
Nickname "Pipino" "The Hitman"
Hometown Santo Tomás, Edomex, Mexico Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Purse $1,500,000 $500,000
Pre-fight record 27–6 (24 KO) 28–0 (26 KO)
Age 22 years, 7 months 21 years, 9 months
Height 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 146+12 lb (66 kg) 146 lb (66 kg)
Style Orthodox Orthodox
Recognition WBA
Welterweight Champion
USBA welterweight champion
Result
Hearns wins via TKO in the second round

Background

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Following an impressive 28–0 start to his career, Thomas Hearns was installed as the top contender to WBA welterweight champion José Cuevas with the bout being announced in June 1980 to take place in August in Hearns hometown of Detroit, Michigan. The 21-year old Hearns had won all but two of his 28 fights by knockout while the 22-year old Cuevas was in the midst of a four-year reign as WBA welterweight champion and had knocked out 11 opponents in his 12 title fights dating back to 1976, though at 6'1", Hearns possessed a four-inch height advantage over the 5'9" Cuevas. Hearns claimed to have "no fear" of Cuevas and stated "If I see an opening to get my right hand on him, then I think I'll knock him out."[2]

The fight was scheduled shortly after the heavily hyped and much watched Leonard–Durán fight in which Durán had defeated Leonard to win the WBC's version of the welterweight title. Both Cuevas and Hearns expressed heavy interest in a possible unification match with Durán should they win this bout with Cuevas stating he would "outbrawl, outbox and outpunch" Durán while Hearns exclaimed that he "can't wait to get Durán" after defeating Cuevas.[3]

The fight

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During the first round, Hearns, with a distinct height and reach advantage, used his left jab effectively to keep the much shorter Cuevas at bay and frequently hammered him with numerous combinations while Cuevas struggled to penetrate Hearns' defense leading to Hearns easily winning the round on the judges scorecards. Hearns continued to control the fight in the second round before landing a big right hand to Cuevas' head which dropped the champion face first to the canvas. Cuevas was able to answer the referee's 10-count and rose to his feet but was clearly hurt and on wobbly knees causing his manager Lupe Sanchez to enter the ring to prevent further damage which in turn led referee Stanley Christodoulou to end the fight and award Hearns the victory via technical knockout at 2:39 of the round.[4]

Fight card

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Confirmed bouts:[5]

Weight Class Weight vs. Method Round Notes
Welterweight 147 lbs. Thomas Hearns def. José Cuevas (c) TKO 2/15 Note 1
Super Featherweight 130 lbs. Yasutsune Uehara def. Samuel Serrano (c) KO 6/15 Note 2
Lightweight 135 lbs. Hilmer Kenty (c) def. Young Ho Oh TKO 9/15 Note 3
Heavyweight 200+ lbs. Randall "Tex" Cobb def. Earnie Shavers TKO 8/10

^Note 1 For WBA Welterweight title
^Note 2 For WBA and The Ring Super Featherweight titles
^Note 3 For WBA lightweight title

Broadcasting

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Country Broadcaster
  United Kingdom ITV

References

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  1. ^ "Pipino Cuevas vs. Thomas Hearns". boxrec.com. BoxRec. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
  2. ^ Big wheel in Motor City, Sports Illustrated article, 1980-07-28, Retrieved on 2024-05-06
  3. ^ Cuevas, Hearns Agitate For Shot at Duran Title, Washington Post article, 1980-06-24, Retrieved on 2024-05-06
  4. ^ Hearns Stops Cuevas for Title, Detroit Free Press article, 1980-08-03, Retrieved on 2024-05-10
  5. ^ "BoxRec - event".
Preceded by
vs. Harold Volbrecht
José Cuevas's bouts
2 August 1980
Succeeded by
vs. Bernardo Prada
Preceded by Thomas Hearns's bouts
2 August 1980
Succeeded by
vs. Luis Primera