After many years of decline, the metropolis of Detroit, Michigan tried to reverse the years of stagnation and neglect and reassert itself within the late 70s as one in all America’s nice cities. A big a part of this tried resurgence was the development of a brand new sports activities and leisure venue on the riverfront named for town’s legendary native son and one of many best heavyweight champions of all-time. Joe Louis Enviornment opened in December of 1979 and the next March hosted a particular boxing card that attracted 1000’s of followers to pay tribute to Louis himself, and to cheer on two of town’s most promising younger fighters. To say the occasion was successful could be one thing of an understatement.
First 21-year-old Thomas Hearns took on former welterweight champion Angel Espada and what ought to have been a aggressive battle proved to be a mismatch. Hearns dominated and battered the clearly over-the-hill Espada, knocking him down twice within the third spherical and once more within the fourth, prompting each the referee to cease the combat and the gang to start out up a chant of “We Need Leonard! We Need Leonard!” The slogan reverberated via the brand new enviornment’s rafters, the reference being after all to Sugar Ray Leonard, the brand new welterweight world champion and the opposite younger star within the division.
Then light-weight Hilmer Kenty, a stablemate of Hearns, climbed into the ring to problem Venezuelan Ernesto Espana for the WBA world title. It had been nearly twenty years since an American had worn the light-weight crown and with solely sixteen professional bouts to his credit score, Kenty appeared to most an unlikely champion. Espana was skilled, completed, and gave the impression to be the successor to Roberto Duran, whereas Kenty was a relative novice. Few thought he might stand as much as Espana’s highly effective proper hand and he and his coach Emanuel Steward, proprietor of the famed Kronk Gymnasium, talked overtly about desirous to field defensively and use the ring to keep away from the champion’s energy. Younger Hilmer Kenty got here in to the match as a five-to-one underdog.
And but, when the bell rang, and with Joe Louis himself a spectator, the supposed “novice” charged Espana, willingly partaking in a slugfest. All of the pre-fight speak of desirous to rigorously field the champion turned out to be a ruse, a psych job. As an alternative of sticking and transferring like Willie Pep, Kenty swarmed throughout his opponent like Jake LaMotta.
The younger challenger’s aggressive assault nearly led to catastrophe within the first spherical when he bumped into a pointy proper from the champion and briefly hit the deck. However Kenty instantly bought to his ft and, unharmed, resumed his assault. His larger velocity and mobility alongside together with his astonishing punch output gave Espana extreme bother. The champion lacked the velocity or the protection to deal with the hometown hero’s continuous assault. Setting a depraved tempo, Kenty battered Espana from nook to nook in nearly each spherical.
Apart from the knockdown within the opening body, the one spherical that remotely belonged to Espana was the eighth, when the tempo and Kenty’s assault slowed barely. Planting his ft, the champion dug some onerous pictures to the challenger’s stomach, however nonetheless, the actually damaging punches have been scored by Kenty as he pasted Espana with three onerous proper fingers earlier than the bell. Within the ninth, Kenty went into fifth gear, his two-fisted, whirlwind assault lastly placing Espana in serious trouble, the champion’s legs buckling, his physique going limp because the challenger chased him to the ropes and unloaded. Punch after punch snapped Espana’s head again till lastly the referee moved in to cease the one-sided beating and declare Hilmer Kenty the winner and new champion.
Jubilation erupted because the hometown hero, and the primary of many world titlists from the fabled Kronk Gymnasium, was topped. Little doubt, the nice Joe Louis, trying on from ringside, accepted.
— Robert Portis
