Thomas Hearns
had one last great performance in 1991, as he challenged the undefeated
WBA light-heavyweight champion Virgil Hill. In Hill's eleventh defense
of the title, Hearns returned to his amateur roots and outboxed the
champion to win a convincing decision and add a sixth world title
to his illustrious career. On March 20, 1992, Hearns lost this title
on a split decision to old foe Iran Barkley but continued to compete
and won his next 8 bouts.
On June 23, 1997, Hearns appeared on
a WWF telecast, performing in a storyline where he was taunted and
challenged by professional wrestler Bret "Hitman" Hart, who claimed
that Hearns stole the "Hitman" nickname. Hearns ended up attacking
Jim Neidhart and knocking him down with a series of punches before
officials entered the ring and broke up the confrontation.
On
November 6, 1998 Hearns had a boxing fight which featured a rare,
double knockdown. In it Hearns and opponent Jay Snyder landed punches
simultaneously during the very first round, Hearns a devastating right
hand to Snyder's chin and Snyder a left jab to Hearns' chin. Hearns
was able to get up before the referee's count reached ten seconds;
Snyder was not and Hearns won by first-round knockout.
On 10
April 1999, Hearns travelled to England and beat Nate Miller by unanimous
decision to win the IBO cruiserweight title. In his next fight in
April 2000 he lost the title to Uriah Grant. The first round was competitive,
with Hearns appearing hurt by a solid right to the jaw. Both fighters
traded blows in the second round until Hearns appeared to injure his
right ankle. He was forced to retire injured at the end of the round.
The crowd, booed and Hearns took the microphone and promised his fans
that he would be back. Hearns fought twice more, winning both fights
by TKO. His final fight was on 4 February 2006 against Shannon Landberg.
Personal
life
Hearns' family is a fixture on the Detroit sports scene. His mother,
Lois Hearns, is a fight promoter. Their company, Hearns Entertainment,
has promoted many cards, including the Mike Tyson/Andrew Golota bout
in 2000. His son Ronald Hearns is also a boxer, and he fought on the
undercard of his father's last couple of fights. Hearns lives in Southfield,
Michigan (a suburb of Detroit). Hearns serves as a Reserve Police
Officer with the Detroit Police Department.
Due to personal financial
issues, Hearns was forced to auction off his possessions at The Auction
Block of Detroit, Michigan, on April 3, 2010. Items included were
a1957 Chevy, 47' Fountain boat, and a slew of collectible memorabilia.
His debt to the IRS was $250,000. He took responsibility for repaying
the entire debt, which he said was accrued from being overly generous
toward his large extended family.
In 2012, Hearns was ticketed
for parking in the middle of the road. He subsequently paid the ticket.
His ticketing was featured in Parking Wars.